Can You Freeze CookUnity Meals? How to Store Them?
CookUnity meals are premade meals prepared by award-winning professional chefs delivered to your doorstep. The menu is very diverse, and they rotate it weekly, meaning you can try different things with each order. The minimum number of meals you can order is four, and the maximum is 16 meals per week. However, since you can’t order one meal at a time, chances are you will have to find a way to store CookUnity meals. So can you freeze CookUnity meals and how to store them?
You can store your CookUnity meals in the fridge where they will be safe from three days to a week and in the freezer for up to a month. Don’t store your CookUnity meal at room temperature. The original box will keep your meals fresh for about 24 hours after delivery.
Since you can easily make the mistake of storing them improperly, it would be a shame to let a CookUnity meal go to waste because you lacked information. Therefore, in the following paragraphs, I will explain how to store Blue Apron meals and whether or not you can freeze them.
How to Store CookUnity Meals?
CookUnity meals are freshly made home-cooked meals with all-natural ingredients containing no shelf-life prolonging ingredients. That means that they are highly perishable and won’t last you for too long. Therefore, you need to either eat them or store them.
When your CookUnity meals first arrive at your doorstep, they will be safely stored in their recyclable insulation box, where they can stay for 24 hours without spoiling. Once you open the insulation box, the clock will start ticking, and you need to decide how you will store them.
You can store the unopened CookUnity meals in the fridge where they will be good for up to a week, or freeze them and have them safely stored for up to a month.
If you want to store an opened CookUnity meal, you need to transfer it to an airtight container or store it in the meal box, but make sure there’s as little air penetrating as possible. Never keep the CookUnity meal at room temperature for more than two hours, including the time you eat.
Place the opened CookUnity meal in the fridge in an airtight container. If you don’t have an airtight container, use a regular plastic box with a lead, but make sure you seal it well with a foil.
Freezing an opened CookUnity meal is necessary if you don’t have your meal within a week after delivery. Place the meal in an airtight container, and make sure you don’t press it too hard with other foods you have in the freezer.
Ensure that the food you freeze does well when unfrozen, as not all food is good for freezing. The good news is that CookUnity meals contain instructions on freezing and defrosting the food, so you won’t have to worry.
How to Reheat Frozen CookUnity Meals?
Even though you can reheat frozen CookUnity meals in any reheating appliance you have, such as the oven, or the microwave, they recommend that you use the oven. Once you take your CookUnity meal out of the freezer, you need to leave it to thaw for a while.
Check your meal and see if it gets softer. Once it softens, place the CookUnity meal in a preheated oven at medium temperature and let it reheat. Increase the temperature gradually, and don’t heat for more than five to seven minutes at a time.
CookUnity meals are delivered in small portions, so you won’t have a large food quantity to reheat, meaning you won’t need much time. Therefore, the reheating should be a gradual process taking no more than 20 minutes of thawing and seven minutes in the oven.
Still, once you see your meal’s condition, you will know best what to do. However, adhere to the above instructions and adjust as you see fit.
How Long Do CookUnity Meals Last?
Since CookUnity meals are home-cooked meals containing no shelf-life prolonging additives, they are perishable, just like the food you cook by yourself. Therefore they don’t have a long shelf life unless you freeze them.
Your CookUnity meals will last about 24 hours after delivery in the original insulation box. Unopened but out of the insulation box, they will last no more than three hours.
An unopened refrigerated CookUnity meal will last you for about a week, and an opened one will last for three to four days, maybe a week, but don’t take it for granted.
Whether opened or unopened, CookUnity meals last for about a month in the freezer, but be careful what food you freeze, as not all types defrost well.
Are CookUnity Meals Good After the Expiration Date?
Eating an all-natural cooked meal after the expiration date is never okay. The degradation process takes place like clockwork, so even if you don’t see any signs of spoilage, such as changes in the appearance of the food, smell, or taste, rest assured it has begun.
Therefore, never eat or store CookUnity meals after the expiration date. If you haven’t managed to eat or store all of your CookUnity meals until the expiration date, play it safe and discard them.