Can You Cook Sausages From Frozen? Complete Guide

The humble sausage is always a favourite on the table whether it is fried, grilled, barbequed or wrapped in a blanket. Spicy and savoury, accompanied by different condiments, sausages are always a welcomed addition. The star of the show on the breakfast table, these delicious fellows are always a treat to eat. Here is a guide to best prepare these juicy buggers.

Whether you choose to grill, fry or barbeque your sausages, cooking them from frozen shouldn’t be a problem. If you allow for a specified time and cooking method, the sausages should be cooked through and ready to eat in that time.

Can You Put Frozen Sausages In The Oven?

Yes, frozen sausages can be put into the oven. The cooking times will vary depending on the size, thickness and length of the frozen sausages. Make sure to turn the sausages often, and check if they are cooked through before removing them from the oven.

Can You Cook Frozen Sausages On A Grill?

Yes, frozen sausages can be cooked on a grill but a controlled heat would be advised. Knowing that there are different types of grilling methods, cooking frozen sausages using any of these methods should work quite fine. Just ensure an even heat and a reasonable cooking time to get beautifully grilled sausages.

Can You Cook Frozen Sausages On A BBQ?

Frozen sausages can be successfully cooked on a barbeque without much charring. A low even heat distribution is required when barbequing frozen sausages, as this will ensure a fully cooked, evenly browned sausage.

Can You Cook Frozen Sausages In An Air Fryer?

It is quite simple to cook frozen sausages in an air fryer with no mess or fuss. Make sure to evenly spread out the sausages in a single layer in your air fryer basket. Set the temperature to a medium heat and air fry the frozen sausages for 7 to 10 minutes, checking for doneness after the time has lapsed. After the required time, the sausages should be fully cooked through and ready to eat.

How To Cook Frozen Sausages?

There are many methods to cook frozen sausages but the one that I find is the easiest is the boil and fry method. Here are the easy steps to this method.

  • Fill a medium sized pan with one quarter water and add sausages.
  • Boil on medium heat for 5 minutes.
  • Drain and fry for 5 minutes until all sides have browned.

After the required 10 minutes of cooking, the sausages should be cooked through and would have retained their juiciness.

Best Type of Sausages That You Can Cook While Frozen?

Although almost all sausages can be cooked from frozen, I found that there are a few that stand out with cooking time, and also retaining their juiciness. Whether it is your traditional beef sausage, or those smoked pork sausages, or maybe those mouth-watering Italian sausages, these 3 sausages seem to be the best when it comes to cooking from frozen.

Defrosting Sausages

Why Do You Have To Defrost Sausages Before Cooking?

If sausages call for defrosting before cooking, then the reason behind it could be to safeguard the sausage casing. Natural sausage casing are said to be more durable than synthetic casings, withstanding the process of cooking from frozen, whereas synthetic casings are known to break when cooked from frozen. Therefore certain sausages have to be defrosted before cooking.

Can You Get Food Poisoning From Frozen Sausages?

Frozen sausages that are cooked before their use-by date are fine to eat and will not result in food poisoning, however, if the use-by date has passed, and the sausages have gone off, cooking them from frozen or even after thawing will result in possible food poisoning.

How Do You Defrost Sausages Quickly?

Although it is okay to cook sausages from frozen, there are endless methods to defrost sausages quickly. Defrosting times may vary but the end results are always the same. Whether the sausages are defrosted in hot or cold water, in the microwave or the fridge, defrosting has never been easier.

Defrost In the Fridge

Defrosting sausages in the fridge would need a little time and patience as the defrosting time can take at least 6 to 8 hours. This amount of time will result in fully thawed sausages. The even temperature of the fridge will ensure an even thawing, having the sausages ready to cook in the allocated time.

Defrost In Cold Water

To defrost sausages in cold water make sure to remove the sausages from their packaging. Fill a dish with cold water, place sausages directly into the cold water, cover and leave to thaw for at least an hour or two. Make sure that sausages are covered with the water.

Defrost In Hot Water

When defrosting sausages in hot water, it is advisable to leave the sausages in their original packaging or transfer them in a clear heat resistant bag. Fill a dish with hot water, and place the sausages into the water, making sure that they are completely covered. Cover the dish and leave it to thaw for at least half an hour.

Defrost In the Microwave

Known to be the quickest, easiest, mess and fuss free method, defrosting sausages in the microwave is the most favoured choice to those that are in a hurry. Place the sausages in a microwave safe bowl and select the defrost option. Then punch in an estimation of the approximate weight of the frozen sausages. The microwave usually does the work by using the weight of the sausages to estimate the time limit of getting the desired result. All you need to do is to press start. The sausages should be ready to cook in no time.

Preparing For the Freezer

When preparing your sausages for the freezer, make sure to pat them dry with a paper towel. Sausages should be assembled in a single layer on a lined baking tray, ensuring that they are evenly spaced. Blind freeze the sausages for an hour or 2 before transferring them into bags. This will avoid them from clumping together and tearing the casings.

It is best to remove sausages from its packaging before defrosting or cooking.