Freezing Food – Items Bought in Bulk and Leftovers

I hate wasting food. It just kills me to throw it away, so that is probably why I don’t do it very often. I pretty much try to use what I have in some shape, form, or fashion. Last time I discussed with you about getting bulk items, especially meat, and portioning it out and freezing it. However, this suggestion is not just for meat. You can do that with lots of items. I freeze leftovers that I am not going to eat before they go bad. I sometimes even cook a double portion of something just so that I can purposely freeze part of it for other meals. Casseroles are a great thing to double and then freeze one for another time.

If you make a large quantity of something and you have a lot left over, you can always freeze it to use at a later date. Just about anything will last in the freezer, at least for a while, if you package it correctly. I recommend having some good freezable plastic containers (the kind that are used for take-out soup at some restaurants are great) as well as freezer bags, plastic wrap, and foil, or a vacuum sealer. I just recently received one as a gift.

The most important thing when freezing food is making sure that it lasts and doesn’t get freezer burn. So you want to package it well. If I have too much of something that I have cooked, I portion it out and let it cool before freezing it. Letting it cool is important so that ice crystals don’t form on the top of it.

If the food is liquid or more liquidy, like soup, or more casserole-like, such as spaghetti or mac and cheese,  I usually freeze it in a plastic container. If it is solid like a protein of some sort, I usually wrap it in plastic and then in foil. You can also wrap it in foil and then seal it in a freezer bag. For some items, like rice, I seal it right in the freezer bag. You can press it flat in the bag so that it freezes flat. Now I also use my vacuum sealer.

Other things like fresh fruits and vegetables can be frozen and pulled out for later. For fruits, freeze the individual pieces on a sheet tray and then package them. For vegetables, it’s usually better to blanch and shock them, and then freeze. You want to freeze them as individual pieces on a sheet pan before packaging them as well. I really like to do this  

You can freeze juices, milk, and other items as well. I do this if something is on sale and I want to buy more than one, but I know I won’t use it before the expiration date. I even do this with cartons of egg whites. I buy them in a multi-pack at Sam’s and then freeze the containers. When I want to use something, I just get it out ahead of time and place it in the fridge to thaw out. It will usually take a day or two depending on what the item is and the quantity of it.

Quick reminder – Be sure to label what you are freezing with the name of the item and with a date! You don’t want a freezer full of mystery items unless you like playing mystery meals!! There are tons of great websites out there that give you other tips about freezing. Just remember that freezing food is always an option instead of letting it go to waste. Also, just a reminder about the white board idea. You can put all of these frozen items on there as well. Managing the mundane things of life just keeps getting better and better!