There are 3 common ways to store zucchini noodles: refrigerating, freezing, and dehydrating. Take your specific circumstance into consideration to choose the most suitable method because each has its pros and cons.
Zucchini noodles are a perfectly gluten-free dish prepared from zucchini and several additional spices. Despite being an easy-cooked meal, they are incredibly suitable for those desiring delicious dishes while losing weight. Zoodles are low in carbs and calories, which are harmful if people over-consume them.
Being aware of zoodles’ benefits, some people tend to over-prepare but can not consume them all within a dinner. So, how to effectively store the leftovers? Read on for more info.
Related: An A-to-Z List of Fruits (With Pictures)
Preparation Before Storing
Remember, preparing and properly removing excessive moisture is the first important step you must do. And here is how to do it.
- The nut milk bad method: Put zoodles in a nut milk bag, quickly press and twist it. Keep doing it until there is no liquid run out.
- The colander method: It is your choice to simply apply this method or combine it with the one mentioned above. Though, a professional chef would conduct both for the best perfect level of moisture.
After the wringing step, put zucchini noodles in a colander over a bowl and place the structure in the fridge. Leave it there for about 24 hours to allow moisture to drip into the bowl.
- The salt method: This is the most popular method for preparing zucchini noodles with the appropriate moisture level. After finishing, leave them there for a couple of minutes and then place them in a colander, sprinkle with salt. Gently toss the mixture using your hands so that the salt can be spread over.
Once finished, you can put them in a nut milk bag to remove the water coming from zucchini noodles. Despite being popular, you must notice that if you can not control the amount of salt, your food might become too salty.
After well-prepared zucchini noodles with the appropriate moisture levels, there are two recommended materials for you to store them:
- Ziploc bag: Placing your zucchini zoodles in a gallon Ziploc bag is considered the best way for fresh cooks. For your information, a Ziploc bag is a type of unbleached paper towel to prevent food from soaking up any bleach or formaldehyde.
- Airtight glass or plastic container: Recently, people tend to avoid using plastic bags due to their environmental harm. If it is also your case, an airtight glass container would be more suitable. What’s more, you can even take it to the top by using BPA-free plastic lids.
3 Main Methods
Refrigerating zucchini noodles:
Simply place your covered zoodles in the fridge to make it done. When applying this method, you will recognize that your zoodles will get wet because of moisture releasing from the food itself. Replace the paper towels after two days to prevent them from becoming damp.
Freezing zucchini noodles:
This technique is quite difficult for you to conduct because several steps are required. First, you must apply the salt preparation method (illustrated below) and use a Ziploc bag to store your meal. However, this method can remain in your zoodles for up to a year.
Click here to figure out how to freeze zoodles.
Dehydrating zucchini zoodles:
You can perform this method by using a dehydrator with the following steps:
- Set your dehydrator at 115℉
- Put your zoodles inside and let them dry for at least 3 hours
- Store them in a sealed container after finishing.
How Long Do Zucchini Noodles Last in the Fridge?
In the fridge, cooked zucchini noodles can be eaten well within the period of two or three days. If you have stored them correctly according to the abovementioned methods, and especially with an airtight container, your zoodles can even live up to 5 days.
An airtight container brings better results when compared with Ziploc bags and paper towels because the two later options have some limitations.
A Ziploc only functions to seal the contents from the external environment, while the paper towels option only works with unbleached ones. Therefore, an airtight glass container is the most sanitary solution.
How Do You Know When They’ve Gone Bad?
Noodles can be retained for several months, while the lifespan of zucchini is only around five days. Hence, it is likely the spoiled zucchini that causes bad zoodles. You should seek changes in zucchini to discover soggy zoodles. Rotten spots, decay, dull and wrinkled skin are some identifiable signals you must notice.
Are Zucchini Noodles Good The Next Day?
Cooked zucchini noodles can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days, ideally. However, after this period, your meals will likely get soggy and spoiled.
Besides, when consuming them the next day, it is crucial to reheat them properly. Or else, you will destroy your delicious dish. Various methods can be applied, such as using an oven, boiling water, or a microwave oven.
For more detailed information about how to preheat zoodles, click here.
How Do You Keep Them From Getting Soggy?
As a devoted cook, surely you don’t want your zoodles to get soggy. Several tips you can use to avoid the undesirable circumstance would be:
Tip 1: Noodles first, sauce second
Cooking the mixture of noodles and sauce is the most common mistake you may make. The moisture added by sauce will speed up the spoiling process of zoodles. Remember to cook the noodles first and pour additional sauce after.
Tip 2: Prioritize additional food that absorbs moisture
If you can not avoid moisture coming from zucchini and sauce, use other ingredients with the ability to absorb water, such as cheeses, breadcrumbs, eggplant, potatoes, etc.
Tip 3: Reduce or thicken the sauce
Reducing here means you simmer it till you notice enough liquid has evaporated, while thickening means adding a starchy thickener. Either reducing or thickening also works.
Tip 4: Eat immediately
Although it is pretty apparent, it is worth mentioning. Remember that the longer you don’t consume zoodles, the more tasteless and the less nutritious it becomes. So, plate your zoodles as soon as possible to achieve their benefits.