Why You Should Avoid Gifting Someone Frozen Food

Nothing says "I love you" quite like a homemade meal — which is why, in times of both celebration and struggle, we bring people food. Not only is it a thoughtful gesture to let someone know you care about them, but it's also a practical way to support a loved one in a time of need, especially if they're dealing with a hardship that leaves them little time for cooking for themselves or their family.

And though, as they say, "it's the thought that counts," you do want to be mindful when it comes to gifting your friends or family food for any occasion. Since your goal is likely to help make their lives a little easier, you'll want to make sure that your edible gift offers optimal convenience. One obvious example is delivering the food in a dishwasher-safe or disposable container so that they don't have to worry about washing and returning it right away. A less obvious tip, however, is to avoid bringing over pre-frozen meals. 

While freezing your dish beforehand may seem like the best option to ensure the food keeps for a longer amount of time, it could prove more inconvenient for your giftee. For one thing, you don't know exactly when they'll want (or need) to eat it. Perhaps they're planning on enjoying your dish right away; in that case, receiving it already frozen will force them to spend time defrosting and reheating it, or else they'll have to cook up something else for dinner. 

If you've lovingly whipped up a meal for your giftee, whether it's a casserole, lasagna, or potato salad, you should take as much care wrapping and delivering it as you took to make it. Rather than freezing the food yourself, you should drop off the meal so that it's ready to eat immediately but packaged in a way so that it can also be easily thrown in the freezer if they would like to save it for a later date.

In addition to bringing the food in a disposable or easy-to-clean container, you should also make things as easy as possible for your loved one to prepare the dish whenever they'd like to eat it. If there are specific instructions when it comes to reheating or serving the meal, be sure to include them on or with your package. You should also clearly mark when the food was made, so if your recipient does choose to freeze the meal, they don't have to worry about whether too much time has passed to eat it. 

Of course, your loved one is sure to appreciate this gesture of care in any form, but taking the time to be extra considerate when delivering food as a gift can make all the difference for someone going through an especially busy or distressing time.