Freezing - Tips and Quick Questions thread

cakeordeath_2

gah! how dumb am I? I've been throwing away celery, onions and carrots when they're past their best, and yet I buy the £1 bags of casserole veg from farmfoods!!

I'm going to start freezing mushrooms too from now on.

Natty68

Not very OS but we had to buy a bigger freezer/fridge because I was freezing bits and bobs that were left over. As soon as my veg box is delivered I check to see what can be frozen to keep fresher. I've got a glut of gooseberries and rhubarb in the freezer that I have frozen from just bought/picked. We buy our mince in bulk at costco and I freeze it into portions of 450g, I also do this with the chicken portions that we buy in bulk at costco too. I freeze these in manageable portions for a casserole. This way I don't get out too much and waste it. DH cuts up the peppers from the veg box and freezes them in small bags, he can often get two or three portions out of one pepper. I've just started to freeze mushrooms that are left over from the veg box, and the glut of broad beans/carrots that we kept getting each week are also in the freezer too. I always get the cheese when it is on offer and then grate it in the food processor and then freeze it. I don't even open freeze it, I just pop it straight in the bag and in the drawer.

Not sure about the onions though, do they taste funny or any different to when you have cut a fresh onion up?

We must be the only two person family with three freezers..lol

Oh and I also wash out the freezer bags and hang on the line outside to dry, although obviously I don't reuse the meat/poultry ones. My neighbours must think I am mad as the other day I had the dogs teddies outside (well bits of his teddies) that I had washed, and then sometimes freezer bags are out there too..

brila

I freeze fresh veg too! Cheaper to buy the big bags and I can be lazy and use the food processor (hard to justify the hassle of washing it up just for one meal's-worth of veg). Another thing I do is use a "matchstick" blade on the fp to chop a variety of veg into "stir fry for one/two" sized portions. Great for quick emergency meal as it defrosts in the wok and is quicker (and cheaper) than getting a take-away. Mango chutney + tom puree + dash lemon juice makes a great sweet and sour sauce.

maman

I've found it much cheaper/healthier to freeze in portion sizes. I used to make big portions enough for 4 (as many recipes are) and 2 of us would eat the lot. Now I freeze half immediately not to be tempted. Similarly with meat, if I portion it up before freezing I definitely use less than I would have previously. One chicken breast is enough for a stirfry with plenty of veg, a pack of liver or sausages is enough for at least 2 meals etc etc

Ches

You can also make meal packs up when you are chopping the vegetables. Just put a variety of veg and the amount of chicken breasts/diced beef/mince into the same bag and freeze. Saves opening several bags and taking bits out of each.

falady

Brila, Maman and Ches - some great tips that i hadn't thought of - thank you!

Ali x

barneydee_2

this thread is great but did any of you watch the Nigella Lawson cookery programs she freezes everything, egg whites, left over wine, ends of parmasan cheese. the list is endless.I know always bltz any left over bread into bread crumbs, or i cut cubes for crutons and freeze.

Taadaa

I freeze breadcrumbs too, and I grow my own herbs so when they are finishing or the weather is turning I cut them and put them into freezer trays, then pop them out straight into the wok or whatever.

PollyFlinders_3

After baking a cake I cut it up into portions as soon as it has cooled down and put the portions straight in the freezer - I get twice as many portions from a cake as DH so lasts twice as long (and only half the calories!)

I also freeze any leftover cooking sauces (I know its not very OS, but when they're only 29p in Home Bargains I just can't resist). They defrost and cook up fine.

MrsE_2

I froze some excess chopped onion (lessons learnt on here, re waste).

I was so glad I did that.

The other night I needed two onions for a recipe, just in from work very tired & didn't have to go out again & have a late dinner to boot.