7 Foods You Didn’t Know You Could Freeze

7 Foods You Didn’t Know You Could Freeze

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thrown away food because I didn’t know the proper way to store it. It’s like once I learned, there was a lightbulb moment and all of my previous bad habits made sense. Now, I only buy the foods that have a short life because others are comfortably sitting in my freezer.

My life has been so much easier because now everything tastes fresh and is always available for me to use! Over time, these foods also saved me money because I didn’t have to keep buying them repeatedly every single week.

If you’ve been throwing out money because your foods got rotten too quickly, then this story might help you in many ways — saving money, preserving food life, eating fresh, staying healthy, and preventing frequent visits to grocery stores.

1. Egg yolks

Have egg yolks lying around? Freeze them!

But only if they are pure and unbroken- you don’t want any salmonella crawling about your freezer. Egg yolks contain a ‘vitelline membrane,’ which acts as a protective barrier for any bacteria. This is because egg yolks contain fat and proteins, which provide nourishment for such bacteria.

So again, if the egg yolks are pure and unbroken, freeze them.

How to do it:

You can do so by placing them on a tray or some wax paper and putting them in your freezer overnight. Once they’re frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag where you can store them for months!

I don’t eat eggs, but I know this hack from my roommate!

2. Herbs

Most people don’t like wasting food; not only does this involve throwing out money, but it also means wastefulness in terms of effort and resources required to grow and produce such commodities!

So if you have fresh herbs lying around the home then, consider freezing them.

How to do it:

You can put almost any herb in a freezer bag and pop it in the freezer. But make sure you place them between layers of kitchen towels, so they don’t touch each other!

Alternatively, you can also chop up your herbs and freeze them in ice-cube trays! You can then add these cubes to your sauce or soup stock when you need to use them.

3. Fried Foods

If you’ve fried up some food and it’s leftover, don’t just throw it out! Save them for next week!

How to do it:

Place it in small containers, seal them tightly, then pop into your freezer. You can then remove these whenever you want to eat ‘instantly cooked’ foods again!

The only thing you have to remember is that the longer food sits at room temperature- the greater possibilities of bacterial growth. So try not to keep open bowls or containers for a long time before consumption!

4. Soups

Soups are simply the oldest means of making anything edible; throw it in a pot of boiling water and cook until it’s ready!

However, when it comes to storing the soup, it can be quite difficult and even a little terrifying. How are you supposed to freeze soup and maintain its flavor and nutrition?

How to do it:

To begin, make sure your soup has completely cooled to room temperature before attempting to place it in the freezer.

Consider not freezing delicate herbs like parsley, basil, or dill in your soup. Instead, stop cooking the soup immediately before adding the herbs and freeze it in portion quantities.

Then, when you’re ready to eat it, reheat it and add those delicate herbs. This keeps the flavor of the herbs from fading in the freezer while also protecting the aroma and nutrition of the delicate stems and preventing them from crumbling into mush.

5. Tomato Sauce

Have surplus tomatoes lying around the home?

Chop them up, puree them in a blender, store them in plastic containers, seal them tightly and place them in the freezer.

When you want to make pasta or pizza, simply take your tomato ‘cubes’ out and defrost for a couple of minutes in the microwave.

It’s a good idea to invest in a vacuum sealer that retains the nutrition of any foods that you freeze!

6. Don’t Let Your Garlic Go To Waste

Garlic doesn’t last forever (obviously), and it’s such a pain to use only half and then place in the fridge — which involves another trip later on before they go bad.

Freeze them instead!

How to do it:

Peel off the garlic cloves put them into freezer bags, then seal tightly. They can be kept like this indefinitely; remember that raw garlic has strong anti-inflammatory properties (which may not bode well with individuals who are suffering from high blood pressure etc.)

If you are to freeze fried food, avoid adding garlic. You can always do it later when you reheat it. This way, you’ll never need to worry about garlic going bad again!

7. Pack Your Pancakes

If you love pancakes with maple syrup but don’t have time to make it on a weekday, why not freeze it?

How to do it:

But, ensure there are no living bacteria in your syrup (e.g., heating the syrup to at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit).

Once done, pour into ice cube trays and freeze overnight. Pop the ‘pancakes’ in a plastic bag in your freezer; they will last for up to 6 months! When you want to eat them again, pop them out of the tray and either toast or microwave! They’re great if you want to eat pancakes but don’t have time or all the ingredients on hand (e.g., if you’re camping).

Bonus: Free Your Fruits

Fruits contain lots of precious nutrients and vitamins, making them very healthy.

However, they also have downsides: they can rot quickly (especially if not stored appropriately).

The best thing to do with fruits is to either eat or freeze them immediately!

If you don’t want to deal with the hassle, cut up your apple/pear/mango, etc., into slices, place these on a baking tray lined with kitchen towels (to prevent sticking), then pop them into the freezer.

When ‘solid’ again, transfer into plastic containers, then seal tightly before putting back in the freezer. These can be kept for several months; remember to take them out whenever you need some fruit for a snack!

Enjoy These Foods All Year Round!

The winter months can be difficult when it comes to food — they get very expensive!

I hope this article gave you some new ideas on storing food for the offseason or when you buy surplus food produce on sale.

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