Bet You Didn’t Know You Could Freeze These Foods
Families these days are always looking for ways to cut down on how much we spend on things like groceries, while trying to find tricks to save on time as well. One way to get both of these needs taken care of in a one-two knockout punch is buying in bulk and freezing what you buy. But to do this it helps if you know which food freezes best. You can freeze these foods and then pull them out again for quick easy meals that are also easy on the budget.
Freeze These Foods
Rice – You can store rice if it is well sealed for over a year in your cupboard. But if you are buying bulk and don’t eat rice that much, both raw and cooked rice can be frozen. Cooking big batches of rice and then storing in individual meal sizes is a great way to eat healthy for single folks on the go.
Tortillas – While these can be stored in your freezer for months at a time, know that they can dry out when you leave them too long or don’t take precautions. When this happens, just add a damp paper towel to the microwave when you thaw them out.
Peanut Butter – Although you can probably keep that organic peanut butter on the shelf for about a year, if you buy it in bulk you can freeze it to keep it fresh for later.
Garlic – Love fresh garlic but hate to fill the kitchen with the smell? Chop it up and then store it in the freezer in ice cubes for quick and easy use.
Corn on the Cob – A summer favorite, you can enjoy it in the winter if you get it fresh in the husk and freeze it immediately. But know that buying store bought it will be older and should be de-husked and blanched first.
Lemons – Hate to waste lemons when all the recipe calls for is the zest? You can freeze your lemon rines for as much as six months and just pull them out as your need them.
Bread– Grab an extra loaf of your favorite bread when it goes on sale and toss it in the freezer for later. No more moldy bread or running out suddenly. Just remember to let it thaw slowly overnight on the counter for maximum freshness.
Shredded Cheese – You can save when you buy the big bags of shredded cheese and it is so handy to have on hand. To make sure it doesn’t clump when you freeze it, add a bit of corn starch to the bag before you pop it in the freezer.
Fresh Herbs– We all love to grow fresh herbs in the summer, but what about winter cooking? You can freeze those fresh garden herbs – just put them in butter and save them in cubes in the freezer.
Soup Stock – Summer means fresh veggies from places like a farmers market, but sometimes we end up with too much of a good thing. Keep those ends of carrots, celery and other veggies in a bag in the freezer. Grab them for starters for the next batch of soup. Nothing like real homemade soup on a cold winter’s day!
As you can see there are a number of great foods that you can use out of season or buy in bulk. Who knew you could freeze these foods to keep them tasty and save some money!