Preparing for Thanksgiving dinner with family or friends, or having a holiday party? Whether your party is casual or formal, one of the best ways to minimize last-minute effort and entertaining stress is, of course, to prepare and freeze fresh foods, party appetizers, entrees, or desserts in advance.

However, just wrapping and popping food into the freezer won't ensure that it will be party-perfect. To help the great taste and texture of your culinary creations make it to the party, too, follow these guidelines. They're adapted from two of the University of Missouri's excellent and comprehensive "Quality for Keeps" online resources: "Freezer Problem Solver," and "Freezing Home-Prepared Foods."

Strawberries

Freeze fresh food at its best–Freezing won't improve quality; select only top-quality fruits and vegetables at the peak of ripeness and freshness.

Optimal temperature for freezing–Your freezer should be at a constant temperature of 0 degrees F. or less. At warmer temperatures, color, flavor, and texture will suffer.

Blanch fresh vegetables before freezing–In general, fresh vegetables benefit from blanching, to maximize color and texture. Many fully cooked vegetables will have less desirable color (they turn olive-brown), aroma, and flavor when reheated.

Cook frozen vegetables without thawing–They'll be fresher tasting. The exceptions are leafy greens and corn on the cob.

Flash-freeze fresh fruits–Fruits that are frozen slowly may be mushy when thawed. For best results, quick-freeze them at -10 degrees F. and serve with a few ice crystals remaining. In addition, freezing fruits with sugar will help preserve their appearance and taste.

Room at the top–Leave room at the top of freezer containers to allow for expansion of food as it freezes. If you're freezing vegetables that pack loosely, such as broccoli, this is not necessary.

Pointers for freezing meat–Trim fat off before freezing, as fat can become rancid before the lean portion of the meat does. Don't store meat longer than recommended. [Note: The link provided at the end of this feature will bring you to specific optimal storage time guidelines for all foods–fresh and prepared.]

Avoid freezer burn–Freezer burn is drying or dehydration on the surface of frozen food. It's usually caused by improper wrapping and results in food of greatly reduced quality. To prevent freezer burn, food must be sealed airtight in moisture/vapor-proof containers or wrap. Heavy duty aluminum foil or freezer wrap are good (press out as much air as possible); regular aluminum foil and waxed paper are not. Only use plastic bags specifically intended for freezer use.

Undercook prepared foods–To prevent overcooking and soggy texture, cook for less time than the recipe calls for; this is especially true for dishes containing pasta.

Prepared dishes must be cooled quickly before freezing–Cooked, prepared dishes should be covered and placed in their original containers directly in the refrigerator to cool. As soon as they are cold, wrap and freeze immediately. An absolute written-in-stone safety guideline spelled out by the University of Missouri: "It is absolutely unsafe to cool foods containing meat, fish, poultry, eggs or dairy products at room temperature because this increases the likelihood of food spoilage and resulting foodborne illness."

Changed your mind?–Took out too much, or decided not to serve a particular frozen item, after all? You can re-freeze food if it still has ice crystals on it, or if it has been refrigerated for no more than two days at 40 degrees F. or below. However, the quality of the re-frozen food may not be as good as it originally was. A major exception to the re-freeze rule: Seafood. Don't refreeze it, even if it has ice crystals on it; cook frozen seafood when it's first removed from the freezer.

The University of Missouri's extensive, easy-to-follow guide to preparing, freezing, and reheating almost any type of prepared food is a superb resource for entertaining.

Also, here's a useful "what-not-to-freeze-and-why" guide from the University of Illinois.

Image credit: Food for My Family