Flat Freezing: Label a plastic freezer bag with food type, number of portions, freezing and best-before dates. Pour sauce, stew or soup into the bag, flatten it on a baking tray and freeze.
The frozen bags can be stacked, are quicker
to thaw and you can snap off the amount you need. (JP)
Use an empty fruit juice carton as a holder for a plastic bag. Fill the bag with fruit or puree or vegetables. Then freeze. Once frozen, remove carton and re-use. (Source not noted).
Use an empty fruit juice carton as a holder for a plastic bag. Fill the bag with fruit or puree or vegetables. Then freeze. Once frozen, remove carton and re-use. (Source not noted).
Freeze meat in strips: Whole chicken breasts, thick
steaks and large chops take time to defrost, so cut chicken, beef and pork into 1.5cm
strips. Toss in some sunflower oil and seasoning, then open freeze in a single layer on a
foil-lined baking tray, cover with cling film and place tray in
the freezer. Once frozen solid, peel away the cling film (it comes
off easily) and transfer them to a rigid container or airtight freezer bag and
use within a month for stir-fries, pasta dishes, curries, wraps and salads. (JP)
Freezing fish: Cut very fresh raw fish into thin
fillets or small chunks. Interleave with easy-leave sheets (Justine uses packs of 300 sheets, lakeland.co.uk) between each fillet to stop them sticking together
(baking parchment can also be used). Pack into two freezer bags, one
inside the other, to prevent fishy smells in your freezer. Once frozen, use the amount you need and
cook in minutes in a hot pan with a splash of olive oil, or stir it into a
soup or sauce and simmer until cooked through. (JP)
Stock cubes: Use silicone ice-cube trays to freeze citrus juices,
pesto, tomato paste or wine in small cubes that can be stored in an airtight
freezer bag and dropped into your cooking as needed (SR).
Soups, stocks and sauces: Larger quantities of liquids can be
frozen in a silicone muffin tray to produce handy small portion sizes. Once frozen, pop them out of their flexible
trays and into an airtight bag for storage. Defrost and reheat in a microwave or saucepan as needed within six
months. (SR)
Line containers: Line ovenproof pie dishes and casseroles
with aluminium foil before cooking a cottage pie or pasta bake for the freezer. Once food is frozen, you can lift it out in one piece,
wrap it in more foil, then seal it in a plastic bag. When needed simply drop the
block of food back in the dish to defrost and cook through. (JP)
Avocados: Remove skin and stone, then mash with one
tablespoon of lemon juice per avocado and freeze for up to two months. Use in guacamole,
dressings and spreads. (JP)
Bananas: Peel, slice into chunks, freeze uncovered on a baking tray,
then store in a bag. Defrost and use in cakes or whizz in a sturdy blender,
still frozen, to make instant banana ‘ice cream’ or smoothies. (JP) ## Use within 3 months. (Good Housekeeping magazine)
Onions: Chop and freeze in bags, then add to dish straight from freezer. Keeps for up to 6 months. (Good Housekeeping magazine)
Onions: Chop and freeze in bags, then add to dish straight from freezer. Keeps for up to 6 months. (Good Housekeeping magazine)
Butter and margarine: Can be frozen for three months. (JP)
Cheese: With the exception of low- fat, cream and cottage cheese
(which, because of their fat-to- water ratios, tend to go watery once thawed),
most cheeses freeze well. Hard cheeses can go a bit crumbly when defrosted, so grate them before
freezing for best results. Soft cheeses such as camembert and brie should be frozen at their ideal
ripeness and defrosted in the fridge overnight. (JP)
Citrus slices and grapes: Lemon, lime and orange slices and grapes freeze well and make
perfect ‘ice cubes’ for alcoholic drinks, as they don’t dilute as they defrost.(JP)
Cream: Single cream with its high water content tends to
split when it’s defrosted. Double cream does better; although it doesn’t whip well when defrosted
and is quite grainy, it’s fine to use in sauces if you freeze small amounts in
ice-cube trays. Store in a well-sealed bag as the flavour can easily be tainted
by other foods. (JP)
Eggs: Raw eggs in their shells will expand and crack if frozen.
Instead, beat lightly and add a pinch of salt (savoury dishes) or sugar (sweet dishes) per egg, which will help to stop
the egg splitting once defrosted. Store in muffin trays or in batches in freezer bags, stored flat. Eggs will keep well for a month. Egg
yolks tend to go rubbery if frozen separately, but whites freeze
well and can be used for meringues, etc. (JP) ## Thaw in a covered bowl overnight in the fridge. Can be frozen for up to 12 months (Good Housekeeping magazine)
Milk: Skimmed and semi-skimmed milk will freeze well for a month.
Full-fat, unless homogenised, will probably split. Never freeze in a glass bottle, as the liquid will expand and could
crack the glass. Defrost frozen milk in the fridge overnight and shake well
before using. (JP) ## Use within six months. (Good Housekeeping magazine)
Bread: Most bread, except crusty varieties such as French bread, will
freeze for up to three months (crusty bread tends to lose its crunch after a
month in the freezer). Sliced bread can be toasted straight from frozen. (JP)
Herbs: Finely chop soft herbs such as mint and parsley and place in
ice-cube trays, top up with water or a little olive oil and freeze. Woody herbs such as rosemary can be frozen whole in plastic food bags.
Use from frozen. (JP)
Pesto: Freeze fresh pesto in freezer bags laid flat so yu can break off the amount you need, or spoon into ice cube trays (each cube is about 1 tablespoon). Keeps for about 6 months. (Good Housekeeping magazine)
Pesto: Freeze fresh pesto in freezer bags laid flat so yu can break off the amount you need, or spoon into ice cube trays (each cube is about 1 tablespoon). Keeps for about 6 months. (Good Housekeeping magazine)
Nuts: Will keep in a zip-seal bag in the freezer for up to six months. (JP)
Wine: Leftover red and white wine can be kept frozen but is best for cooking rather than drinking, as freezing can cause potassium tartrate
crystals to form in the wine. While harmless these ‘wine diamonds’ don’t look great in a glass. Never store wine in the freezer in a glass bottle, as it
will probably shatter. Because of its alcohol content, wine will not freeze
completely but remain a little soft, so make sure that the container is sealed
properly. (JP) ## Use within 6 months. (Good Housekeeping magazine)
Potatoes: Baked potatoes, roast, mash and gratin will freeze well for
up to four months. You can reheat the roasted and baked potatoes from frozen.
Roasted will need to be roasted in a little oil to get them crispy again but
can be placed in the oven direct from the freezer. Defrost mash and gratin in the fridge before reheating. (JP)
- Use freezer contents regularly as freezing can affect the taste and texture of food.
- Freezing can damage food that hasn’t been wrapped correctly, alter the taste of some herbs and spices over time, and some foods can split or go mushy when they’re defrosted.
- The longer a food is frozen for, the more likely it is to degrade. For best results, only freeze foods that are in top condition.
- Wrap carefully, squeezing out any excess air before freezing to prevent deterioration and transference of smells from other foods.
- To preserve texture, freeze everything as quickly as possible, using the fast-freeze button or fast-freeze compartment, and thaw slowly, preferably in the fridge.
- Label things clearly with the date a food was frozen and when it should be used by.
Further information in Good Housekeeping, June 2016.
