Can You Freeze Pate?

Last updated on September 13th, 2022 at 01:42 pm

The word pate brings to mind fancy dinner parties for the rich and eloquent. Pate is French for paste but this food is often made of liver. 

Many variations of pate can be found across the globe. This dish can be served at high society affairs or even served as an appetizer at a low-key dinner party. 

Traditionally, pate is made from liver, wine, and a mix of spices. This is then cooked and boiled down until it becomes easily spreadable. There is such a wide variety of pate, that it can be made from nearly anything. 

Some popular pates are made with duck, venison, fish, and chicken as well as pork. Some pates even have vegetables added to them. Pate is often paired with toast, celery sticks, or thin radish slices. 

Some people will even pair pate with gherkins. 

The sweet crunch of a gherkin is a lovely contrast to the meaty richness of the pate. The downside to pate is that it does not have a very long shelf life. It will only last a few days in the fridge, 10 at the most but that is on a rare occasion that it lasts that long. 

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was a way to store it where you wouldn’t have to toss it in the bin a few days after your dinner party? Freezing works well for a variety of foods but does it work with pate? 

Pate can be frozen but you will need to store it in an airtight container (as is common with most things that you freeze. You will want to remove as much air from the freezer bag or container as possible before freezing your pate. 

Although pate can be frozen if it is exposed to too much air the texture and flavor can degrade rapidly so if your frozen pate has an odd texture or tastes “off” then it likely wasn’t freezer in an airtight container. 

How Do You Freeze Pate?

Now that you know pate can be frozen your next question is likely how to do that. Well that is what I will cover in this section. 

First of all I want to mention how long pate will generally last in the freezer. 

Pate will last in a freezer for 3 to 6 months if it is stored properly. Up to 6 months in the freezer is a lot better than a few days in the fridge that it normally lasts so if you don’t think you will use it immediately then freeze it. 

If you do not properly freeze your pate it can deteriorate rather rapidly as i mentioned earlier. But what should you do to ensure that doesn’t happen? 

The secret to freezing pate is making sure that it is airtight. If any air can reach the pate, it will cause your pate to lose flavor and texture. 

Since pate is such a delicate dish with a relatively high fat content it can be a little temperamental if not frozen correctly. However, if you follow the directions below you will be able to successfully freeze your leftover pate with no problems. 

To freeze the pate, you will need some plastic wrap and air tight containers. You need to decide how you want to freeze your pate before you begin.  

If you believe that you will use all of your pate once you defrost it then you can freeze it whole. If it is store bought pate that is still in it’s unopened packaging then you could simply mark the date on the package and toss it into your freezer. It will be good for up to 6 months. 

However, if you have already opened your pate or made it at home yourself then you will need to make sure that it is in an airtight container. The best way to do this is to use both plastic wrap, and a freezer safe plastic baggie. 

First you will want to wrap the pate in plastic cling film. Once the pate is securely wrapped in plastic film you will then place it into a freezer safe plastic bag. With the pate in the freezer safe plastic bag, you will then need to make sure that all of the air is removed from the bag. 

If you have a vacuum sealer this would be a great thing to use to make sure you keep the quality of your pate. If you do not have a vacuum sealer, you can easily use a straw and a Ziploc baggie as well. 

Seal the baggie enough so that only the straw fits into it. Once you have done this you will need to push as much air out of the bag as possible. After you have pushed the air out of the bag you will then want to use the straw to suck the rest of the air out of the bag. 

Then seal the bag up the rest of the way. 

Do not forget to write down the contents of the bag and the date on the outside of your Ziploc bag. If you are not planning to freeze the pate whole then you can divide it up into portion sizes. This is ideal if you know you will not be able to use all of the pate at once. 

To freeze your pate in portions you will need a silicone ice cube tray and freezer safe plastic bags. 

The first thing that you will need to do is place your pate into each individual section of the ice cube tray. Place the filled tray into the freezer for a few hours. After 4 to 6 hours your pate should be frozen then you will be able to remove it from the freezer and pop the frozen pate from the ice cube tray. 

Label a freezer bag with the contents and the date then place your frozen pate into the freezer bag and remove all of the air from it. You need to remove as much air from the bag as possible to avoid freezer burn. 

If you want a little extra protection for your pate, you can wrap it in cling wrap as well. This extra layer will help to protect the delicate dish from the freezer. Then place the bag back into the freezer. When you need some pate, you can simply take it out of the freezer and allow it to defrost.

How Long Does Defrosted Pate Last?

Pate tends to have a short shelf life. The most that it can last in the refrigerator is 10 days but it will probably only last a few days before it begins to deteriorate. Freezing pate will extend its shelf life to 3 to 6 months. 

There are two different methods that you can use to defrost your pate. The best method for defrosting frozen pate is to place it on a plate in the fridge. Putting the pate into the fridge the night before you need it and allowing it to slowly thaw out is the best way to defrost it. 

With allowing the pate to defrost slowly you have a better chance of the texture holding true to how it was before you froze it. However, if you forgot to remove it from the freezer the day before there is a way to speed up the defrosting process.

For the quick defrost method you will need a bowl of room temperature water. Make sure that the pate is completely sealed. If some water leaks into the package that will alter the texture of your pate. 

Once you have made certain that the pate is 100 percent sealed you will want to place it into the bowl of room temperature water and fully submerge it. Leave the pate in the bowl for 1 to 2 hours. 

After you have defrosted the pate, you will want to use it within 2 days, this is why freezing pate in smaller portions is highly recommended.