Freezing Store Bought Pies?

cybergrannie
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August 5, 20174 found this helpful

The sell/use by date is the last date the store can legally sell the pie as a fresh item but does not mean there is a problem with the pie. The sell/use date is set so that you can purchase the pie on that date and still have sufficient time to safely eat it - a minimum of 2 to 3 days but usually longer. So if you feel safe in eating it when you take it home then it should be okay to freeze it.
If you freeze it soon it should be just as good (and favorable) as when they first put it out.

andrea.henderso80
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August 5, 20173 found this helpful

Yes. You can. The expiration date on bakery items is the last day it can be sold as fresh. A vacuum sealed bag works great, but I lots of times use a resealable plastic freezer zip-lock bag for bakery items with good success (better than wrapping it with seran wrap and by all means easy!).

Pghgirl40
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November 25, 20180 found this helpful

While you can freeze them, I personally do not like how store pies get when frozen (even the ones that were "baked fresh"), I think it changes the quality when you freeze them. Perhaps I don't wrap them well enough, not sure, but the filling usually gets mushy and the crust turn either super tough or super crumbly (depending on pie type). Pumpkin is the worst to freeze, as it usually pulls from the crust and gets gummy.

I am a pie aficionado and my pies need to be made or bought fresh. There are a few store brand frozen I like (some Mrs. Smith's already frozen--like the cherry), and a few store bought crusts I like to fill (like the Pillsbury refrigerated), but generally, if you want to impress your guests, fresh is best!

Judy
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November 25, 20180 found this helpful

I do freeze again. I freeze in slices, and take out only what I need to avoid thawing and refreezing.

cybergrannie
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November 26, 20181 found this helpful

You did not say whether these were frozen cooked pies or if you cooked them and they were not eaten so that could make a difference in their "quality" if you refreeze them.

• When I find a controversy like this and it involves food safety, I usually try to find the answer on the USDA web site.
• Remember - this is mainly about food safety and does not really deal with the quality of the food once thawed:
• USDA: "Once food is thawed in the refrigerator, it is safe to refreeze it without cooking, although there may be a loss of quality due to the moisture lost through thawing.
• If previously cooked foods are thawed in the refrigerator, you may refreeze the unused portion. Freeze leftovers within 3 to 4 days. Do not refreeze any foods left outside the refrigerator longer than 2 hours; 1 hour in temperatures above 90 F."
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• "Do not refreeze any foods left outside the refrigerator longer than 2 hours; 1 hour in temperatures above 90 °F. If you purchase previously frozen food (some exceptions to quality may exist) at a retail store, you can refreeze if it has been handled properly."
• "Breads, Cakes and Pies. Freshness will be affected but they can be refrozen unless they have become contaminated with liquids dripping from other foods as they thawed. Cream pies should be discarded."
• You will find many who disagree (for various reasons) with these statements but I believe the biggest problem lies in how the the food is prepared (wrapped) for freezing. Many times the loss in flavor and taste is due to poorly wrapped freezer foods.
• Also, it seems the method used to thaw foods has a lot to do with the texture and flavor and most sites recommend thawing in the refrigerator and not at room temperature.