If you are fond of baking, you will know that pastry cream is a recipe that can not be missing in our desserts, although a dilemma arises: How to preserve the pastry cream?
It is possible to keep the pastry cream in the fridge inside a plastic container for 3-4 days. You can freeze the pastry cream for three months, but it is not highly recommended.
Stay here and learn more about how to preserve custard with the quick steps I will give you below.
How to store pastry cream in the fridge
Pastry cream is a classic in baking and is used as a filling in many preparations, and if you have some leftovers, the fridge represents a perfect place to keep it fresh.
However, experts recommend using it immediately after its preparation, as it can lose consistency and texture.
Do the following to store the pastry cream in the fridge.
- Step 1. Let the pastry cream cool.
Once the pastry cream is cooked, let it cool for 1 hour.
- Step 2. Pour the custard into a container.
Add it to a container, ensuring it does not overflow.
Then cover the container with a plastic film, and make sure the film contacts the surface of the cream to prevent the formation of a crust.
- Step 1. Store the pastry cream in the fridge
Find the coldest place in the fridge to store the custard.
Appropriately stored in a container sealed with film paper, the pastry cream in the fridge lasts between 3 or 4 days in good condition.
How to freeze pastry cream
Can the pastry cream be frozen? The answers on whether or not you can freeze the pastry cream are divided.
You can freeze the pastry cream when it is not based on cornstarch because starch lasts a long time to freeze and would ruin the consistency of the custard. [1]
If you’re planning to make a lot of pastry cream to freeze, it’s best to consider switching to the wheat flour you use regularly.
Here you have the steps to freeze the pastry cream.
- Step 1. Pastry cream should be cold.
Let the cream cool for a few minutes. Never leave the custard for more than 2 hours at room temperature.
- Step 2. Add the pastry cream to a plastic container.
Place the cream in the well-spread container and then close tightly.
- Step 3. Label.
Label the container with the storage date to control its shelf life.
- Step 4. Store in the freezer.
Insert the container into the bottom part of the freezer, where it will freeze faster.
By preserving pastry cream based on wheat flour in this way, it can last three months in the freezer.
Tips for thawing pastry cream
- When thawing the pastry cream, leave it in the fridge overnight. It also cannot be placed in the microwave to thaw.
- After thawed, transfer it to a bowl and start beating to integrate the ingredients again.
- Pastry cream cannot be re-frozen when it has been thawed before.
How do you know when the pastry cream is bad?
The pastry cream carries several ingredients that can cause it to damage quickly if it is not handled and stored correctly. So you must recognize the signs indicating when the pastry cream is bad.
- Dark color: it usually shows up when the product expires.
- Liquid consistency: at that point, the cream is useless.
- Presence of mold: bad storage conditions in the fridge.
- Bad smell: if it smells rancid, you know it is not good.
How long does the custard last?
| Preservation method | Shelf life |
| Refrigerated pastry cream | 3-4 days. |
| Frozen pastry cream | 3 months. |
What is the best way to preserve pastry cream?
The most advisable thing to preserve pastry cream is to refrigerate it, where you need to ensure it doesn’t dry out and prevent the formation of a crust on top.
Pastry cream should not be left at room temperature for more than 2 hours as it would be damaged by air and other contaminants.
For the long term, you can freeze the pastry cream, but if it is made with wheat flour and not cornstarch.
This is the end of the post, so I hope it was helpful to you. However, if you are curious, I have a lot of related content that may be useful in your preparations.
[1] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267851907_Food_Freezing_Guide