When it comes to reducing food waste, your freezer is your best friend! Today we are talking about easy ways to Reduce Food Waste with your Freezer.
One of the best ways to avoid dreaded food waste is by efficiently using your freezer! This kitchen appliance is much more than an ice making, meat storing, ice cream containing frozen drawer.
Your freezer is probably the most underestimated, under-appreciated, and overlooked appliance in your kitchen. It can save you a ton of time and money and can help make eating healthy much easier. It can also play a big role in the fight against eliminating food waste. But too often our freezers end up as a disorganized wasteland of ziploc baggies and tupperware containers containing freezer burnt who-knows-what.
Freezing food does not change its nutritional value. But once the food is frozen, you do not have to worry about it going bad in the short term. So take advantage of this glorious freezing machine! Today let’s chat about freezing like a boss so you can save time, money, the environment and your health.
Freeze Some Things
There are some foods that are perfect to store in the freezer! Here are some of my favorites:
- Soups and stews
- Casseroles
- Sauces (tomato, pesto)
- Tortillas
- Baked goods (bread, muffins, cookies, unfrosted cakes, unbaked pizza dough)
- Nuts and flour
- Burgers (meat, poultry, fish and veggie)
- Bones/veggie peel for stock
- Greens for smoothies
- Grains (rice, farro, quinoa)
- Purees (pumpkin, squash)
- Pancakes and waffles
- Energy balls
- Fresh herbs in olive oil in ice cubes
- Butter
- Fruit
- Berries unwashed
- Citrus, pineapple and mango peeled and sliced
- Bananas peeled and sliced for smoothies or unpeeled whole for baking
- Hard cheeses
Do Not Freeze These!
- Cream based soups and sauces
- Fried food
- Veggies/fruit with high water content (cucumbers, lettuce, watermelon)
- Cooked potatoes
- Plain cooked pastas (instead slightly under cook pasta before freezing it)
- Dairy product like yogurt, sour cream, milk and cream
Freeze Before It Goes Bad
When your greens are getting sad, your bananas getting brown and your berries getting soft, freeze’em and use them in a smoothie. If you have soup leftovers, or burgers you know you won’t be eating soon, freeze that too!
The key here, when in doubt, toss it out! Meaning do not freeze something that you have kept for too long or you think might be spoiling.
Frozen Fruit and Veg For Smoothies
This is probably my favorite food to freeze! Fruit! Any sad looking fruit like berries, bananas, applies, mangos or pineapple, I freeze for a later smoothie! Especially with kids, who never seem to finish their fruit, I usually cut the piece off they bite and freeze the rest.
Spinach, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, and squash/sweet potato purees are all great veggies to freeze for a later smoothie too.
Choose The Right Freezing Containers
Freezer safe ziploc bags
Use ziploc bags for baked goods, soup, stews and fruit. Best for short-term usage and saving space.
For the best result, lay the filled bag on a cookie sheet in the freezer to freeze flat. Once frozen, it will take up less room in your freezer.
Mason Jars Freezer Safe Plastic Tupperware
I love freezing in glass jars when I can because they are usable and are great for long-term storage. The only negative is they take up more space. The most important rule for jar freezing is leaving enough headspace. I like cooling overnight in the fridge or freezer, with lid off then gently securing the lids . This will help with expanding liquid and shattering jars.
Cool Before Freezing
Always make sure your food cools to room temperature before you put it in the freezer. But do not let it sit around in room temperature too long or else bacteria may start to grow. If you place something in the freezer that has grown bacteria, it will not continue to grow; freezing won’t kill it. So again: when in doubt, throw it out!
Portion and Label it
Whenever possible, freezing in portions is the best approach because it is easier to thaw and reheat! Especially with large stews and soups. Unless you plan on eating a whole casserole or pot of soup at once, divide it into single servings so you can thaw it out on an as-needed basis.
And don’t forget to label it! Because no one likes mystery freezer food!
Originally posted 2019-03-03 08:49:00.
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