Freezer Tips

10 WAYS TO FREEZE FOOD

Preserving food like leftovers and surplus ingredients in the freezer is a great way to make the most of the food you buy. Just remember to label it so you can identify it later – and also add a date

MILK

Bought in bulk? To make your milk last longer, it's perfectly fine to freeze it. Defrost in the fridge and shake well before using. Alternatively, freeze in ice cube trays ready to pop straight into a cuppa.

EGGS

Crack eggs and separate yolks and whites into separate plastic containers or food bags before freezing – handy for baking. Alternatively beat eggs before freezing – great for omelettes and scrambled eggs. Put in an airtight container and note the number of eggs you’ve used.

BREAD

Sliced bread can be used straight from the freezer. Loosely tap sliced loaves on the worktop before freezing to help slices come apart when taking out of the freezer. You can also freeze fresh bread that's past its best. Just blitz into crumbs, freeze and use as a topping on fish pies or in meatballs.

POTATOES

Mashed potato freezes well and can be easily portioned. For perfect roasties, boil potatoes for about five minutes before freezing. Thaw overnight and roast the next day.

FRUIT

Freeze fruit for smoothies and you will never waste it again. Open freeze any leftover berries, or odd pieces of tropical fruit, then transfer to a freezer bag and keep adding fruit in this way as it needs using up, until you have enough.

BATTER

Leftover Yorkshire pudding batter, pancakes and waffles freeze brilliantly and are useful to have ready in the freezer for a quick morning meal.

CHEESE

Grate Cheddar then freeze it ready to top pizza or shepherd’s pie. Blue cheeses such as Stilton can be frozen and defrosted well. Avoid soft cheese as freezing changes the texture.

MEAT

Freeze leftover meat as well as individual sausages, slices of bacon, chops and so on in greaseproof paper so they don't stick. If your meat’s reached its use-by date, cook it and freeze to use at a later date. Cooked pieces of chicken are ideal for curries and pies.

STOCK

Making your own stock can put your scraps to use, from tired and wilted veg to carrot peelings and chicken carcasses. It'll make a huge difference to the flavour of the food you cook. Remember to cool the stock before freezing.