Discover ways to maximize the meals you purchase and make—and waste much less meals—with this information to freezing meals. Discover recommendations on freezing uncooked and cooked meals, thawing frozen meals, and which meals work greatest to freeze so you’ve all the knowledge you want in a single place.
Freezing Meals
Ever since changing into a mother or father, I’ve relied on my freezer to assist me profit from my time within the kitchen. I often freeze contemporary meals to make sure it doesn’t go dangerous, and I freeze cooked and ready meals to make use of in future weeks.
This helps me to maintain my meals funds in verify since we waste much less meals. It additionally helps me cook dinner much less since I’ve a freezer stash to depend on.
This information will take us by way of the fundamentals of freezing, my favourite containers, suggestions for freezing produce, suggestions for freezing ready and cooked meals, thaw meals for greatest outcomes, and far more.
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Freezing Meals Preservation
Freezing meals is one among my favourite methods to protect meals as a result of it’s really easy. Generally, you don’t must do a lot to the meals to make it able to freeze and it’s really easy to make use of it everytime you’re prepared.
I really like this as a approach to freeze contemporary produce that we received’t have the ability to eat earlier than it goes dangerous; retailer partial batches of baked items for future weeks; retailer leftovers till we’re able to eat them; and meal-prep meals like smoothies and pancakes.
In search of my favourite Freezer Meals? They’re linked there for you.
Freezing Meals Containers
You don’t want a lot to freeze meals, however a couple of fundamental containers and luggage might help. These are my favorites:
- Plastic freezer luggage: Grocery retailer freezer luggage are remarkably efficient, environment friendly and reasonably priced choices for freezing meals. I make a DIY vacuum seal by sealing the bag nearly all the best way, then inserting a straw and sucking out the air and rapidly sealing totally. Eradicating as a lot air as attainable lessens the probability of freezer burn.
- Reusable storage luggage: Luggage from manufacturers like Stasher and Goal are nice for reusing. It may be extra of a problem to take away all of the air from silicone luggage since they’re thicker and don’t seal as rapidly, however do your greatest to press down the bag to take away air.
- Ice dice trays: You may freeze all kinds of meals in an ice dice tray and pop them out for simple use after. Meals that work this fashion embody smoothies, child meals purees, applesauce, broth, tomato sauce, pesto, milk, and extra.
- Souper Cubes: This product is a barely bigger model of an ice dice tray that lets you freeze 1-2 cup parts of meals in a silicone tray. They’re actually helpful for soups, broths, and even mirepoix.
- Freezer-safe meals containers: Freezer-safe containers from manufacturers reminiscent of Ziploc and Rubbermaid are nice for freezing bigger parts of soups, stews, chilis, pasta sauces, and extra.
How you can Freeze Meals, Step-by-Step
Right here’s the final course of for freeze meals so you already know what to anticipate. It will differ barely in keeping with the meals you propose to freeze, so see the extra particular information under.
- Wash and dry the meals or put together it in keeping with your recipe.
- Let cool, if wanted.
- Add to a freezer bag or container in a single layer. Separate subsequent layers with parchment paper or wax paper, if wanted, to forestall the meals from sticking collectively. (If freezing produce, I like to recommend merely freezing in a single flat layer. Take away as a lot air from the container as you possibly can.
- Freeze till prepared to make use of.
Continuously Requested Questions
You may freeze nearly any meals. Some meals is not going to style nice (by way of texture) as soon as thawed reminiscent of lettuce or different contemporary greens, cucumbers, eggs in shells, canned meals, and any meals that’s not contemporary.
Uncooked greens reminiscent of lettuce and potatoes, mayonnaise and eggs in shells, canned meals, and any meals that’s not contemporary shouldn’t be frozen.
The size of time you possibly can preserve frozen meals is dependent upon the meals. The USDA has a chart which will assist.
In line with the USDA, sure. “As soon as meals is thawed within the fridge, it’s protected to refreeze it with out cooking, though there could also be a lack of high quality because of the moisture misplaced by way of thawing. After cooking uncooked meals which have been beforehand frozen, it’s protected to freeze the cooked meals. If beforehand cooked meals are thawed within the fridge, it’s possible you’ll refreeze the unused portion. Freeze leftovers inside 3-4 days. Don’t refreeze any meals left outdoors the fridge longer than 2 hours; 1 hour in temperatures above 90 °F.”
How you can Freeze Apples
Every time I slice up apples and my children don’t eat all of them, or I’ve apples that have to be used, however I don’t have time to make use of them within the second, I freeze them. This can be a fast and straightforward methodology that preserves the fruit to make use of one other day and assist keep away from waste and maximize the meals {dollars} I’ve already spent.
You need to use them in Apple Smoothies or to make Cinnamon Apples.
Be taught the best methodology for freeze apples to save lots of leftovers and protect apples to make use of in smoothies, crisps, cobblers, oatmeal, and extra. This 5-minute methodology is one of the best!
How you can Freeze Bananas
Discover ways to freeze bananas the best means attainable to save lots of these overripe bananas for future banana smoothies, banana muffins (simply thaw them, drain, and mash), banana oatmeal, baked items like banana bread, and extra.
Stash your too ripe bananas within the freezer to place to good use in a while in smoothies, baked items, oatmeal, and extra. You are able to do as many bananas you want—and even purchase over ripe bananas particularly to freeze!
How you can Freeze Blueberries
Be taught the best approach to freeze blueberries to make use of later in baked items, smoothies, blueberry jam, oatmeal, and extra. Lower your expenses by stocking up when the berries are on sale and protect one of the best taste!
Use this easy methodology to freeze in season or sale blueberries to maintain them freshly frozen for months.
How you can Freeze Peaches
Be taught the best approach to freeze in-season peaches to make use of later in peach smoothies, baked items like Peach Muffins, Peach Sauce, oatmeal, and extra. It’s a simple means to save cash, have fruit with one of the best taste, and have a freezer stocked with easy-to-use fruit!
For one of the best taste, use ripe peaches that give just a bit to the contact and odor like a peach. (So not rock laborious peaches. Allow them to sit at room temperature for a couple of days till they hit that time if they’re laborious.)
How you can Freeze Strawberries
Benefit from a sale or freshly picked berries every time you possibly can by stashing them into the freezer. Discover ways to freeze strawberries with about 5 minutes of labor to protect your berries for Strawberry Smoothies, Strawberry Puree, Strawberry Muffins, Strawberry Banana Bread, or every other favourite recipe.
In the event you plan to make use of strawberries in baked items, cube them earlier than you freezer them so you possibly can stir them into the batter frozen.
You are able to do a complete container directly or just freeze a couple of at a time if they begin going dangerous earlier than you should utilize them contemporary. Use these in smoothies, muffins, breads, oatmeal, or different favourite strawberry recipes.
How you can Freeze Spinach
Be taught the best approach to freeze contemporary spinach to forestall meals waste—and use later in smoothies, baked items like Spinach Muffins, and straightforward meals!
You are able to do this with child or full measurement spinach—each work equally properly! (Vitamin will differ primarily based on how a lot you utilize in any recipe.)
How you can Freeze Kale
Studying freeze kale and greens for smoothies, muffins, soups, and extra generally is a whole game-changer. It not solely prevents meals waste, nevertheless it makes the greens style…much less “inexperienced”!
You are able to do as little or as a lot at a time as you want. I love to do sufficient to fill a gallon measurement freezer bag, or simply freeze as many greens as I occur to have—even when it’s only a small quantity lingering within the fridge. Doing this additionally helpfully knocks down the “inexperienced” taste!
How you can Freeze Tomatoes
Discover ways to freeze tomatoes simply to make sure a surplus by no means goes to waste—and discover simple methods to make use of them up (in Tomato Soup, Tomato Sauce, or Marinara Sauce) every time you’ve time down the street. Plus, no blanching!
This simple methodology lets you skip blanching and once you thaw them, the pores and skin slides proper off. This can be a nice approach to keep away from losing contemporary tomatoes once they’re at their peak ripeness.
How you can Freeze Zucchini
There are three fundamental methods to freeze zucchini that I share on this publish. Each varies within the quantity of prep time concerned and greatest makes use of after freezing.
We’ll cowl freeze zucchini with out cooking it, freeze shredded zucchini, and freeze blanched zucchini—and use every of them as soon as frozen.
Benefit from contemporary zucchini and summer season squash with all the guidelines you want for freeze zucchini. Discover ways to freeze zucchini for baking, freeze it with out cooking, and one of the best ways to freeze it for soups, sauces, and extra.
Suggestions for Freezing Ready Meals
You may freeze nearly any ready meals, whether or not it’s cooked or baked, aside from salads. (Uncooked veggies is not going to thaw to the identical texture.) Typically talking, the method is as follows:
- Let the meals cool if it was sizzling. (If warmth is trapped in a container or bag it can launch steam, which may flip to condensation. These water drops can freeze onto the meals, inflicting it to turn out to be icy.)
- Add it to a storage container or freezer bag. If utilizing a freezer bag, attempt to add it in a single layer and take away as a lot air as attainable.
- Freeze.
For extra specifics, see under.
How you can Freeze Muffins
Figuring out freeze muffins is vital to making sure your loved ones will get to eat all of these delish muffins you bake—whether or not you bake them forward or simply wind up with a couple of left over. This methodology is simple and retains the muffins contemporary within the freezer till you’re able to take pleasure in them.
Discover ways to freeze muffins so that they’re simply pretty much as good pulled out of the freezer as they’re proper out of the oven.
How you can Freeze Pancakes
Discover ways to freeze pancakes the simple means to make sure they’re simply pretty much as good out of the freezer as freshly made. I’ll share recommendations on one of the best storage luggage and thaw and warmth pancakes, too.
Discover ways to freeze pancakes, from leftovers or as a meal-prep possibility, so that they’re simply pretty much as good pulled out of the freezer as they’re proper out of the pan.
How you can Freeze Sandwiches
One among my favourite meal-prep concepts is to freeze a batch of easy sandwiches for the youngsters so that they’re able to seize and go on busy mornings. They thaw actually rapidly in a lunch field and scale back the variety of issues to do when mealtime is busy.
Discover ways to freeze sandwiches and which of them freeze greatest—as a result of YES, you possibly can freeze sandwiches—to make life simpler, particularly in terms of packing lunch.
How you can Freeze Smoothies
Discover ways to meal-prep smoothies and retailer leftovers so you possibly can scale back the work that you must do within the second and waste much less of what you make. I’ve three strategies for you that work very well to profit from your smoothies.
Discover one of the best methods to meal prep smoothies and retailer leftovers to be sure to all the time use the substances you purchase and the smoothies you make.
How you can Freeze Milk
In the event you’re heading out of city and have some milk within the fridge you don’t need to go to waste otherwise you’re trying to have just a little additional readily available, these two easy methods to freeze milk will reply your entire questions on if you are able to do it—and precisely how!
Do that methodology as a approach to have contemporary milk readily available once you return from a visit, to refill must you get caught at house with illness, or to profit from milk that you simply discover on sale.
How you can Freeze Child Meals
Going by way of the trouble to make selfmade child meals actually solely works if in case you have plan for retailer the meals to make sure that it stays contemporary and that child has loads of alternatives to take pleasure in it.
After making a LOT of child meals for my third kiddo to ship with him to daycare, I received into routine of constructing and storing child meals—particularly within the freezer. Discover ways to freeze and retailer child meals.
How you can Freeze Pouches
You may freeze nearly any child meals pouch (or toddler pouch) for future use if you wish to batch-prep a couple of at a time or to retailer leftovers.
Merely place into the reusable pouch and seal in keeping with the producer’s instructions. Freeze. To thaw, place frozen proper right into a lunch field (it can thaw in 2-3 hours if at room temperature) or in a single day within the fridge.
How you can Thaw Frozen Meals
For baked items reminiscent of muffins or Breakfast Bars, you possibly can thaw in a single day within the fridge or at room temperature. Or thaw in 15-second increments on a heat-safe plate within the microwave. Don’t overcook.
For meatballs or different frozen meat, you possibly can simmer in sauce (reminiscent of marinara sauce) or warmth in a 375-degree-F oven for 4-6 minutes, or briefly in a 375-degree-F air fryer.
You may add frozen fruit on to smoothies, oatmeal, or baked items. Or flip frozen apples into Cinnamon Apples.
Greatest Suggestions for Success
- Let meals cool earlier than freezing to decrease the quantity of ice which will type within the container or bag.
- Take away as a lot air as attainable from freezer luggage utilizing your fingers or a straw.
- Freeze meals in freezer luggage in a single single layer—or use parchment paper or wax paper between layers—so the meals doesn’t freeze collectively.
- Thaw ready meals in a single day within the fridge or in 15- to 30-second increments within the microwave.
- Freeze half batches of Breakfast Bars, Cereal Bars, Fig Bars, Granola Bars, Power Bites, Vegetable Broth, and extra for future weeks.
Associated Recipes
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