5 Golden rules for making the most of your freezer
BY Kate Hall
3rd Apr 2024 Food Heroes
2 min read
Taken
from expert home cooking consultant Kate Hall’s new book The Full Freezer
Method, here are some tips for using your freezer to save money on
your food bill and reduce food waste
1. Don’t freeze it if you won’t eat it
I know, I know, once you know that you can freeze something,
it’s tempting to start to freeze everything (particularly if you’re trying to
avoid food waste).
"Never waste freezer space on something you know you’ll never actually eat"
But you should never waste freezer space on something you
know you’ll never actually eat. It might also be the case that you have an
excessive amount of something. This doesn’t mean these foods should be resigned
to the bin though; could you drop them off at your local food bank? Or could
you give it to family, a friend or a neighbour?
2. Test for success
A variety of bagged and frozen fruits. Credit: Tiefkuehlfan
You might already have a good idea of what you would like
stashed away in your freezer, but before you get too carried away, remember
it’s always a good idea to do a small test run first.
Although you can freeze most foods, you might find that not
everything is to your taste after freezing. So instead of diving in and filling
a whole drawer with the spoils of your allotment or seasonal veg box, try
freezing a small amount, and then use it.
3. Tweak and try again
While some foods can only really be frozen using one
practical approach, most can be frozen in a few different ways. For example,
carrots may be frozen in chunks (for roasting), slices (for steaming and
boiling), cubes (for frying), or grated (to add to dishes such as bolognese).
"If you freeze a food in one way and dislike it, think about if there's another way it can be frozen"
If you freeze a food in one particular way and then dislike it,
don’t just assume that you can’t possibly freeze that ingredient in future. Have
a think about whether there is another way that the food can be frozen, or
another way it can be used.
4. Don’t fear the burn
Freezer burn is what occurs when food is poorly wrapped or
has been in the freezer for longer than recommended. The food can appear white
or greyish, mottled and may be covered in ice crystals. Many people on seeing
this will assume the food is unsafe to eat, and understandably so; it can look
pretty unpleasant!
In reality, freezer burn is just dehydration. Eating food
with freezer burn won’t make you sick, but it may not taste as good. To avoid
freezer burn forming, it’s best to wrap food tightly and make sure you use
proper freezer bags (not thin sandwich bags). You can also vacuum seal foods
such as meat and fish.
5. Ditch the defrosting!
OK, so sometimes you will need to defrost foods before
eating or cooking them. But this isn’t always the case! For example, if you
have washed, dried and chopped up your veggies before freezing them, you can
cook them straight from frozen. In fact, it allows you to evaporate off any
excess moisture instead of allowing the food to turn soggy while defrosting.
"If you haven't tried frozen fruit yet, you are really missing out"
There are also some foods that are best eaten straight from
frozen. If you haven’t tried frozen fruit (raspberries, grapes) yet, you are
missing out.
The Full Freezer Method: Five Steps to Transform How You Shop, Cook & Live (Ebury Press) by Kate Hall is available now
Banner photo: A full freezer. Credit: Tiekuehlfan
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