You can defrost frozen squash quickly by heating it up directly on the stove in a saucepan or skillet or pop the frozen squash in the microwave on defrost for a few minutes or so until thawed out.
To defrost frozen squash you can remove the frozen squash from the freezer and leave it in the refrigerator overnight.
The refrigerator will be cool enough to prevent spoilage of the frozen squash but also warm enough of a temperature to allow the frozen squash to thaw out.
You can also use some cold water and place the frozen squash in a bowl of cold water and change the water every 30 minutes until the frozen squash is thawed or even defrost the frozen squash in the microwave.
You can also just cook the frozen squash from frozen as some recipes also call for cooking frozen squash directly.
Placing the frozen squash in the oven or a toaster oven can also defrost and cook the frozen squash.
You can reheat frozen squash by placing the frozen squash in the microwave for a minute or two or until heated or you can also reheat the frozen squash in the oven at 300 F to 400 F for 5 to 10 minutes or until heated.
You can also roast the frozen squash in the oven by heating the oven up to 450 F and then tossing the frozen squash with some oil, salt and pepper and then bake until tender and slightly crispy, while stirring halfway through.
You can also heat or reheat the frozen squash in a toaster oven or air fryer as well.
No need to thaw the frozen squash out first before reheating it as frozen squash is best reheated or cooked from frozen.
If you don't blanch squash before freezing it can cause the squash to become mushy, soggy and lose it's color, texture and flavor over time.
Blanching of the squash before freezing helps to preserve the color, texture, quality and taste of the squash over time as it is frozen.
Freezing squash and other vegetables without blanching results in faded and dull color as well as off textures and off flavors.
Blanching the squash and other vegetables destroys the enzymes which are what turn the squash or other vegetables brown.
To freeze squash start by cutting up the squash in slices or cubes or however you want to cut the squash up.
Then blanch the cut up squash pieces in some boiling water for 1 to 3 minutes and immediately transfer the squash pieces to an ice bath.
After that place the squash pieces on a baking sheet or plate or something that is freezer safe and freeze them until solid.
Then remove the frozen squash pieces and transfer them into a vacuum sealed bag, freezer safe container, Ziploc bag etc and write the date they were frozen on the container, bag or Ziploc bag and place them in the freezer.
When ready to cook the squash pieces later you simply remove them from the freezer and place them in the pan or fryer and fry or cook them as normal from frozen.
Squash can become mushy after freezing, especially if it's summer squash types such as zucchini squash.
Squash can become mushy after freezing due to the high water content in the squash which can cause the squashes cell walls to break down during freezing and thawing.
You can minimize the squash becoming mushy by first blanching and flash freezing the squash before freezing it to help preserve the texture.
To blanch the squash for freezing, wash and cut the squash into the desired sizes which can be grated, cubes or slices and then blanch the squash in boiling water for 1 to 3 minutes.
Then immediately after removing the squash from the boiling water you transfer the squash to an ice bath, drain and then flash freeze on a baking sheet.
Frozen squash should not be thawed before cooking.
It's best to cook the frozen squash directly from the freezer without thawing it which is especially true for recipes such as boiling, steaming and roasting the squash which helps to maintain the moisture and avoid a soggy texture to the squash.
Although if you want to use the frozen squash in baked goods, it's recommended that you thaw the squash and drain any excess moisture.
Frozen squash can go bad although freezing the squash helps the squash to last longer.
When frozen the squash is often good for around 5 to 10 months although it can remain safe to eat after that but after 10 months the squash starts to go bad.
You can also vacuum seal the squash to make it last longer although the squash also goes bad eventually even when vacuum sealed.
If the squash smells bad, tastes bad or has any mold on it or is really mushy or slimy it should be thrown out.
You can just cut squash and freeze it although it's best to blanch the squash after cutting it before freezing it which helps to preserve the color, texture and flavor of the squash during freezing of the squash.
If you just cut the squash and freeze it the squash will still remain safe to eat but the color, texture and flavor can change and it may not be as tasty or as appetizing.
You can freeze the squash in Ziploc bags or use vacuum sealed bags and you can freeze the squash by cutting it into slices, cubes or even freeze the squash as a puree.
Vacuum sealing the squash when freezing it helps to preserve the frozen squash longer by preventing oxygen from reaching the squash.
You can freeze squash in vacuum seal bags and freezing the squash in vacuum sealed bags will help make the frozen squash last longer by preventing oxygen from getting into the squash and causing it to go bad as quickly.
Vacuum sealed squash will last in the freezer for up to 10 months which is how long the vacuum sealed squash will remain at it's best quality.
After 10 months the vacuum sealed squash will remain safe to eat but it will lose it's quality, change in texture and eventually go bad.
If the vacuum sealed squash has been in the freezer longer than a year then it's likely not good to eat although it can be safe to eat.
To freeze squash in a vacuum sealer you have to first prepare your squash by washing the squash and then cutting and blanching the squash.
Blanching the squash is optional before you freeze it in a vacuum sealed bag but it's best to blanch the squash which makes it last longer.
After you've washed, cut up the squash and blanched it or at least cut it up you then freeze the cut up squash on a baking sheet until the cut up squash is solid.
Then once the squash is frozen solid you transfer the frozen squash into a vacuum sealed freezer safe bag and store it in the freezer.
For summer squash you need to blanch the summer squash after cutting it by blanching the cut up summer squash in boiling water for a couple of minutes and then you immediately transfer the cut up squash from the boiling water into an ice bath which stops the cooking process.
After you've blanched the squash you then allow the blanched squash to cool down and then drain any excess water.
Then place the cut up squash onto a baking sheet and freeze it until solid.
Then transfer the frozen squash pieces into a freezer safe vacuum sealer bag and use the vacuum sealer to remove the air from the bags and seal them tightly.
Then label the vacuum sealer bags with the date and type of squash and store them in the freezer.
Vacuum sealed frozen squash is good for around 10 months and is at it's best quality for the 10 months although it can still be safe past the 10 months but it won't taste as good.
Vacuum sealing the squash and other food helps to protect the squash and other foods from freezer burn by removing the oxygen and reducing loss of moisture and ultimately preserves the quality and extends the shelf life of the food.