With haggis being something people either love or hate, it’s easy to end up with leftovers. So, what do you do with them? Do you have to throw them out, or is there a way to store them properly?
Can You Freeze Haggis?
Yes, you can freeze haggis for up to 4 months. You can freeze both whole haggis or leftover cooked haggis. In either case, ensure it is cooled to room temperature before wrapping it in clingfilm, bagging it up and freezing.
Do Does Haggis freeze well? Yes
Can you refreeze Haggis? No
How To Freeze Haggis
Haggis is an easy dish to freeze. If you have bought it in a store and the packaging is still sealed, then you can pop the whole thing straight into the freezer. Just make sure you label it with the date first, so you don’t forget when you need to eat it.
If you have made your haggis at home, these are the methods to use to freeze the haggis.
How to Freeze Whole Haggis
- Cool: Allow your haggis to cool completely. You can keep it in the lining, whether you have used a traditional sheep’s stomach or an artificial lining.
- Wrap: Wrap the cooled haggis in cling film. You need to wrap several layers around the haggis. Pop the haggis into a freezer bag.
- Label: Label the bag with the dates and the contents. You can even add some baking or reheating instructions to make it a little easier when you come to use the haggis.
- Freeze: Pop the haggis into the freezer and freeze.
How to Freeze Leftover Haggis
You should only use this method if your haggis has been made fresh and cooked at home. If you have store-bought your haggis, then it may already have been cooked, cooled and reheated once so you shouldn’t freeze and then reheat again.
This amount of heating and cooling can help bacteria to grow in the haggis, which could make you sick. If you are confident it’s safe to freeze your leftovers then this is the method to use:
- Cool: Allow your haggis to cool completely.
- Prepare Containers: Prepare some airtight containers or freezer bags. The best option for leftovers is to freeze in separate portions, so you need a bag or container for each portion. Then when it comes to using the haggis, it makes it much easier for you to get just the right amount out of the freezer.
- Label: Label the bags or containers with the date and contents.
- Portion into Bags: Spoon a portion of haggis into each container or bag.
- Freeze: Seal the containers or bags tightly and pop them in the freezer.
2 Tips for Freezing Haggis
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 2 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing haggis to have the best results:
Check the Packet
If you have bought the haggis from the shop and have already opened it then check the packet to see what it says about freezing it. If the haggis has been cooked during the production process then it may state it is not suitable for home-freezing.
Wrap It Tightly
Keeping the air out will prevent the haggis from drying out so make sure you wrap it tightly in cling film. To be safe, wrapping it twice is far from a bad idea.
How Long Can You Freeze Haggis?
Haggis keeps fairly well in the freezer and lasts for about four months. After this time, you might find the texture degrades and the taste of the haggis changes.
If you leave it in the freezer for too long, then you might even get that freezer burn taste that no one enjoys!
Unopened haggis will last for around 1 year in the fridge or until the use-by date on the packaging. Once opened, it will last for around 48 hours in the fridge.
How Do You Defrost Haggis?
To avoid the food deteriorating then your best option for defrosting is to use a slow method. To do this, you need to pop the haggis into the fridge and allow it to defrost slowly.
If you are defrosting a whole haggis, this could take twelve hours. Small portions will take a little less time.
Using this method helps reduce the number of bacteria that can grow, which helps to keep the haggis a little safer to eat.
Can You Refreeze Haggis?
Meats should never be refrozen, whether that chicken, sausage meat or beef… And haggis is no different. It is when food is heating and cooling that bacteria can grow in the food, and doing this too often could make you ill.
It would be best if you were especially careful with food like haggis because, when bought from a store, there is a chance it has already been cooked once, and you will be reheating it.
If this is the case, you shouldn’t even freeze the haggis once, never mind twice!
If in doubt it’s best to be safe and throw away any haggis you have leftover that can’t be eaten.
Does Haggis Freeze Well?
Haggis does freeze well! We can’t say there will be no taste or texture change at all because freezing does change food, but it shouldn’t be noticeable, and the haggis will be just as enjoyable as it was fresh!
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing haggis or haggis in general, then these may help:
Yes, you can get vegetarian haggis, and yes, you can freeze it. Both meat and vegetarian varieties contain oats, and they freeze in much the same way. In fact, most of the rules on this page can be applied to vegetarian haggis when it comes to freezing it.
Yes, cooked haggis can be frozen but it must be cooled entirely beforehand. It can then be frozen in portions in good-quality sealed bags.
