Not all yogurt containers are created equal. Cardboard containers are not suitable, as their porous nature makes them disintegrate in short order. The larger the yogurt container the better; single-use containers are not cost-effective and the frugal chef quickly realizes that a large container can be split into portions in a washable bowl just as easily as half a dozen single-serving yogurt containers – and with less waste.
Yogurt containers with lids solve the problem of sealing to some extent. The USDA recommends that containers used for freezing have a tight fit, but a less than tight fit can be fixed with freezer tape. The tight fit is key; if air gets into frozen foods it can cause freezer burn or, worse, spoilage.
Contamination When Using Plastic Yogurt Pots in Freezing
Freezer burn is not harmful, but renders the food tough. Spoilage can cause sickness and, at best, results in waste. A glance through the forums at Serious Eats reveals that, while some of the forum participants there do use yogurt containers to freeze food, some have reservations.
Strong flavors like onions in frozen foods may contaminate other refrigerated or frozen food; garlic-flavored ice cream, for example, is typically the preserve of the Gilroy Garlic Festival.
The USDA neither specifically recommends the reuse of yogurt pots for freezing, nor does it recommend against them. It does, however, recommend using airtight, freezer-approved products such as freezer bags, freezer wrap and rigid containers. Freezer-approved products are labeled as such, often with an icon resembling a snowflake.
Making Yogurt Containers Safe for Freezing
The National Center for Home Food Preservation suggests that containers can be made more airtight by taping with freezer tape, and by enclosing their contents in a freezer bag first. This of course creates additional waste, but is relatively cheap if the bags are bought in bulk.
Regardless of this step, as time goes by, the plastic of a yogurt container used in freezing will degrade, and may even crack, in which case the only recourse is to recycle the container.
With the correct precautions, then, using yogurt containers for freezing may be a reasonable way to extend the life of what would otherwise simply be thrown away, saving money and encouraging a green practice. It must, however, be noted that this practice can also lead to pack-rat tendencies, which must also be weighed against the practical benefits of re-using the articles as opposed to simply recycling them (or making home-made yogurt).
Linda Gentile - Linda Gentile is a professional freelance writer. A full-time RVer and biker (ravensroads.com), she runs the history site, ...
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