If you have a surplus of mandarin oranges, you don't have to force yourself to try to eat as many as you can before they go bad. Instead, you can freeze the oranges, either whole or in sections to keep until a later time. As long as the oranges are fresh and have a good flavor, freezing won't make a huge difference in their taste or texture. Keeping the mandarins whole results in the best taste and texture after thawing. Use frozen mandarins within 10 months.
Freezing Whole Mandarin Oranges
Rinse the mandarins thoroughly and dry them with a clean kitchen towel.
Put three or four mandarin oranges in each gallon bag. Press excess air out of the bag and seal it.
Write the date on each bag with a permanent marker. Place the bags in the freezer and leave them there until you are ready to use them.
Freezing Mandarin Orange Segments
Peel the oranges and remove the white pith. Discard the peels and pith.
Separate the mandarin oranges into individual segments. Remove any pith you find.
Fill gallon size plastic bags with the segments. Press most of the air out of the bags before sealing them.
Label the bags with the date and place them in the freezer.
Tip
Thaw both whole mandarins and sections at room temperature.
Warning
Never thaw frozen mandarin oranges in the microwave.
References
Writer Bio
Based in Texas, Cynthia Measom has been writing various parenting, business and finance and education articles since 2011. Her articles have appeared on websites such as The Bump and Motley Fool. Measom received a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Texas at Austin.