How To Freeze Foods To Reduce Kitchen Waste
Have you ever wondered what foods you can freeze?? There are many foods that freeze well, but today I want to share about a few food items you probably didn’t know you could freeze! Knowing how to freeze these foods will help you save money and prevent kitchen waste.
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Supplies Needed to Freeze Food
There are a few supplies you will need to help you freeze food. I promise, the initial investment is well worth the amount of money you will save!
I use each of these products when freezing food, and they all work great! A vacuum sealer does the best job of getting all air out of the bag, which is important! So if you will be doing a lot of freezing, I do recommend getting the vacuum sealer. But, each of these products will work.
Benefits of Freezing Food
You might be wondering why it’s important to know how and what foods to freeze. Well, I’ll tell you!
Not only is freezing food a great way to save money on groceries, it’s also a fabulous way to prevent excess food waste in the kitchen.
Here are three of the most common times I freeze food to save money:
1. Freezing Leftovers
Have you ever had to throw out food from your fridge or pantry because it had gone past it’s expired date before you could use it?!?!?
This happens to me All.The.Time!
The trick???? I’ve learned to freeze my leftovers, rather than storing them in the refrigerator. This one simple change has saved me so much money and has prevented a lot of waste in the kitchen. Win, win!
You can easily freeze leftovers by putting them into a freezer ziplock bag or container and tossing them into the freezer! Most leftovers will stay good in the freezer for 3 months. These frozen leftovers are perfect for a quick meal on busy days.
2. Freezing Sale Items
Another reason to freeze food items is to stock up on sale prices. When I find a great sale on perishable foods, I stock up on multiples and freeze most of it to use for later. I just really love not having to pay full price for groceries (or really for anything!).
To find grocery items on sale in your area I recommend downloading the free Flipp app. This awesome app scans all of the local grocery sale ads so you can easily see what’s on sale each week.
When you find a good deal, stock up and freeze the excess!
3. Freezing Foods Before They Expire
If you have items in your pantry that are close to reaching their expiration date, you might want to stick these items in the freezer! The freezer will prolong their shelf date and give you more time to using it, preventing you from having to throw it away. Because, as I like to remind my kids, when you throw food away, it’s the same thing as throwing your hard earned money away. You spent money on that food! Freeze it!
Foods You Didn’t Know You Can Freeze
Alright, now let’s get to the fun part! Most people know that you can freeze strawberries, onions, chicken, etc. Today’s article is all about foods you probably didn’t know that you can freeze.
1. Butter
Butter is a great item to buy on sale and freeze for later use.
How To Freeze:
To keep butter fresh for a few months you can easily freeze it in it’s original packaging. If you are wanting to store it in the freezer for longer, I would put the butter in a freezer bag.
Use the butter within 4 months for best results.
How To Defrost:
You can defrost butter in the refrigerator overnight, or set it on the countertop to let it thaw at room temperature.
2. Flour
Another great item to buy on sale and freeze for later is flour.
How To Freeze:
To freeze flour put it in an airtight container, like a freezer bag, or one of these storage containers. Fill the container as full as possible, the less air the better!
You can keep flour in the freezer for 6-12 months.
How To Defrost:
Let flour thaw at room temperature before using.
3. Eggs
Most people are shocked when I tell them that eggs are freezable! But, it’s true!!! You can freeze eggs.
How To Freeze:
To freeze eggs, just crack them into a bowl and whisk together with a fork. Next, you will pour the eggs into a freezer bag or container, get out as much air from the bag as possible and put them in your freezer. So easy, right?!?!
Eggs will stay good in the freezer for 6-12 months.
How To Defrost:
Thaw eggs in the refrigerator and then use them to make scrambled eggs, omelets, or in baking.
4. Avocados
Another great food to freeze is avocados! Frozen avocados can be used in dips, baking, or I like to put ours in smoothies.
How To Freeze:
You can freeze avocados by chopping them into small pieces and placing the pieces into a freezer bag or freezer container, and then putting the bag into the freezer.
Use your frozen avocados sometime between 3-6 months.
How To Defrost:
Let the frozen avocados sit in the refrigerator overnight to defrost.
5. Cream
Many recipes call for a small amount of cream, which is great except for it leaves us with a large container of leftover cream. Save this excess in the freezer to use at a different date.
How To Freeze:
I love to freeze cream using an ice cube tray. It makes it easy to pull out a few tablespoons for recipes! Learn exactly how to freeze cream using an ice cube tray here.
Frozen cream cubes will stay fresh for 3-6 months.
How To Defrost:
You can pull your cream cubes straight from the freezer and directly into your soups or recipes. They can also be defrosted by placing them in the refrigerator overnight.
6. Bread
Buy bread when it is on sale, and then freeze it to use for later! We have a “day old bread store” in my city that sales loaves of bread that are close to their expiration dates. I love to go every few weeks and buy a few loaves to stick in my freezer and use from time to time.
How To Freeze:
Bread is one of the easiest thing to freeze! All you have to do is put it in the freezer, and done!
The packaging the bread comes in from the store is enough to keep the bread fresh for a few months! See how easy?!?!
Bread can stay in the freezer for 3 months before using.
How To Defrost:
Your bread will taste best if you defrost it in the oven. Just warm your oven to 325 degrees, remove bread from packaging, and let it sit in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
7. Grated Cheese
Cheese is a great item to buy on sale, or in bulk and then grate to freeze for later. Cheese can turn a little crumbly when frozen, so it works best to grate it first and then freeze.
How To Freeze:
After grating your cheese, simply put it in a freezer bag, remove all of the air, and place it in the freezer.
You can keep frozen cheese in the freezer for 6-9 months for best results.
How To Defrost:
Let the cheese defrost in the refrigerator overnight before using.
8. Milk
Yes! You can freeze milk! Shocked??? I was too!
How To Freeze:
You shouldn’t freeze a milk carton that’s completely full. So, use about 3/4 of a cup from the carton before freezing. This allows room for expansion.
Once you have a small amount of milk out of the carton, you can stick it in the freezer. That’s it!
Milk will stay good in the freezer for 6 months.
How To Defrost:
Defrost milk in the refrigerator overnight before using.
9. Chips
Found a deal on chips? Buy a few and throw them into your freezer to save for your next party (or midnight snacking if you’re like me….).
How To Freeze:
Chips can be frozen in the sealed bag they came in. All you have to do is toss them into the freezer, bag and all!
Make sure to use your frozen chips within three months of freezing.
How To Defrost:
To use, just thaw them at room temperature! Easy peasy!
10. Pizza Dough
When I make our Friday Night Pizza Dough I always double the recipe and freeze half for the next Friday. This gives me something easy to pull out and use for a quick dinner (and it totally looks like I spent all day making it….when I really just got it from the freezer, win!).
How To Freeze:
To freeze pizza dough you need to put it in a freezer bag, get all of the air out, seal tightly, and freeze.
Use your frozen dough within 3-6 months.
How To Defrost:
When you are ready to use your frozen pizza dough, let it defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
11. Cooked Pasta
Freezing cooked pasta is a great way to preserve any pasta leftovers you might have from dinner. You can freeze spaghetti, rotini, fettuccini noodles, and more! As long as they don’t have the sauce on top, they can be frozen.
How To Freeze:
To freeze cooked pasta, you will first need to let it cool completely and then lightly toss the pasta with olive oil.
Next, lay the pasta in a single layer on a cookie sheet. This doesn’t need to be perfect, but flash freezing does help prevent the pasta from clumping together in the freezer.
Stick the cookie sheet in the freezer and let the pasta freeze for about 1-2 hours (this is called flash freezing).
Once frozen, scoop the pasta off of the cookie sheet and put it in a freezer bag or a freezer container.
Place in the freezer and use within 3 months.
How To Defrost:
You can reheat your frozen pasta in the microwave or by boiling it in hot water.
- Related: Easy Pasta Dinner Recipe
12. Sauce
While freezing pasta, you might as well freeze some sauces too! Right??? Right!
You can freeze almost any sauce, including: spaghetti sauce, enchilada sauce, tomato sauce, pizza sauce, and more!
How To Freeze:
To freeze sauce just put it into a freezer bag or container, get all of the air out, and seal tightly.
Use your frozen sauces within 3-6 months.
How To Defrost:
Defrost sauces by placing them in the refrigerator overnight.
13. Herbs
Herbs are definitely freezable! If you enjoy gardening (like I do!) freezing your home grown herbs is a great way to save money!
How To Freeze:
I love to freeze my garden herbs in an ice cube tray. This gives me quick access to them when I need them.
To do this you will need to fill an ice cube tray cube with herbs to about 3/4 full, next add olive oil until the cube is full and freeze.
Once frozen, take the individual cubes out of the tray and place them into a freezer bag.
For best results use frozen herbs within 3-6 months.
How To Defrost:
You can put the frozen herb cubes straight from the bag into soups and stews.
14. Pancakes
Pancakes are my busy mom hack to less stressful mornings! They are so easy to double your favorite pancake recipe, pop half of them in the freezer, and then pull them out for breakfast when you just don’t have time to cook anything else!
How To Freeze:
Check out this article for all the details on freezing pancakes.
How To Defrost:
You can defrost your pancakes using the microwave, which is great because the kids can do it themselves if they need to!
15. Sandwiches
I first heard about freezing sandwiches from Fun Cheap or Free! This is a great way to save your kids uneaten sandwiches, or to prepare for an upcoming busy day.
Be sure to check out their freezing sandwiches article here for all of the details!
16. Grapes
Frozen grapes are one of our very favorite snacks. They are juicy and delicious! My kids claim (and I have to agree!) that frozen grapes taste just like a grape snow cone! You must try this! When you find grapes on sale, buy a few extra bags to freeze.
How To Freeze:
The first step to freezing grapes is to wash them and then let them dry thoroughly. Once the grapes are dry place them into a freezer bag, take out all air, seal tightly and then place in the freezer.
Use within 3 months.
How To Defrost:
Don’t defrost your frozen grapes! Eat the grapes straight out of the bag for a delicious snack!
17. Nuts
To keep your nuts fresh for longer, freeze them!
How To Freeze:
Nuts are easy to freeze! Just put them into a freezer bag, get out all of the air, and seal tightly.
Frozen nuts should be used within 6 months.
How To Defrost:
Let your frozen nuts sit in the refrigerator overnight to defrost and then use.
18. Mashed Potatoes
I grew up on an Idaho potato farm, so I am alllll about the potatoes! My husband loves to make mashed potatoes at our house, but he always tends to make more than we eat (eyes bigger than the stomach thing…..).
Instead of throwing these extra potatoes away, we freeze them to use for another day!
How To Freeze:
Freeze your mashed potatoes in a freezer bag or freezer container. Remove as much air as possible, seal tight and put into the freezer.
How To Defrost:
To use frozen mashed potatoes, let them thaw in the refrigerator and then reheat in a small pot over the stove. While heating on stove add a couple of tablespoons of sour cream. This will give them a yummy and creamy consistency.
19. Frosting
Yep! You can even freeze frosting! And it’s very easy to do!
How To Freeze:
Just scoop the frosting into a freezer bag, get all of the air out and seal tightly. Done and done!
The bag can then be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How To Defrost:
To thaw frosting, let it sit in the refrigerator over night and then it’s ready to use!
In Conclusion
These are just a few suggestions of the many, many foods available to freeze. I encourage you to start trying to focus on stocking up when you find a good grocery sale, and freezing it all for for later. It’s so fun to have a freezer full of budget friendly foods!
You will begin to see a huge savings in the amount of money you are spending on food if you start using your freezer more!
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