Muffin problems

February 19, 2013 6:41 AM

What's the best way to store freshly baked muffins for, oh, about a week?

I made a batch of these carrot muffins last night. I let them cool down on the counter (mostly...they were still warm but not hot) and then put them in a ziploc and put them in the fridge. This morning, I took one to work and it's tasty, but a little cold, sad, and damp.

What can I do to keep that fresh-baked flavor? I basically made enough to take one to work every morning this week. I don't have time to do anything to it before I leave for work - just grab and go. Should I be storing them out on the counter? Letting them cool 100% and then putting them in the fridge?

posted by dynamiiiite to Food & Drink (22 answers total)

I store muffins on the counter, either in a ziploc or a cake keeper.
posted by something something at 6:46 AM on February 19, 2013 [3 favorites]

You let them cool and then you put them in an airtight container.

Without using preservatives, there is no magic bullet to making them keep a fresh-baked flavour. A higher fat content, a more moist crumb when you bake and icing your muffins will all make them taste less dry, which is a big part of making them feel fresher.
posted by MuffinMan at 6:46 AM on February 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

They won't keep well that long. They will either dry out or grow mold. Muffins, like pancakes, are not rocket science, they are breakfast. Whip 'em up quick and bake as needed. You'd do better keeping batter in the fridge than trying to have "fresh" muffins more than a day after they're baked.
posted by Goofyy at 6:47 AM on February 19, 2013

IF you want to try hard: Wrap in paper, then pack in a plastic bag. The paper keeps the moisture from being excessive (to prevent mold) while the plastic prevents excessive drying. (by the way, this is also great if you want to store good bread in the freezer).
posted by Goofyy at 6:49 AM on February 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

When I worked at a restaurant known for its baked goods, our "freshly baked muffins" were all stored in the freezer. We'd take them out, let them thaw or microwave them for 20 seconds and serve. Once a thing of muffins had been taken from the freezer, they could be left in an airtight container for a couple days but the frozen/just thawed muffins always tasted best.

So I'd keep them in the freezer. Hopefully your muffin thaws by the time you want to eat it.
posted by Polychrome at 6:50 AM on February 19, 2013 [19 favorites]

It is an interesting truth that baked goods degrade more slowly over multiple days when frozen/thawed than when just refrigerated or left on the counter. Harold McGee wrote an essay on this in On Food and Cooking which talks about the relevant chemical reactions related to breads going stale. Freezing slows them way down, while refrigeration can actually be worse than leaving them out.
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:02 AM on February 19, 2013 [10 favorites]

Freeze them immediately or leave them out on the counter. NEVER put baked goods in the refrigerator. It basically turns them into poison. (Not in the it'll kill you sense, more in the so gross you might as well be dying sense.)

If I were you, I'd leave Monday and Tuesday out at room temp (in some sort of container--I find a plate and some plastic wrap do just fine) and freeze Wednesday-Friday.
posted by phunniemee at 7:05 AM on February 19, 2013 [3 favorites]

I usually put baked goods in the freezer. If you don't want to microwave them to defrost them later, you can take them out of the freezer the night before and let them defrost naturally.
posted by thesnowyslaps at 7:05 AM on February 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

I would be surprised if muffins (especially moist ones like carrot muffins) would last a week unrefrigerated without getting moldy. Do you have access to a microwave at work? A quick zap in the micro will soften up baked goods and also perk up the flavor.
posted by drlith at 7:09 AM on February 19, 2013

Next time, mix up the batter, and store it in an air tight container in the fridge. Then bake a fresh one every morning. Don't all that long.
posted by Ideefixe at 7:22 AM on February 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

the necessary step is warming. Ideally wrapped in foil in the oven; less ideally, but still usefully, for a few seconds in the microwave.

Freeze and nuke. It still won't be the same as fresh baked but it'll be better than the counter, for 3-4 days. I wouldn't expect much from them beyond that even in the freezer.
posted by fingersandtoes at 7:35 AM on February 19, 2013

Cool them more completely, preferably on a wire rack. That's what prevents the sogginess you experienced. Any you're going to eat in the next 2 days, leave at room temperature in an airtight container. (I like lidded Pyrex.) Any you want to eat later than that, you should freeze, either in a double-walled freezer bag or wrapped in plastic wrap and then in an airtight container. Baked goods defrost very quickly, likely before you get to work. Best is if you take it out of the plastic and let it defrost in something porous, like a paper towel.

It will never be as good as the first hour out of the oven, but that's muffins for you.
posted by palliser at 7:39 AM on February 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

Yeah, I was gonna say, if you have any way to warm these things at work, that usually does the trick for me. Either microwave or toaster oven. And then a little butter on it. mmm. Also, definitely let them cool 100% before putting in the fridge or freezer. Not doing this causes the dampness.
posted by wondermouse at 7:39 AM on February 19, 2013

Nthing freezing.
posted by hot soup girl at 7:48 AM on February 19, 2013

Definitely freeze then microwave/toaster oven. My experience says they'll stay good in the freezer for a few weeks at least. A muffin is essentially a cake, and the extremely fussy Rose Levy Beranbaum of Cake Bible fame always says that cakes can be kept in the freezer for two months.
posted by HotToddy at 8:01 AM on February 19, 2013

Retain about 3 in the fridge. Freeze the others in packs of 2.

Before you eat, chunk it in the microwave or toaster oven for a few seconds.

The night after you finish the last muffin from the fridge, set one of the 2-packs out to thaw.
posted by bunderful at 8:06 AM on February 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

I have had great success keeping cookies fresh by layering them wax paper and storing them in metal tin. Might be worth a try if nothing else works.
posted by lovableiago at 8:25 AM on February 19, 2013

I would be surprised if muffins (especially moist ones like carrot muffins) would last a week unrefrigerated without getting moldy.

This. For muffins, it's either freeze 'em, or eat 'em all in a couple of days. Otherwise, leaving them out for a week will result in green, fuzzy muffins. Especially if left in a plastic bag.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:36 AM on February 19, 2013

Note on mold - in the summer yes bread and muffins will mold here in the northeast but now in the middle of winter with the internal house humidity just over 30% muffins will not mold in a ziploc in a week. When I am farther south I notice people keeping all their baked goods in the refrigerator. Some would argue that keeping baked goods in the fridge will dry them out. It will depend in part on how moist the muffins are and the humidity.

I recently kept chocolate zucchini muffins in a ziploc in a drawer for a 5 days. I would put anything to be used after that in the freezer as the previous answers explain.
posted by RoadScholar at 9:40 AM on February 19, 2013

You need to let them cool completely before packing them, otherwise condensate will collect on the wrap and make them extra soggy. Freezing is the best way to store baked goods, but if you must refrigerate a paper bag and then air-tight wrap is the way to go. They will always taste better if you pop them in the oven before packing for work or eating.
posted by oneirodynia at 10:47 AM on February 19, 2013

Yup, I think freezing will work best here as well.
posted by ageispolis at 1:30 PM on February 19, 2013

Response by poster: thanks, everyone - I definitely didn't think of the freezer as a short-term storage solution and I didn't realize I was condemning my muffins to mediocrity by putting them in the fridge. maybe I need to invest in a toaster oven, since I'm aggressively microwave-free.
posted by dynamiiiite at 2:21 PM on February 19, 2013