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When you grow up in the Philadelphia region there are a few foods that always remind you of home – Taylor Pork Roll, Herr’s Potato Chips, a real cheese steak, Tastykakes, and Philly pretzels. Growing up, there was always someone selling pretzels in brown paper bags on the street corners in the city, or outside of the Vet when you got out of a baseball game. These days, living in the ‘burbs I get my pretzels from Philly Pretzel Factory in Langhorne.
When we buy pretzels, we get a lot of them! Usually a box of 50, sometimes more than one box of 50. Everyone is always surprised that I’m not buying them for a party or an snack for my children’s class at school. I am often asked what I do with our pretzels since we buy them 50 at a time, so here it is…
Shipping Philly Pretzels
Allow the pretzels to cool completely. We like to spread them out on cooling racks so that the tops stay dry and don’t get wet from the salt.
Once the pretzels are cool, place in zip top bags and suck out the air with a straw, or use a Foodsaver vacuum sealer which is my preferred method. You can fit approximately 15 pretzels in medium flat rate box.
We have shipped the pretzels to family in Florida and Alabama, as well as to a friend stationed in South Korea, and have had excellent results even though they didn’t arrive for up to a week from shipping.
Freezing Philly Pretzels
Separate your groups of 5 pretzels into individual pretzels. Place on a cookie sheet in the freezer for about an hour. Once the pretzels are frozen, store in a freezer bag or container until you are ready to heat & eat.
To reheat your pretzels – Preheat oven to 350°. Place pretzels on a baking sheet, and bake for about 4-6 minutes. Or, you can microwave the pretzels for 30 seconds to defrost and then pop them in the toaster oven just to crisp up the outside of the pretzel.
This is what works for us, and you may have different results based on how fresh your pretzels are when you start the process. Enjoy!
Do you know of any companies that will ship directly?
No I don’t. Your best bet is to have a friend from up north send them to you if you don’t live in the area.
Can philly pretzel factor vacuum seal them for customer
It is not a service that the shops offer.
I am looking to ship a bunch to NY. How do you suggest the recipients warm/bake/prepare their pretzels? And do you suggest they be frozen first? Thank you!
The pretzels don’t need to be frozen before shipping, but it is definitely an option. You can ship in a foam cooler with dry ice so they remain frozen. I believe you can do this via FedEx and UPS only. When I have shipped pretzels to South Korea, FL, and AL I just vacuum sealed them, placed them in the box, and then the recipient could freeze them. It really reduced shipping costs.
As for reheating, you can microwave them on high for 30-45 seconds, or defrost on the counter and then warm them up in the oven or toaster oven – 400 degrees for about 5min.
Thank you Stephanie. I vacuum sealed a few last night as a test. Do yours scrunch up flat like mine did?
That sounds about right. It sucks all of the air out, and they tend to look a little squished.
Are you using the a regular ziploc bag to vacuum seal them or the plastic bag roll from the vacuum food saver?
I prefer to use the vacuum seal bags and FoodSaver.
are the pretzels soft and fresh when they are received? did you ship using 2 day priority?
The pretzels are still soft when they are received if you are shipping to the lower 48. When I shipped them to my friend in South Korea, he said he had to put them in the toaster oven for a few minutes to refresh them, and it took longer to get there (I think 4 or 5 days).
how did you pack the pretzels? individually? or did a certain amount fit into a certain size bag? I am trying to send 100 to my friend in Nebraska for her wedding reception =)
I had the rolls of vacuum sealer bags, so you could make the custom sizes. I used the widest size, and then since the pretzels came in rows of 5, I just sealed them like that.
This is great information! I have Philly Pretzel Factory in Syosset, NY on Long Island. We offer wholesale pretzels and they taste just as superb when they are frozen!