Can You Freeze Hamburger Buns?
Question: Can you freeze hamburger buns? Read our guide to find out.
Leftover buns can only be kept at normal temperature and still be fine for about one or two days. Storing them in the fridge won’t make the situation any better. What happens when they are kept in the freezer? Is it possible to freeze hamburger buns?
I’m sure you’re aware of how things go. You bought yourself a pack of buns that you needed for homemade hamburgers. Since the pack had 6 of them but you needed only 3 or 4. Or you even baked the buns at home but you need just two of them, but didn’t manage to make two and ended up with 4 or even 6 of them.
You have leftover buns that you don’t really need them to make your breakfast sandwiches. This is when you have to come up with other storage methods. Freezing them is the initial idea that comes to you.
Can You Store Hamburger Buns In The Freezer?
Unless you’re certain about what you’re doing, storing bread and buns in the fridge isn’t such a good idea. However, putting bread in the freezer will make it last for several weeks without it losing its original quality. Fortunately, the same applies to hamburger buns.
Even better, buns similar to bread, don’t require you to use any fancy gear to freeze them. All you’ll need one or two freezer bags. Plus, the process is both easy and fast. Here’s how to do it:
How Hamburger Buns Can Be Frozen
As mentioned before, the entire process is very straightforward and easy. Let’s look at how it’s done.
a) Begin by cooling the buns
If you baked your hamburger buns at home (like most people prefer to do), ensure that they cool down to normal temperature before storage. This will prevent them from becoming soggy while in the freezer. Cooling should take at least one hour from when they were removed from the oven.
b) Put your buns into freezer bags
It doesn’t really matter whether you chose to put them in just one bag or each bun in a separate one. You will also be able to remove them with ease if they are out in one bag. Don’t forget to remove as much air as you can from the bag, then tightly close the bags. This will prevent them from getting freezer burn.
c) Label the bags (optional)
Don’t label the freezer bags if you’re planning on using them more than once until they wear out. If they are see-through, they don’t even need to have labels because you can see what is stored in each bag.
d) Arrange the used bags in your freezer
This means that you can freeze your buns for a very long time. They can be frozen for several months without losing their original quality. If you’re not sure whether or not they will retain the quality, use them within one week or less.
TIP
If your hamburger buns are store-bought and are still unsealed, they can be put in the freezer in the same package. You don’t have to repack them into freezer zip lock bags.
How Frozen Hamburger Buns Are Thawed
The best and easiest way you can defrost your hamburger buns is by doing it gradually and at normal temperature. remove them from the freezer bags, place them on a plate on the counter, then let them thaw slowly.
The only downside of this method is that it’ll take quite some time. If your buns are larger in size (see ours in the pictures) they will need at least 3 to 4 hours to completely thaw. If you have thicker ones, they’ll need more thawing time.
Consider putting the buns on paper towels when you discover some moisture starting to gather around them. You don’t want your buns to become soggy and the paper towels will help to absorb the droplets of water.
Flip them over when they get halfway through their recommended thawing time. This will enable moisture to be circulated evenly and not be concentrated at one spot.
Using The Oven To Defrost Hamburger Buns
If you don’t have enough time to defrost your buns, you can warm and thaw them up using the oven. First wrap them using aluminium foil (to prevent them from drying out), before putting them in the oven using low heat (150 to 180 degrees C or 300 to 350 degrees F) for around fifteen to twenty minutes. You can then chuck them once the is on, but hasn’t really started heating up.
If you want to bake other dishes (you can prepare a batch of French fries to go with your hamburgers), it will work perfectly. Just reduce the amount of time required for thawing accordingly. Remember to check whether or not the hamburger buns are defrosted properly. You’ll have to remove them from the oven, remove them from the aluminum foil, and then use your hands to check how they are progressing (carefully).
If the buns need more time, wrap them again in the foil before putting back in the oven. Thawing your buns using the oven is a great option because they will also be warmed. If you want them warmed, let them stay in the wrapped foil for a little longer so that the buns can become enjoyable and warm.
How To Use Thawed And Frozen Hamburger Buns
Since your hamburger buns are now defrosted, they can be used in a similar manner that fresh buns are usually used.
If you decided to warm up the buns at the same time that you’re cooking the burger patties, or they are getting ready separately in the toaster or oven, use the same method you used on the defrosted buns. If you don’t want all this hustle, and don’t mind eating cold buns, then you’re good to go.
Similar to thawed and frozen bread, once they get to room temperature, there really isn’t a lot of variance between frozen-and-thawed buns and the fresh variety.
Conclusion
You can now put together all the ingredients that you usually use and start composing your burgers. They include, burger patties, cheese, onions, lettuce leaves, tomato slices, ketchup, mayonnaise and any other thing you want.
