Can you freeze matzo balls? Yes, matzo balls are straightforward to freeze and can be prepared in advance! Make the balls in the same way you’d like and store them in a freezer-safe container at 0°F. It can help keep the form of balls and may even extend their shelf life.
Making matzo balls ahead of time is a fantastic way to reduce time and effort when making matzo soup. How do you store these tasty dumplings?
Learn details about matzo balls and how they’re made, the best way to keep them safe, and how to use matzo balls frozen!
Can You Refreeze Matzo Balls?
When the frozen matzo ball has been defrosted, use all of them in one go.
There is no reason to refreeze them because they may get damaged. It is recommended to store the matzo balls shaped according to the serving size.
Take only as much as you’ll need and keep the remainder in the freezer!
Using Frozen Matzo Balls
While thawing them first might seem like a good idea, we suggest you add the matzo balls towards the close of cooking the soup to ensure they don’t break and cook evenly.
Thawing could be a great option for those who want to incorporate the balls into other recipes, but for soup, just lightly drop them in to cook like you normally do.
Don’t over stir the pot, or you could break the matzo ball!
Keep in mind: always inspect the matzo balls to see if there are signs of degradation before you use them.
Although properly frozen matzo balls can be stored safely without the accumulation of bacteria, power interruptions or inadequate circulation could affect your dumplings’ quality.
Before cooking, check the balls for thin texture, a horrible smell, or color changes.
4to 6 months-old matzo ball frozen in the freezer may slowly alter their appearance because of the process of oxidization. However, they shouldn’t cause any harm to your food so, provided they don’t show obvious evidence of loss.
Here’s a graph for the time it takes to store matzo balls:
| Refrigerator (40degF) | Freezer (0degF) | |
|---|---|---|
| Shaped Matzo Balls Storage Life | 3 to 7 days | 3 to 6 months |
What Are Matzo Balls?
Matzo balls are Jewish dumplings created with eggs, seasonings, and matzo meals. Matzo meal is essentially matzah flatbread that has been ground. It’s a popular recipe and is typically served at Passover!
The majority of people like eating matzo balls along with the soup. There are a variety of ways to use them in different recipes.
The method of making matzo balls isn’t set in stone also. Everybody has their own take on the matter, but in nearly all instances, you’ll discover these balls made with ingredients that are suitable to be used for Passover.
The greatest benefit of cooking these dumplings is you can conveniently store them; however, you have to use the most effective methods to get the best use of their texture and shape.
Making Matzo Balls
To make a matzo ball, you’ll need to begin with a few basic ingredients. Let’s get started!
Matzo Meal
Matzo meal is created from ground flatbread.
The ingredient is available in a variety of stores. You can also make your own matzo meal at home; however, for convenience reasons, it is recommended to purchase the ready-to-eat pack of meals made from matzo!
Eggs
Eggs play an essential part in the creation of matzo balls. They not only serve in the capacity of binding agents, but they also provide softness to dumplings.
You could either find an approximate number of eggs that you’ll need to drink the matzo meal. Or you can begin with three eggs per bowl of matzo meals.
Keep in mind that you’ll also be mixing in other liquid ingredients, such as chicken stock and chicken stock, so you don’t need to add eggs with extra yolks.
Chicken Stock
A matzo ball recipe is not complete without chicken stock.
The stock imparts a rich flavor, and savory taste that goes well with a matzo meal! The majority of people make homemade chicken broth for flavoring the ball; however you are able to experiment using commercial stock.
Want even more flavor? Try using the chicken’s fat instead of canola oil! The chicken fat adds texture and flavor, but it can help to strengthen the structure of the ball as they cool.
Seasonings
After the basic ingredients are added, you can then top the mixture off with quite a handful of spices!
Traditionally matzo balls are made up of white pepper powder, garlic powder, dried dill, dried parsley, dried chives, and, kosher salt.
However, you might be able to find recipes that require baking soda. Be careful as you gasp; there are various ways to use baking powder for matzo ball recipes.
Some believe that since the ingredient is used to leaven, it isn’t kosher and is not suitable to be used during Passover.
The argument is that, since the baking powder is a chemical leavening agent, which isn’t created from grain, It is suitable for Passover and can be utilized to make extraordinarily matzo balls.
If you’d like to remain regular, then you can just skip baking powder to make these tasty dumplings at Passover — however, we suggest you try it throughout the year!
Baking powder gives a soft and softly chewy texture to matzo ball, which may otherwise be a bit hard.
For the most enjoyable experience, we recommend looking for additional Passover approved chemicals leavening products to get the best use in the quality of matzo balls.
Shaping Matzo Balls for Storage
After all, the ingredients are blended, seal the bowl’s top by securing it with plastic wrap and allow the mixture to rest for several hours in the refrigerator at 40 degrees F.
This helps the ingredients integrate into the matzo meal. This will improve their structural integrity too.
After cooling, begin making shapes of the balls with the scooper. Using your imagination to shape the balls to any size you like is also possible.
Traditionally matzo balls are designed to be smaller, and the majority of people prefer having three matzo balls in soup. However, you can opt for one matzo-sized ball as well!
Lay sheets of baking parchment over the baking pan and place the balls that are shaped on the tray. There should be some space between each ball, and do not fill the tray too full.
If you want to prepare the balls on the same day that you plan for them to be used, you can store them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours at 40°F prior to adding them to the soup.
The matzo balls should be given time to rest can help them get set. When you mix them into matzo soup, they will not fall apart when cooking.
Freezing Matzo Balls
The process of freezing matzo balls is simple!
After you’ve shaped the balls and let them rest in the fridge, pull off the tray and place it right in the freezer.
You must ensure that there is enough freezer space for the whole tray. Don’t force the tray, or the matzo balls could shift out of place and crash into one another.
If you aren’t able to fit enough matzo balls in your freezer to store the matzo balls, it is suggested you divide the matzo ball into two smaller trays.
Do not worry, we’ll eliminate the trays soon!
The first step is to first freeze the balls once they have been in place so that the water around the outside evaporates and the water encased within the balls forms crystals.
This helps the balls retain their shape over time and also makes them easier to keep in storage.
Let the balls sit for a night at 0°F then prepare for the final step! We recommend that you work quickly as you don’t want your balls to melt at this point!
Remove the tray and shift the matzo ball into the safe plastic freezer bag. It is recommended to use an airtight bag to ensure the freshness that the dumplings.
Keep in mind: matzo balls are vulnerable to heat, and they can be heated in your hands, so make sure to wear plastic gloves or a spoon to scoop the matzo balls.
The bag should be filled with enough matzo balls. Close the seal and put the bag in the rear of the freezer (away from the door).
Matzo balls that have been frozen can last for about 2 to 3 months when stored in freezers. You could store them longer, however, they’ll begin to lose flavor and may even break after 3-4 months.
Other Questions Asked
Matzo balls are simple to store, and freezing them could be a fantastic way to reduce time and energy! Once you’ve figured out how to keep them safe and how to store them, here are some concerns.
How long will matzo balls last at temperatures at room temperature?
Matzo balls should never be kept at room temperature longer than 1 or 2 hours.
The dumplings are made of eggs, as well as other ingredients that could become rotten very quickly. Always keep a matzo ball mixture in the refrigerator prior to making them into a shape.
Even if you intend to cook them immediately, the best method to ensure their shape would be to cool them off in the refrigerator!
