How To Properly Store Your Frozen Meatballs

Whether you enjoy them as a jelly-coated appetizer, over a plate of spaghetti, or with a side of gravy, meatballs are beloved bites of savory bliss. Although leftovers are unlikely, on the off chance that you've made one too many, you might need to package up meatballs for another day. The trick, however, is knowing how to properly store the meaty morsels in the freezer so that they'll remain delicious weeks (or even months) after they were made.

The correct way to freeze meatballs depends largely on how they are prepared. For meatballs simmered in sauce, everything can be cooled, added to an airtight container, and placed in the freezer. Alternatively, storing meatballs sans sauce requires a couple more steps. To keep the savory spheres from clumping together during freezing, we suggest evenly spacing fully cooked (or raw) meatballs on a lined baking sheet, and then popping them into the freezer to harden. After a few hours, the frozen meatballs can be transferred into a well-sealed container and tucked back into the freezer. But, that's not all that should be considered.

Rather than commit a food-freezing faux pas, it's also very important that meatballs are kept in the right location. Ideally, they should be placed in the coldest section of the freezer — towards the bottom — to ensure that the meat stays fresher for longer. Speaking of which, labeling containers with the date can also be helpful in tracking the shelf-life of the frozen meatballs.

Plain or saucy, big or small, simple or complexly flavored, meatballs of any kind will last for a long time when stored properly. Generally, a batch will keep for up to 4 months in the freezer. After that, quality can begin to deteriorate and the icy effects of freezer burn can start to set in. While the meatballs will still be safe to eat, enjoying them sooner rather than later can reduce compromised tastes and textures.

The good news is that reheating frozen meatballs is extremely easy. For the best results, we recommend defrosting them prior to reheating. If meatballs were stored in sauce, add everything to a saucepot and simmer over low heat until warm. Otherwise, sauce-free balls can be placed in a baking dish and heated in the oven. Regardless of whether they were frozen raw or fully cooked, it's always wise to heat the meatballs until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit as this will eliminate the risk of foodborne illness.

Unfortunately, even if they are stored perfectly, frozen meatballs won't last forever. To determine if the bite-sized delights have passed their prime, look for clues that indicate spoilage. Anything from foul smells to slimy textures or visual changes like the presence of mold could signal that meatballs should be discarded. In which case, a new batch can be made — and then, of course, kept properly according to our storage dos and don'ts.