Freezing food can save you a ton of money. You can stock up when the item is on sale and save it in the freezer until you need it. Here are a few items you can freeze:
Apples – Freeze whole or chopped, peeled or unpeeled.
Bananas – Peel before you freeze them. Cut into cubes or slices for breads or smoothies before freezing.
Bell Peppers – Chop to desired size, flash freeze on cookie sheet, then put in clean water bottle and use what you need as you need it for recipes.
Block Cheese – Slice and shred it before you freeze it, otherwise it will crumble.
Breads – Pop extra loaves of bread right into the freezer until needed. Sit on the counter to defrost. It doesn’t get wet either.
Butter – Put right in Freezer and thaw in the refrigerator to use.
Celery – Wash and cut, then freeze on baking sheet for 1 hr before transferring to a freezer bag.
Cream Cheese – Put straight in Freezer. It might be a bit “lumpy” after it defrosts but it still tastes the same.
Eggs – Wisk the whole egg together, and pour into an ice cube tray. Two cubes are the equivalent of one large egg.
Fresh Herbs – Chop real fine, then put in ice cube tray along with a small amount of water.
Meat – You can freeze most meats. Make sure when you thaw it, that you do in the fridge over night, and not on the counter.
Milk – Pour out enough milk to allow for expansion, and freeze in original container. To thaw, place in refrigerator, and shake to remix before drinking.
Nuts – Freeze in freezer bag or another air-tight container.
Onions – Chop to desired size, flash freeze on cookie sheet, then put in clean water bottle and use what you need as you need it for recipes.
Ready to Bake Cookie Dough – Freeze until you are ready to use. You can put in fridge over night or put right onto baking sheet frozen.
Rice – You can freeze cooked rice in freezer bags
Tomatoes – Wash and freeze whole and unpeeled on a baking sheet. Later, transfer to freezer bags once fully frozen.
Zucchini and Other Squash – Wash, blanch for three minutes and freeze in an air-tight container once cooled.
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I freeze block cheese and then use the crumbles instead of shredding it. This is great if you are just going to melt it anyway.
I had some potatoes in the pantry that were starting to “wrinkle” so I peeled them and chopped them up into small cubes. I put them in a ziploc bag in the freezer and now I can use them as needed for dishes that call for diced potatoes- hash browns, stew, pot pies. I used some in a turkey pot pie just the other day- did a quick thaw in the microwave with the other veggies so they weren’t frozen and mixed them in to the pie filling. It turned out great!
I buy flour in a 25lb bag (@ Costco) and break It down into smaller freezer bags and put them in the freezer………..never have to worry about bugs (yuck)!
Yeahhhh no one told me about cheese crumbling when it was frozen. So… Thankfully I only had two blocks in the freezer LOL! I was freaking out as I was trying to cut the first one I took out, since it is HARD to get off the knife and crumbles if you look at it funny :).
I like to freeze individual yogurts…they thaw just fine, or are soooo good as a frozen treat!
Wow, who knew???
I freeze many of the same things you do. Additional items are: strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, peaches, gogurts, cooked meats (I buy a 5 lb package of hamburger, cook it all and then portion it into meal size servings and freeze), any kind of bread products (make a big batch of homemade rolls, bagels). I love my big freezer, one of the best investments we have ever made!
Clarifying: I didn’t mean replace as in get a new cap….same cap twists right back on after you’ve washed the bottle & cap.
Liquid coffee mate creamers come in clear bottles. Remove the plastic overwrap, replace the cap & you have a great bottle with a spout! Great for those peppers & onions you mentioned above.
Good idea!
Wow! There are several things on this list that I didn’t know you could freeze. How long to they keep in the freezer? I was especially wondering about milk. It’s so expensive now, so I would love to stock up when I find a good deal.
I’ve had milk in the freezer for 4 – 6 months before and it was fine. :)
Berries are great for freezing too! Lay them out to freeze individually then put into a bag when frozen. You can throw them into smoothies, pancakes, muffins, etc frozen.
Genius. nuff said!
Thanks! it is so funny. I wanted tips on saving $ on gas and you post tips on your site and then i find myself wondering what and how to freeze. Then i find this!