Most people keep orange juice in the refrigerator so that they can have it fresh and cold with their filling morning meal. However, frozen orange juice is an even more refreshing treat on a warm summer afternoon. Therefore, the answer is yes, you can freeze orange juice and enjoy this frozen delicacy. Let us look at how and why you should freeze your orange juice before drinking it.
Why would You have Orange Juice?
The nutritional and physiological benefits of orange juice are numerous. According to Healthline, drinking orange juice has various health advantages. Included among the benefits are:
- Orange juice provides necessary nutrients to the body. Protein, carbs, vitamin C, potassium, folate, and magnesium are the main ingredients which are found in this drink.
- Antioxidants such as carotenoids, flavonoids, and ascorbic acid are abundant. These are essential for preserving our overall health and keeping us energetic.
- The juice helps to maintain a healthy heart and minimize risk factors for heart disease. Doctors would always suggest you have one glass of fresh orange juice in the morning if possible.
- Efforts aimed at reducing inflammation and accompanying complications. Inflammation is the body’s natural defense mechanism against diseases, infections, and injuries. More immune cells, white blood cells, and cytokines are produced by the body.
How to Freeze Orange Juice
Before freezing orange juice you need to keep a few things in mind. If the juice is freshly squeezed, make sure that there is not much pulp left in the juice. This is because the pulps will sink to the bottom of the freezing container and create an unpleasant texture. To avoid this problem you can strain the orange juice before freezing it.
Again, if the juice is store-bought it will not pose this problem. However, keep in mind that liquids expand when they are frozen. Therefore, take a good look at your container and assess if it has enough room for the expanded frozen orange juice, and freeze the juice in a different container if the original packaging does not have enough room.
Now, in order to freeze orange juice in a safe and healthy way, you need to make sure that the containers you use are safe and convenient. Freezer-safe glass containers are an excellent option. You can also use mason jars for this purpose, as they are also aesthetically pleasing. Moreover, if you are planning to make a smoothie, you can just take out the mason jar and pour all the other ingredients into it, and drink the smoothie from the jar itself.
Ice trays are also convenient for freezing orange juice, as you can easily control the amount you are intaking using these trays. Orange ice cubes will also melt faster than the chunky ones frozen in big containers when you are trying to have orange juice for breakfast. This will make the melting process mast quicker and more convenient.
How Long Would Frozen Orange Juice Last?
Freezing orange juice is an excellent method for preserving it because freezing liquids allows them to be used for an extended period of time. This technique works for all types of orange juice, be it freshly squeezed or bought from the shop.
You can keep freshly squeezed orange juice in the refrigerator for two to three days and in the freezer for three to four months.
Again, store-bought orange juice will stay well in the refrigerator for one week if unopened and seven to ten days if opened. However, both opened and unopened store-bought orange juice can be kept in the freezer for eight to twelve months.
How to Utilize Leftover Orange Juice?
Orange juice is a delightful and refreshing drink that may be consumed in a variety of ways. But if you have an excess of orange juice you can also use them in a variety of ways. Here are five delicious ways to use up leftover orange juice:
Making a marinade
Marinades are an effective way to spice up your regular meat. Orange juice works as a great marinade for chicken, fish, and other kinds of meat. In order to do that, blend it with soy sauce, oil, and spices, cover your meat in this mixture and leave it for an hour or two.
Making a smoothie
Orange juice is a delightful element to any smoothie. Combine it with some milk and yogurt, put it in your blender, and blend it all up to add a nice orangish flavor to your smoothie.
Use it in cakes or muffins
Orange is a great flavor to use in cakes and other desserts. If you have extra orange juice lying around, you can use that in your recipe instead of artificial orange flavoring. This will make your cake even tastier.
Making a glaze
Orange juice can be used to make a glaze for ham or chicken. To make a delicious glaze, blend your orange juice with sugar and spice, and spread it all over your chicken.
How To Defrost Frozen Orange Juice?
As usual, several options are available, depending on your requirements. Here are some of them:
- Defrost in the refrigerator overnight: The safest method of defrosting is in the refrigerator, although it takes quite a while. Therefore, you must plan. To defrost the orange juice this way, simply place the container on one of the shelves for 6 to 12 hours, depending on its volume.
- In lukewarm water: To expedite the process, you can soak the bottle or container in lukewarm water. Please note that it will still take several hours for the juice to completely defrost.
- Put in frozen: For some applications, frozen orange juice is required. If so, there is no need to thaw it first.
Pros of Freezing Orange Juice
If you are still in doubt about whether you should freeze your orange juice or not, let us look at some pros of freezing it.
Firstly, freezing orange juice is a fantastic option for storing surplus juice if you bought too much of it during a bargain and won’t be able to consume it all before it expires. Again, both orange juices purchased from the store and freshly squeezed orange juice are capable of being frozen.
However, because it has additional preservatives, orange juice purchased from a shop will keep for a longer period in the freezer.
Final Words
Orange juice is a refreshing drink. It becomes even more enjoyable when it is frozen and consumed in the form of sorbet. Moreover, freezing will keep your orange juice fresh and accessible for a long period of time. If you are an orange juice fanatic, we suggest you definitely try freezing it!