Orange juice remains a key breakfast staple in most homes and with good reason. O.J. smells and tastes lovely; you can’t beat the citrus flavour either. The a.m. beverage also is quite healthy for you.
Orange juice provides an excellent source of calcium, potassium, folate and fiber. It also contains natural ingredients featuring important anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.
The world loves their O.J., but many of us aren’t sure about its shelf-life and how to properly store the morning beverage. Some of us like to shop on sale and would prefer to buy orange juice in large quantities.
Can You Freeze Orange Juice?
Yes, you can freeze orange juice, and our simple tips below will help you when purchasing O.J. in various containers. You’ll wonder why you didn’t start following these easy steps sooner.
Can You Freeze Orange Juice In A Plastic Bottle?
Yes, you can freeze orange juice in a plastic bottle. In fact, it’s certainly a better option than awkwardly trying to fill your O.J. into a large plastic baggie to store. That causes leakage and a generally messy situation.
The citrus growing experts suggest not using their plastic bottles sold to you in the store. They’re only intended for one-time use. Some folks ignore that advice and still use the same container to freeze, without any problems. Others purchase empty plastic beverage containers, and pour their orange juice into these for freezing.
By the way, thawed out orange juice still tastes delicious.
Can You Freeze Orange Juice In Carton?
Yes, you can freeze orange juice in carton without any explosion of the container painting your freezer bright orange inside. Many families have bought orange juice on sale in bulk and simply placed the cartons in the freezer safely for another time.
Some people have suggested opening the carton and pouring out a little, before freezing the juice. That little trick is designed to make room for the container expanding during the freezing process. However, food experts say that orange juice in a carton will not explode in the freezer, so no special precautions need to be made.
To play safe, however, others suggest pouring a little juice out and leaving at least 1/2-inch head-space at the top of the container before freezing.
Can You Free Orange Juice In Mason Jars?
Yes, you can free orange juice in mason jars, as long as you follow a special step to avoid broken frozen jars full of juice. Some folks think of glass and shake their heads about freezing anything in them. However, mason jars are designed to handle all kinds of liquid and food storage.
When it comes to properly freezing O.J. in mason jars, you want to pay attention to the jar you are using. The wide mouth mason jars make it easy to store liquids. These famous jars lack the “shoulders” that most jars have. So, the jar isn’t put under pressure when the orange juice freezes inside and expands. Try these for freezing your favorite morning staple.
Glass jars that have shoulders, require that you fill the container with O.J. two to three inches below the shoulders to allow for product expansion.
Can You Freeze Pure/Simply Orange Juice?
Yes, you can freeze Pure/Simply orange juice, and the Simply Orange company website states this fact. However, the brand discourages against freezing, claiming the containers could explode in the freezer.
Simply Orange is concerned about the environment and ensures their plastic containers are made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, which does not contain BPA. PET is globally recognized as a safe, recyclable packaging material.
Just freeze the Simply Orange juice in it own plastic carafe container, or to be super safe, purchase new plastic beverage containers for freezing instead.
How To Defrost Orange Juice
Yes, you can defrost orange juice to later enjoy a refreshing glass of America’s favourite breakfast drink. Thawing couldn’t be any easier. Just remove your container of juice from the freezer and place it in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
Once your juice has thawed, just give the container a hearty shaking motion to reconstitute the natural sugars with the rest of the juice for perfect blending. Then, take a sip of this delicious chilled beverage.
How Long Can You Store Frozen Orange Juice?
The food experts will delight you with this answer, because you can safely store frozen orange juice for several months. In fact, O.J. in your freezer can stay in there for eight to 12 months, without the flavor losing any quality.
Orange juice is a breakfast must-have, and knowing it can be frozen in a simple manner, makes this beverage a great budget buy.
