You have a hero in your kitchen. It’s big, usually white and it’s ice cold! Yes it is your freezer! You can freeze food you haven’t had time to eat right up to its ‘use by’ date. It acts like a pause button, giving us more time to eat the food we buy. Once frozen it won’t spoil and puts the ‘use by’ date on hold.
It’s safe to freeze almost any food. If it’s got a ‘use by’ date freeze before the date, defrost and use it within 24 hours.
THINK YOU CAN’T FREEZE IT? THINK AGAIN…
The foods that people freeze most often are lamb, beef, fish, seafood, bakery (bread and cakes), chicken and minced meat. But people believe that eggs, milk, cheese and fruit are not suitable for freezing but think again! You can freeze all these things and more. So as well as the usual food stuff, try freezing something different. Here are some ideas:
- Eggs – don’t freeze in the shell. Beat into a mixture or freeze whites and yolks separately. De-frost in the fridge, not at room temperature. Adding salt (for savoury), sugar (for sweet) stops yolks going lumpy. Use as you would fresh eggs.
- Milk – freeze as soon as possible and thaw in the fridge. Plastic containers are okay for freezing milk in, but the milk will expand so pour out a small amount to allow for this. Portioning milk means that you can use the amount you need once defrosted!
- Cheese – Hard cheeses are perfect for freezing! Grate and portion cheese before freezing and use as toppings on pizza or shepherd’s pie from frozen. Stilton can be frozen without grating.
- Fruit – slice and freeze lemons then use them straight from the fridge in iced drinks.
- Cooked meat – such as chicken and turkey. Thaw in the fridge and use as normal, in casseroles, curries and stews.
- Bread – use from frozen as toast or make sandwiches for work – by lunchtime they’ll be de-frosted.
- Potatoes – parboil and freeze them for later, thaw and roast. Mashed potato freezes well.
- Yoghurt –pots can be placed straight in the freezer but the yoghurt will expand, so make sure there’s enough space in the pot to allow for this. If there isn’t, transfer to another container before freezing. Defrost and use in smoothies or straight from frozen as a frozen yoghurt dessert.
FREEZE IT!
It’s really tempting to just put something in the freezer as it is, just as you bought it, but when you want to use it we find that to get the 2 sausages for dinner we need to defrost all 6 in the pack. So here are few tips to help get the best out of the food later.
- Try freezing food in portions, it defrosts quicker and you’ll have just what you need for an easy meal. This could include bread, meat portions (for example chicken breasts) and leftover meals.
- It’s good to wrap food properly before freezing to keep it at its best. Use freezer bags or plastic containers and minimise the air around the food. This helps avoid ‘freezer burn’ which can affect the texture and taste of your food.
- Label everything you put in the freezer. Everyone has a UFO in their freezer (unidentified food object) but when you’re aiming for bolognaise and end up with cottage pie filling it can be very frustrating and won’t fit in with the rest of your ingredients!
- The look and texture of some food can change when it’s frozen (like yoghurt and cheese) but this doesn’t mean it’s not safe to eat. Try using it in a different way. Yoghurt that’s been frozen makes great smoothies, cheese makes great cheese on toast or a topping for pasta bake.
- Defrost food in the fridge (not out on the side). It can take up to 24 hours to completely defrost in the fridge so if you plan your meals ahead for a few days you’ll know what to remove from the freezer the day before. Use defrosted food within 24 hours and cook thoroughly making sure it’s piping hot all the way through.
- In the freezer, food can be safely stored forever, but the quality deteriorates. So it’s best to try and eat frozen food within three months.
Freezers are great and never seem to empty, you could probably feed the family for a week and not have to go shopping.
If you want more tips about freezing, need some recipe inspiration to use up that UFO you’ve just defrosted or want to challenge yourself to eat just from your freezer and store cupboard for a week visit www.lovefoodhatewaste.com and see what you can find. You can also download the new Love Food Hate Waste app which brings a meal planner, shopping list and recipe ideas straight to your phone.
This posting was contributed by West London Waste — a single purpose local authority. They work in partnership with the west London councils in Brent, Ealing, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow and Richmond. Their aim is to reduce the amount of rubbish thrown away and increase re-use and recycling.
West London Waste
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