Can You Freeze Salt Water Taffy?

Salt water taffy hardly contains any water and not a trace of salt. It was known as just taffy until the 1890s when a taffy seller jokingly called it salt water taffy after having his stall flooded by the Atlantic ocean. Someone recognized the phrase as catchy and made sure it stuck.

Salt water taffy is a candy in case you were wondering. It doesn’t only look good but tastes as good as it looks. The signature texture of the candy is achieved by pulling the candy over and over again. Candies have a lengthy shelf life, but if you would like to keep them from going stale upon exposure to air, how do you do that?

Can you freeze salt water taffy? Yes, you can. Freezing salt water taffy can help to preserve it for up to 6 months. Candies like salt water taffy have a great shelf life in optimal conditions, but freezing helps them keep better.

Salt water taffy is a thing of beauty, and you can make it all on your own (Check online for recipes on how to do that). When you make them, it is like going through an upper-body workout or experiencing hand to hand combat.

How to Freeze Salt Water Taffy

Saltwater taffy can be frozen easily. If you have them bought from the store or made at home, the process is quite the same. There is a lot of sugar in your taffy, and water too. The sugar molecules bind with the water molecules which helps to preserve them longer, but can also make the candy sticky. So, try not to freeze your store-bought taffy in the package wrappers. 

Step 1: Prepare the Taffy

If you freeze the taffy in its packaging wrapper, trying to separate it upon thawing can be one hell of a chore. So, the first step you need to take is to remove the taffy from its wrapper.

Step 2: Flash Freezing

Candies are prone to getting sticky, even when you eat them. If you leave them out in high temperatures, they melt and get sticky. The same goes for salt water taffy, if you freeze them like they are, without flash freezing, they would clump and stick together. So, this process is very important.

Get a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Wax paper also works just fine. This would help you keep the taffy from sticking to the sheet as it freezes. Place each taffy individually on the sheet and leave enough space in between them. 

Taffy expands as it freezes so you need to put enough space so they do not come into contact with each other as they freeze. Place the tray into the freezer, and keep it there till the taffy has frozen solid. Listas y rankings

Step 3: Storage and Freezing

Moisture and air are the nemeses of sweet tooth assuaging foods like taffy. So, as we package them for long-term freezing, we have to do our best to keep them from air or moisture. 

Take the tray of frozen taffy out of the freezer and place them into heavy-duty freezer bags. Don’t fill the bags to the brim, as you need to leave space for expansion in the bags.

With a straw, suck out as much air as you can from the bags before sealing them. You can fold the edges of the freezer bags and hold them together with freezer tape. Before putting the bags into the freezer to freeze, label them, stating the contents and date of the freeze.

How to Defrost Frozen Salt Water Taffy

Taffy is enjoyed best at room temperature. But don’t expose your taffy to drastic changes in temperature as this could cause the texture to degrade. 

Take your pick of taffy from the freezer and put them in the refrigerator to defrost slowly at a regulated temperature for about 24hrs. 

After this, you can bring your taffy out of the refrigerator to go back to room temperature on the counter. Once thawed, you should eat your taffy immediately.

Can You Freeze Dry Salt Water Taffy?

Yes, you can. If you have a freeze dryer, freeze-drying salt water taffy is a must-do. Not only does freeze-drying help you preserve the taffy, but it also gives you a crunchy and more flavorful experience. 

When the taffy is freeze-dried, all the water is dehydrated and the taffy increases to about 4 times its size. Freeze-dried candy is so common and most people relish the experience compared to ordinary candy.

Most candies can be freeze-dried. Gummy Bears, skittles, taffy, and caramel. It doesn’t take much to go about it. 

Just unwrap the candy, place them on a cookie sheet or baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat and place it into your freeze-drying unit. Most of the units are designed to go off once it senses that it has dehydrated all the water present in the food item. 

Freezer drying units are now cheaper than they used to be, but not cheap enough to be a common kitchen experience.

Is Salt Water Taffy Bad for your Teeth?

Yes, it is not healthy for your teeth. Taffy contains a lot of sugar and is sticky. It is so sticky that even hours after you have had them, they continue to feed the bacteria that can cause tooth decay. So, do not eat too much candy.