Update 19/1/16: I've had a comment from a reader with regards to food safety and the quick-cooling of foods and I want to make it clear that hot foods need to be cooled as quickly as possible before freezing. The best way to cool hot liquids is through use of an ice bath, while solid foods can be cooled in shallow containers (place in the fridge once they have stopped steaming). Click here to read the guidelines on cooling and reheating foods by Food Standards Australia New Zealand, and click here for a very helpful article on food safety and storage.
This post is geared more towards kitchen newbies, whether you have just moved out of home for the first time, or are simply new to cooking from scratch. The following are my top five tips for making the most of your freezer to save both time and money.
This post is geared more towards kitchen newbies, whether you have just moved out of home for the first time, or are simply new to cooking from scratch. The following are my top five tips for making the most of your freezer to save both time and money.
5. Cook in Bulk
This is the most obvious one. This is even easier if, like me, you are cooking for one most of the time; following a mantra of “eat one, freeze one” will save up time and effort at a later date. Having pre-cooked meals ready to go can also be a life-saver at the end of pay-week or if an unexpected expense creeps up.
While the first things that spring to mind when I think of typical freezer foods are casseroles, soups, and stews, almost anything you cook can be frozen – I regularly freeze meals like stir-fries and risottos. You can think bigger with batch-cooking too. Some foods are considerably cheaper when bought in larger portions, think whole frozen chickens or large halves of pumpkin, and these can be roasted or baked all at once and then separated up and stored to make a variety of meals at a later time. I find doing this great to add variety if I’m getting bored: eating seasonally sometimes means one or two cheap vegetables take up too much space in my diet for months at a time!
This is the most obvious one. This is even easier if, like me, you are cooking for one most of the time; following a mantra of “eat one, freeze one” will save up time and effort at a later date. Having pre-cooked meals ready to go can also be a life-saver at the end of pay-week or if an unexpected expense creeps up.
While the first things that spring to mind when I think of typical freezer foods are casseroles, soups, and stews, almost anything you cook can be frozen – I regularly freeze meals like stir-fries and risottos. You can think bigger with batch-cooking too. Some foods are considerably cheaper when bought in larger portions, think whole frozen chickens or large halves of pumpkin, and these can be roasted or baked all at once and then separated up and stored to make a variety of meals at a later time. I find doing this great to add variety if I’m getting bored: eating seasonally sometimes means one or two cheap vegetables take up too much space in my diet for months at a time!
4. Freeze in Portions
It’s crucial that when you freeze meals and ingredients that you do so in reasonable portions. For me, this almost always means in single serves. Of course, that means popping a single meal at a time into a container, but it also means separating up packages of meat and bulk lots of vegetables too. When buying meats and poultry, open the packaging, separate into single or double portions (I go for 100g per serve, so a 500g pack of mince would be divided into five portions), wrap in cling wrap and freeze raw. With vegetables, you’ll usually want to cook them first, for example I buy large bunches of spinach from my greengrocer which I will blanch in a colander and then swirl into parcels for the freezer. There’s no way I would use a huge bag of spinach up before it went manky so I’m reducing my food waste at the same time as preparing for a later, lazier day.
It’s crucial that when you freeze meals and ingredients that you do so in reasonable portions. For me, this almost always means in single serves. Of course, that means popping a single meal at a time into a container, but it also means separating up packages of meat and bulk lots of vegetables too. When buying meats and poultry, open the packaging, separate into single or double portions (I go for 100g per serve, so a 500g pack of mince would be divided into five portions), wrap in cling wrap and freeze raw. With vegetables, you’ll usually want to cook them first, for example I buy large bunches of spinach from my greengrocer which I will blanch in a colander and then swirl into parcels for the freezer. There’s no way I would use a huge bag of spinach up before it went manky so I’m reducing my food waste at the same time as preparing for a later, lazier day.
3. Freeze Now!
Well, not quite. Cool hot foods uncovered in the fridge first – this is for hygiene reasons (hot foods mess with the freezer’s temp) and also helps prevent food getting a layer of “frozen steam” i.e. gross ice. When I say freeze right away, I just mean don’t wait until tomorrow. For one thing, you need to freeze foods while they are still in peak condition as freezing will preserve your food as is, not restore it to its prime. For another, plans change. You might think you can eat that stir-fry two nights in a row, but maybe a friend invites you out for dinner, or you just can’t stomach chicken one more damn meal. If it’s already frozen, you don’t have to keep promising yourself you’ll eat it for lunch tomorrow, and it’s ready to go if you do want it straight away.
Well, not quite. Cool hot foods uncovered in the fridge first – this is for hygiene reasons (hot foods mess with the freezer’s temp) and also helps prevent food getting a layer of “frozen steam” i.e. gross ice. When I say freeze right away, I just mean don’t wait until tomorrow. For one thing, you need to freeze foods while they are still in peak condition as freezing will preserve your food as is, not restore it to its prime. For another, plans change. You might think you can eat that stir-fry two nights in a row, but maybe a friend invites you out for dinner, or you just can’t stomach chicken one more damn meal. If it’s already frozen, you don’t have to keep promising yourself you’ll eat it for lunch tomorrow, and it’s ready to go if you do want it straight away.
2. Label Everything
With your name, the food and the date. You don’t have to go out and buy labels, I use a roll of masking tape and a black marker to label containers and jars, and write directly onto zip lock bags. Labelling foods is doubly awesome as not only will you remember what is in that mystery container, but you can prove your food is yours and not your flatties’!
With your name, the food and the date. You don’t have to go out and buy labels, I use a roll of masking tape and a black marker to label containers and jars, and write directly onto zip lock bags. Labelling foods is doubly awesome as not only will you remember what is in that mystery container, but you can prove your food is yours and not your flatties’!
1. Freeze Everything
Basically, if it’s edible, I will freeze it. The bones from roast chickens go in a freezer bag – once the freezer bag is full I use the bones to make broth. Similarly, I’ll save the ends of vegetables, like stalks of broccoli and asparagus ends, to make soups and stocks. I also freeze the dripping from roasts for later use, and any baking that doesn’t get eaten straight away goes in too. These are those little cent-by-cent savings that really add up and it won’t seem like much until you’re eating a really nutritious and tasty batch of soup that was basically free!
Basically, if it’s edible, I will freeze it. The bones from roast chickens go in a freezer bag – once the freezer bag is full I use the bones to make broth. Similarly, I’ll save the ends of vegetables, like stalks of broccoli and asparagus ends, to make soups and stocks. I also freeze the dripping from roasts for later use, and any baking that doesn’t get eaten straight away goes in too. These are those little cent-by-cent savings that really add up and it won’t seem like much until you’re eating a really nutritious and tasty batch of soup that was basically free!
Bonus Tip: Eat the food that’s in the freezer! Regularly
check the freezer for meals and ingredients you might’ve forgotten and try not
to let items sit in there for more than three to six months. Enjoy the fruits of your labour!
Do you have any tips to share? How do you make the most of your freezer? I'd love to hear from you in the comments :)
Do you have any tips to share? How do you make the most of your freezer? I'd love to hear from you in the comments :)
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