A scotch egg is a boiled egg enclosed in sausagemeat and covered in breadcrumbs. It is then fried. It is crispy and meaty and is enjoyed by many.
The question is can you make a batch of them and freeze them to enjoy at a later date? The answer is yes, you can freeze scotch eggs.
However, the bad news is that they don’t freeze well and there will be taste and textural changes. If you are determined to freeze them, we will tell you how to do so in this article.
How To Freeze Scotch Eggs
1. Cool the scotch eggs
If you have made the scotch eggs yourself and heated them, you will need to cool them down to room temperature. You mustn’t put them in the freezer while they are still warm as they can bring up the temperature and other food may start to defrost. When the food refreezes, bacteria can grow, and the food will spoil.
2. Wrap the scotch eggs
First, wrap the scotch eggs in cling film and then in aluminum foil. Make sure that they are tightly wrapped so that freezer burn doesn’t occur. Freezer burn will ruin the taste and texture of the scotch eggs even more.
3. Put the scotch eggs into a freezer bag or airtight container
If you are using a freezer bag, squeeze out the air to avoid freezer burn. Put a label on the bag or container with the date frozen and the contents.
4. Put the freezer bag or airtight container in the freezer
You can freeze the scotch eggs without frying them but you will still have textural problems mainly with the egg. The whites become leathery and are virtually inedible. Although egg yolks freeze better, you won’t get the ooziness you would have if you ate a fresh scotch egg.
Tips For Freezing ScotchEggs
- Squeeze out all the air from the freezer bag to avoid freezer burn.
- Be prepared for the texture of the scotch eggs to change.
- It is better to store scotch eggs in the fridge rather than in the freezer. They will last for four to five days. They will taste almost as good as when they were made fresh.
For How Long Can You Freeze Scotch Eggs?
You can keep scotch eggs in the freezer for up to three months, although the sooner you eat them, the better they will taste. After three months, they might get freezer burn. In addition, ice crystals will form and when the scotch eggs are defrosted, the sausagemeat will be mushy.
How Do You Defrost Scotch Eggs?
The best way to defrost scotch eggs is to do it slow and steady. Put them in a bowl and put this in the fridge. Leave them to thaw overnight. It is not a good idea to thaw scotch eggs at room temperature as bacteria can form and the scotch eggs will spoil.
When your scotch eggs have defrosted, put them on a baking tray and put them in the oven at 400 F for around ten minutes.
Can You Refreeze Scotch Eggs?
The simple answer is no. It is difficult enough to freeze scotch eggs once, let alone a second time. If you do, ice crystals will form and when you come to defrost the scotch eggs, they will be mushy and virtually inedible. In addition, refreezing can increase the risk of food poisoning.
Is It a Good Idea To Freeze Scotch Eggs?
I think that you will have gathered from this article that it really isn’t a good idea to freeze scotch eggs. The delight of scotch eggs is that they have rich runny yolks. Unfortunately, freezing scotch eggs hardens the yolks. In addition, the egg whites become rubbery (see also Can You Freeze Egg Whites?).
When it comes to the sausagemeat, there is a good chance that ice crystals will form and when defrosted, it will be mushy and inedible.
The whole texture of the scotch egg is ruined when frozen. When you eat a fresh scotch egg, you first get the crunch of the outer layer, then you have a rich and well-seasoned meat hit, and finally a creamy egg yolk. All this disappears with freezing.
We recommend that you don’t freeze scotch eggs unless you have a lot of them and don’t think that you can eat them within the few days that they will last in the fridge. It’s still better than throwing them away.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hopefully, you now know all there is to know about freezing scotch eggs but in case you are still curious, we have answered a few questions here.
Can you freeze shop bought scotch eggs?
Yes. Shop bought scotch eggs can be frozen in the same way as homemade scotch eggs. They have, however, been cooked already and there’s no point heating them up just to cool them down for freezing. Just wrap them and put them in an airtight container or freezer bag. Put straight in the freezer.
Can you freeze vegetarian scotch eggs?
The meat alternative for vegetarian scotch eggs could be a variety of products, for example, cheese and lentils. Lentils freeze well but you still have the problem of the eggs. The yolk will go hard and the white, rubbery, and in effect, the scotch eggs won’t be tasty. You will miss the runny yolk that you would get if you ate the scotch egg fresh.
What can you serve with defrosted scotch eggs?
There are plenty of options, the most popular being French fries. A salad always goes down well as do baked beans. You could have a scotch egg with a cooked breakfast of hash browns, sausages, bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, and fried bread.
