Freezing Salad 4 July 2022 at 10:00AM in Green & ethical MoneySaving 10 replies 141 views

MouldyOldDough

Https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61798003

Reckons that you can freeze salad to save money 
Anyone else disagree? 

QrizB

MouldyOldDough said:

Https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61798003

Reckons that you can freeze salad to save money 
Anyone else disagree? 

What the article actually says:

"You can't defrost a banana or salad and expect it to be the same as when it went into the freezer," she explains. "But if you think about how you could use it in puddings or in soups or in casseroles, then you're going to save a lot of money."

So yes, if you've got a recipe that wants pureed cucumber, freezing will work fine.

Sandtree

MouldyOldDough said:

Https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61798003

Reckons that you can freeze salad to save money 
Anyone else disagree? 

Why wouldn't you be able to? The issue is one of texture after it defrosts but depending on what you are going to be doing with it the new texture may not be a problem. 

Reed_Richards

Yes, I love my lettuce limp and chewy

Exiled_Tyke

I noticed this too. I was also not impressed by the suggestion of going to the local butcher for advice.  I love a local butcher and make use of them but in my experience they are a lot more expensive than supermarkets. 

Sandtree

Reed_Richards said:

Yes, I love my lettuce limp and chewy

More likely mushy than chewy

Exiled_Tyke said:

I noticed this too. I was also not impressed by the suggestion of going to the local butcher for advice.  I love a local butcher and make use of them but in my experience they are a lot more expensive than supermarkets. 

My experience of butchers is that they fall into two categories... true butchers that are buying in carcasses, ageing them and breaking them down themselves and they tend to be fairly expensive. Others are more meat shops and get in pre-aged/prepared meats and can be relatively cheap.

Even still it talks about saving money and not just living on an ultra budget... so if you go to either type of butchers they are likely to be able to offer alternatives to say a supermarket sirloin steak that is cheaper (and for the former, tastier). I'd argue similarly with some more mid range items a butcher may be able to offer more tasty options at a similar price from things that supermarkets just dont typically stock. 

Alnat1

All the cuts that used to be cheap, breast of lamb, pork belly, beef cheek, oxtail etc. have suddenly become trendy and expensive.

I'd rather cook a veggie meal than choose tripe or pig's trotters, ewwwww.

Exiled_Tyke

Sandtree said:

Reed_Richards said:

Yes, I love my lettuce limp and chewy

More likely mushy than chewy

Exiled_Tyke said:

I noticed this too. I was also not impressed by the suggestion of going to the local butcher for advice.  I love a local butcher and make use of them but in my experience they are a lot more expensive than supermarkets. 

My experience of butchers is that they fall into two categories... true butchers that are buying in carcasses, ageing them and breaking them down themselves and they tend to be fairly expensive. Others are more meat shops and get in pre-aged/prepared meats and can be relatively cheap.

Even still it talks about saving money and not just living on an ultra budget... so if you go to either type of butchers they are likely to be able to offer alternatives to say a supermarket sirloin steak that is cheaper (and for the former, tastier). I'd argue similarly with some more mid range items a butcher may be able to offer more tasty options at a similar price from things that supermarkets just dont typically stock. 

But there are cheap cuts available in the supermarket. My local keeps oxtail, oxcheek, pork belly etc... and not (at least yet) at trendy prices.  

Meatballs

We often have wastage spinach which would freeze and be fine stirred into risotto etc. intact I used to just buy frozen spinach for this but hadn't thought of doing it for the fresh stuff the wife buys.

Sandtree

Exiled_Tyke said:

Sandtree said:

Reed_Richards said:

Yes, I love my lettuce limp and chewy

More likely mushy than chewy

Exiled_Tyke said:

I noticed this too. I was also not impressed by the suggestion of going to the local butcher for advice.  I love a local butcher and make use of them but in my experience they are a lot more expensive than supermarkets. 

My experience of butchers is that they fall into two categories... true butchers that are buying in carcasses, ageing them and breaking them down themselves and they tend to be fairly expensive. Others are more meat shops and get in pre-aged/prepared meats and can be relatively cheap.

Even still it talks about saving money and not just living on an ultra budget... so if you go to either type of butchers they are likely to be able to offer alternatives to say a supermarket sirloin steak that is cheaper (and for the former, tastier). I'd argue similarly with some more mid range items a butcher may be able to offer more tasty options at a similar price from things that supermarkets just dont typically stock. 

But there are cheap cuts available in the supermarket. My local keeps oxtail, oxcheek, pork belly etc... and not (at least yet) at trendy prices.  

Will clearly vary by supermarket, certainly ours is very limited and you dont often see oxcheek, skirt, flank, shin etc. 

Brie

It depends on the salad.  If it's one of those packets of mixed leaves, spinach, rocket etc then I'm happy to freeze what's not going to get used.  If I'm doing a soup then it can be dumped in, maybe pureed.  If I'm doing an omelette then I can add a handful still frozen once the eggs are starting to cook.  

As for butchers I would prefer to get a small portion of good quality meat (or any food really) rather than a large portion that is tasteless.  I'm fortunate to have a excellent butcher not too far from us as the local Tesco is very limited in what they have and all the supermarkets, bar Waitrose, have closed their butcher counters.  And their fish counters too.  I'm more annoyed about the fish frankly as i've seen yet another local one has closed after 30+ years.  Shocking given that we live on the coast and there's only 1 place in 20 miles where I know I can buy properly fresh fish.