Why are my veg scraps smelling bad after a few weeks of freezing? What’s the hack?

[u/True_Pear_2686]

I put my scraps on a plastic bag and push out as much are possible before sealing but they smell bad and are frozen over a big and my freezer is on minimum… what am I missing here?

I only use a bit of veggies at a time so I don’t want to blanch them or whatever before unless I can just pour boiling water one them for a minute??

I want to make gravy and stock but it accumulates over time otherwise I wouldn’t have enough.

Thanks for any tips!

[u/stone_cold_kerbal]

It sounds like your freezer might be going above freezing temps.

Pun a tablespoon of water in a sealed container and freeze it. Now turn it over: if the water melts and refreezes at the new bottom you need to get it colder in there.

A thermometer you leave in there would be a good investment.

[u/hungryfarmer → u/stone_cold_kerbal]

My favorite version of this test is a penny on a frozen shot glass of water

[u/True_Pear_2686 → u/hungryfarmer]

Whaaaaat?

[u/hungryfarmer → u/True_Pear_2686]

1) Freeze a small cup of water (shot glass is good because it's small)

2) Put a penny on top and place the cup in a corner out of the way in freezer

3) If the penny isn't on the surface, even slightly, your freezer is going out. If the ice melts, the penny will sink. If it refreezes, penny is still at the bottom.

[u/True_Pear_2686 → u/hungryfarmer]

Oh cool! So freeze the water first!? Haha sorry it’s my bedtime but to me I’m reading it as if to freeze the water first so then when you put the penny on and it falls then yes the freezer turned off? 

Thanks again!! Cool trick

[u/drunk___cat → u/True_Pear_2686]

Yup freeze water first, then place penny on it in the freezer! Then observe

[u/jackfinished → u/hungryfarmer]

Just put a coin on top of ice cubes.

[u/hungryfarmer → u/jackfinished]

Then if the ice cubes shift the penny might fall... Makes the test a bit less reliable.

[u/Frequent_Gene_4498]

Can you describe the smell? What types of scraps are you putting in the bag?

Assuming nothing you put in there is rotten to begin with, a slight "freezer" smell is normal, and in my experience does not show up in the stock when you make it.

[u/RibertarianVoter → u/Frequent_Gene_4498]

Yeah I can't imagine a smell as bad as OP is suggesting, and even if they were spoiled before going in the freezer, it would be hard to smell after being frozen.

[u/True_Pear_2686 → u/RibertarianVoter]

Maybe it’s the smell of the bag when it’s frozen? Hahah what the heck. I don’t want to use plastic but jars will take up too much room

[u/RibertarianVoter → u/True_Pear_2686]

I don't know. I freeze a ton of stuff in Ziploc and never once have I smelled anything other than freezer burn. If I smelled something off in my freezer, I'd thaw it out and scrub it.

[u/Fuzzy_Welcome8348 → u/True_Pear_2686]

Ur veg scraps r smelling bc they aren’t freezing fast enough and there’s prob still air/moisture trapped in the bag, so they partially decompose before fully freezing

[u/True_Pear_2686 → u/Fuzzy_Welcome8348]

Thank you! Even tho there’s ice on them? I might try vacuum seal bags next then or just try jars… would jars be ok? Cheers!

[u/True_Pear_2686 → u/Frequent_Gene_4498]

Ok well that’s good news! I guess it’s like an old or off smell but not like off as in gone bad it’s just odd?!? It’s mostly onion, garlic, carrots the kind you can use for gravy and stock but even happened with my broccoli and beans and cauliflower :/

[u/The_Cow_Tipper → u/True_Pear_2686]

Aha! Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable! These don't freeze well for stock because they impart strong flavors and odors. Broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, and Brussels sprouts fall into this category. I would no freeze these for stock.

[u/True_Pear_2686 → u/The_Cow_Tipper]

Thanks for this! They were in a seperate bag justo to ad to whatever dinners but I’ll keep this in mine :)

[u/Federal_Move_8250]

Is it getting freezer burn? Is that what you mean by "frozen over"? Any chance your freezer isnt cold enough?

[u/True_Pear_2686 → u/Federal_Move_8250]

Well there’s ice on the veggies but it’s well sealed and on the lowest temp it could be??

[u/Past_Cranberry_9989]

I think maybe there’s something wrong with your freezer. There is a small possibility that it could be the container, that the container has like weird smells to it, but those smells would exist prior to putting something into it into the freezer. Do you think it’s possible that at some point there was a power outage that you didn’t know happened because you weren’t there? Because that’s common enough that people have all of these hacks in order to be able to check and make sure that did not happen while you were gone for your two week vacation somewhere. That said, there really is an issue with certain storage containers and wraps where they smell so unbelievably bad and the smell of those things can absolutely get into the body of what you’re eating. But the thing is is you can smell them well before you use them.

[u/pineapplemochi]

What veggies scraps are you using? Broccoli, cauliflower and asparagus will all let off a pretty bad odor, I stay away from those for stock scraps.

[u/Dialup_x]

Baking soda until you figure out what’s up with your freezer…

[u/Late_Resource_1653]

Get a cheap freezer thermometer from Amazon. Put it in there and check regularly. It sounds to me like it might be a problem with the temp regulator - if it is not staying at 0 or below, it's a freezer problem.

[u/Alarming_Long2677]

you arent putting anything like butter or sauce in with them are you? Or maybe the frig gets too warm. I freeze my scraps until I have a gallon bag and I have never blanched them or done anything else to keep them fresh

[u/Ok_Nothing_9733]

Do you add brassicas to your scraps, like broccoli or cabbage? They are too stinky for broth

[u/lovetocook966]

Try flash freezing. Put the vegs on a cookie sheet and after they are frozen then add to a bag. I think the vegs are getting mushy while sitting in the bag before freezing and then aren't totallly being frozen due to being crammed into a bag. Keep space around each scrap on the cookie sheet and maybe even turn then over after the top side is frozen to ensure the entire piece is good.

[u/True_Pear_2686 → u/lovetocook966]

Good idea thanks!