Cooked ham is often served on holidays at many households and sometimes you might find yourself in a situation whereby you have leftover cooked ham and you just don’t know what to do with it. However, you should not throw away the cooked ham since you can actually freeze it and store it for later. The article below gives a step by step guide on how you can freeze cooked ham. The various ways in which frozen cooked ham can be used will be discussed. It is worth noting that frozen cooked ham can last for about 2 to 3 months in the refrigerator when it is sliced.
Contents
NB: there are 2 ways in which cooked ham can be frozen and this is either by slicing it into smaller pieces or by simply freezing it as a whole.
Steps to follow when freezing cooked ham by slicing it
Step 1
The first step is to slice up the cooked ham, or you can dice it up for casseroles or soups depending on how you would want to use it after it has been frozen. You need to use a sharp knife when cutting the cooked ham so that the slices come out nicely
Step 2
The next step would be to put the sliced or diced up cooked ham in an airtight freezer bag. Make sure you place the sliced up ham in different freezer bags based on how much cooked ham you would love to use at a time. For food safety reasons once ham has been thawed it needs to be heated and consumed.
Step 3
When you have finished putting the cooked ham in the freezer bags the next step is to vacuum as much air as possible before sealing the freezer bags. This helps to protect the cooked ham so that it can last for a longer period of time since moisture and air won’t be able to get in.
Step 4
When you have finished packing the cooked ham you need to label the freezer bags before you place them in the refrigerator. When you label them you need to include the date in which you are putting them in the refrigerator so that you can easily keep track of when they are likely to expire since cooked ham can go for up to 2 to 3 months in the refrigerator.
Step 5
Place the freezer bags that have cooked ham in the refrigerator and let them freeze for a few hours before you can put other things on top.
NB: always remember to store sliced cooked ham in the refrigerator for a period of 2 to 3 months because after that period the texture, quality and flavour of the cooked ham will be compromised.
Steps to follow when freezing a whole cooked ham.
NB: if you do not want to cut the cooked ham into slices you can simply freeze it as a whole.
Step 1
The first step when freezing cooled ham is to make sure that the cooked ham is cool and not still hot. Take paper towels and remove any excess oils from the ham.
Step 2
When you have removed all the oils place the whole cooked ham in a freezer bag and vacuum as much air as possible so that the ham can be preserved for a longer time. Wrap the freezer bag with aluminium foil and place it inside another freezer bag for extra protection and also so that the flavour can be preserved.
Step 3
Mark the packaging of the cooked ham and indicate the day in which you have placed it in the refrigerator. The last step is to place the wrapped cooked ham into the refrigerator
NB: always check the expiration date of any type of ham before you purchase it because if you buy ham that was about to expire then freezing it won’t extend its shelf life.
How to prepare frozen cooked ham
Thaw the frozen cooked ham
When thawing ham the first thing to do is to fill the sink with cold water and them submerge the ham in the cold water so that it can defrost nicely. Never use hot water to thaw ham as this facilitates the growth of bacteria. When thawing ham it is important to keep on checking on the ham so that the packaging does not open. You wouldn’t want water to contaminate the cooked ham. Usually if the ham is divided into small portions it will take a minimum of 2 to 3 minutes to thaw but if it is not sliced it will take about 30 minutes. When the cooked ham has completely thawed remove it from the water and then you can unwrap it and use it as desired.
Bake the frozen cooked ham
Frozen cooked ham can be baked especially if you had just placed it in the refrigerator without cutting it. The first thing to do is to preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Take a roasting pan and line it with aluminium foil then place the cooked ham inside with the fat side on top. Leave the ham uncovered and allow it to bake for 20 to 30 minutes. You can apply glaze on the last 30 minutes of baking. The last step is to remove the cooked ham from the oven and allow it to rest for 15 minutes before slicing it up.
Conclusion
Generally you can freeze cooked ham, so if you have some leftovers from your holiday celebrations you can simply wrap them up and store them for later. This article has given a step by step guide on how to freeze cooked ham. It can either be refrigerated as slices or as a whole ham. Cooked ham should be thawed once and eaten on the same day for food safety reasons. It is also worth noting that frozen cooked ham can never be eaten whilst cold so you can either thaw it or bake it.
