What foods do you freeze?

[SundayCrepes]

I have a lot of recipes that call for 1 tbsp of tomato paste. I found I can freeze the rest of the can. I put 1 tbsp blobs on a wax paper covered cookie sheet, freeze, then store in a ziplock bag. (Ziplock brand bags are BPA, phthalate, and dioxin free. So is Saran Wrap brand wrap.)

I crockpot then freeze my own beans.

I love frozen grapes.

I make a great tomato and bean soup that we freeze then eat over eggs.

I buy 2 pound bags of shredded parmesan cheese really cheap at Costco. I throw the whole bag in the freezer and we slowly use it up.

I make my own veggie broth then freeze it in ice cube trays (sterilite brand is BPA and phthalate free.) I put the cubes in a ziplock bag then take them out in the amount I need (each cube is 2 tbsp.)

What foods do you freeze? I especially like when I can freeze small little leftovers like the tomato paste to keep from wasting food. I had leftover ricotta but I read it doesn't freeze well.

[Lillitu]

I freeze butter as well as bacon- a whole package is too much for one breakfast, so after I open the package, I freeze the rest.

Oh, and yogurt! It make frozen yogurt! My kid likes the tubes of organic yogurt and it is excellent as a frozen treat.

[ollyoxenfree]

We don't have a stand-alone freezer, so I have to make do with the one on the refrigerator. I usually have a few cuts of meat, and several bags of frozen corn and frozen peas that I pick up when they are on special. I put frozen peas in lots of things (risotto, pastas, curries, dahl) so I like to have a few bags on hand.  

 

Homemade sauces - eg. applesauce, tomato sauce for pasta

Homemade soups and chili for quick meals. 

Puree chipotles in adobo (from a can) and freeze in 1 tbsp. portions (like tomato paste). It's a great addition to tacos, chili, burritos etc. or for marinades for grilled chicken breasts

Oh, and I still have 1 bottle of homemade elderberry syrup left from last summer. I used up the other bottles (I had about a half-dozen, and gave some away as gifts). I wish I had frozen it in smaller portions. 

[sunnysandiegan]

I make bone broth and freeze it two ways: 1) Fill a 6-muffin silicone "pan" (set on half-size cookie sheet; each cavity equals 1/2 cup); freeze; pop out; store in glass container or ziploc gallon-size bag (I go for glass first, but available space and containers dictate that); repeat. 2) Fill glass jars (leaving room for expansion); freeze. We use the 1/2 cup "bricks" for rice and other type dishes. I use the jars as soup base, thawing in the fridge first. My bone broth is concentrated, so we use a 1:1 ratio with water.

In my bone broth, I use scraps of veggies. We save the scraps (tops/ends/skins) in the freezer until I am ready to make a batch. Same with the bones.

In my soups, I sometimes use leftover bits of chicken. DH will roast or rotisserie a whole chicken every so often and we'll strip the bones and freeze the little pieces. We actually use one whole chicken for at least three meals. 1) chicken as main dish with veggie sides, 2) chicken as meat in one pot meal (chicken enchiladas, chicken pot pie, etc), and 3) soup.

We have a year-round CSA. Sometimes the fruit is more than we can eat. I toss about half of each delivery directly into the freezer and use them in smoothies when we start to get overwhelmed, especially with strawberries. Last year, we had so many, my friends and I collaborated a jam-making session and I brought half the strawberries for a LOT of jam. It was awesome coming home with strawberry jam! I also toss the prolific greens into the freezer and use those in our smoothies and quiches and omelets, etc.

Bacon, bread, sausage, and more...we can't eat all of it at once, so we freeze it after the first use and use it from the freezer thereafter.

We make double meals sometimes and freeze the second one.

We only have a side by side fridge/freezer and we make it work.

[utuss]

I think I freeze just about anything! Half eaten cakes, muffins or desserts, I don't eat them (kicked my sweet tooth) but I don't want to feel like my kids have to eat them all at once, so in the freezer they go (the desserts, not the kids)

[MsFortune]

Originally Posted by SundayCrepes 
 (Ziplock brand bags are BPA, phthalate, and dioxin free. So is Saran Wrap brand wrap.)

I did not know that - thanks for sharing.  

[SundayCrepes]

This is great info. Thanks everyone and keep it coming.

[wendyland]

I freeze ginger root. I've read not to, but it works for me.  I mainly use it in stirfries or for a little ginger kick.  I like having it in the freezer for when I need it.  I also keep my bay leaves in the freezer.  Not sure if that has any negative effect on the leaves, but again, I don't use them that often.

I hate bread that has been frozen.  It taste weird to me afterwards. 

Once I get a separate freezer, I'm going to freeze the blackberries that we'll pick this year.  I can't wait.

[sunnysandiegan]

I just remembered a few more...

DH will cook up an extra large batch of homemade pancakes and we freeze the extras for weekday breakfasts.

When baking cakes and cupcakes for special occasions, sometimes little chunks of cake will fall off or get stuck in the pan, etc. I freeze those little pieces and make trifle for dessert every so often.

We buy butter in bulk and freeze most of it.

[lilyka]

berries are easy to freeze.  When strawberries and blueberries are in season and super cheap (i work at a grocery store and sometimes get a discount on fruit going south) ou can stock up and freeze if you have the room.  Berries can be frozen clean and whole on cookie sheets then put into a freezer container.  They are not the same but they work in pies, in cereal, on ice cream etc.  you can also sprinkle a little sugar and stir and wait.  this will create a syrup in a few minutes, then freeze that way.  yum.  

I have beans and soup and broth in my freezer now.  herbs.  Some i dry jut as they are.  Some i chop, mix with water and freeze in ice cube trays.

tomatoes...I just core and toss in a bag until I have time to can them.  

Spinach can be frozen just by tossing it in the freezer.  again you have to cook it but it works.   I buy a lot of veggies at sams and often end p with more than we can eat in time.  But freezing it will keep it from going to waste.  I just have to find another way to use it.  Some things I have to cook first and then freeze but whatever.  Mashed potatoes.  I have done that, you can chop and freeze onions and perppers.  again they have to be cooked but I cook them all the time.

To save room I will often cook up meat before I freeze it.  This works well with bone in chicken and ground beef.

[luckymamaoftwo]

Originally Posted by SundayCrepes 

I have a lot of recipes that call for 1 tbsp of tomato paste. I found I can freeze the rest of the can. I put 1 tbsp blobs on a wax paper covered cookie sheet, freeze, then store in a ziplock bag. (Ziplock brand bags are BPA, phthalate, and dioxin free. So is Saran Wrap brand wrap.)

I crockpot then freeze my own beans.

I love frozen grapes.

I make a great tomato and bean soup that we freeze then eat over eggs.

I buy 2 pound bags of shredded parmesan cheese really cheap at Costco. I throw the whole bag in the freezer and we slowly use it up.

I make my own veggie broth then freeze it in ice cube trays (sterilite brand is BPA and phthalate free.) I put the cubes in a ziplock bag then take them out in the amount I need (each cube is 2 tbsp.)

What foods do you freeze? I especially like when I can freeze small little leftovers like the tomato paste to keep from wasting food. I had leftover ricotta but I read it doesn't freeze well.

Thanks for the tip about parmesan cheese!

I freeze:

All berries that we grow or pick locally (blue, black and strawberries)

pancakes, muffins, banana bread, loaves of wheat bread (bought)

homemade pesto

homemade applesauce

ginger

butter

tomato sauce and spagh sauce

soy hotdogsand tofu

[luckymamaoftwo]

Originally Posted by MsFortune 

I did not know that - thanks for sharing.  

ditto...thx for sharing!

[heatherdeg]

Originally Posted by utuss 

I think I freeze just about anything! Half eaten cakes, muffins or desserts, I don't eat them (kicked my sweet tooth) but I don't want to feel like my kids have to eat them all at once, so in the freezer they go (the desserts, not the kids)

Originally Posted by MsFortune 

I did not know that - thanks for sharing.  

And I'm another one that will freeze pretty much anything.  If it CAN be frozen, I totally freeze it.  But I also have a separate, stand-up, commercial freezer.  And if it's something that doesn't freeze well, I just cook it first.  I think the only thing I get that I can't figure out how to freeze gracefully is lettuce.

[SundayCrepes]

Tonight we had curry and rice and I made extra rice. I put it on cookie sheets so it could freeze. I'll get it in ziplock bags soon. Trader Joe's charges $3.50 for a box of frozen rice so I figured I could try it out. We're having bean and rice tacos on Tuesday. I hope it turns out fine.

[heatherdeg]

Originally Posted by SundayCrepes 

Tonight we had curry and rice and I made extra rice. I put it on cookie sheets so it could freeze. I'll get it in ziplock bags soon. Trader Joe's charges $3.50 for a box of frozen rice so I figured I could try it out. We're having bean and rice tacos on Tuesday. I hope it turns out fine.

It's nuts what they charge for these things.  I used to do bulk cooking pre-kids just for the convenience factor.  Since we're gluten-free, when we actually make pancakes, we make them in bulk and freeze them.  I don't know why I had never thought of it before seeing them in the freezer section of the grocery!  LOL!

Oh... I also will often shred cooked chicken for chicken salad.  Especially if I overcooked it/it was really dry.  

[SundayCrepes]

Originally Posted by heatherdeg 

Since we're gluten-free, when we actually make pancakes, we make them in bulk and freeze them. 

SUBMIT

We are also gluten free. I just found a GREAT website www.elanaspantry.com. She has tons of recipes with almond flour and coconut flour. I have ordered her almond flour cookbook, a coconut flour cookbook, and both almond and coconut flours. I can't wait until they get here. (I just don't think it's healthy to eat too many grains and most gluten substitutes have no fiber so I won't buy/make them. I'm excited to find a way to make healthy baked goods.)

Anyway, my point is I hope to make almond flour pancakes and freeze them. How do you reheat your frozen pancakes? Do they get too mushy in the microwave and too crisp in a toaster oven?

[luckymamaoftwo]

Originally Posted by SundayCrepes 

SUBMIT

We are also gluten free. I just found a GREAT website www.elanaspantry.com. She has tons of recipes with almond flour and coconut flour. I have ordered her almond flour cookbook, a coconut flour cookbook, and both almond and coconut flours. I can't wait until they get here. (I just don't think it's healthy to eat too many grains and most gluten substitutes have no fiber so I won't buy/make them. I'm excited to find a way to make healthy baked goods.)

Anyway, my point is I hope to make almond flour pancakes and freeze them. How do you reheat your frozen pancakes? Do they get too mushy in the microwave and too crisp in a toaster oven?

We reheat them in the toaster and they are fine.

[Jenni1894]

I love the tomato paste idea!!!  I'm always throwing moldy containers of half a can worth of paste!!!   I also freeze any broth I make in ice cube trays and store in ziplocs.   Pancakes and waffles too.   When I reheat them, I put them on a plate and cover it with a damp paper towel.   They don't get too rubbery or mushy IMO.

When I make lasagna, I make a full 9x13 pan.  We eat half of it, and the other half I freeze for quick dinner nights.   Breads, mostly hamburger or hot dog.  Somehow it doesn't taste the same for sliced sandwich bread.  

I make PB&J's on graham crackers and wrap in foil individually, and the kids have a good get it your self snack.  

Pureed fruits that are *almost* bad make good popsicles or put them in cubes and I've been known to throw them in pancake mix, oatmeal and yogurt (thawed of course).   When I was making baby food, I'd throw cubes of frozen veggie cubes in spaghetti sauce.  No one ever knew they were eating spinach or carrot (which is best IMO b/c it makes the sauce a bit sweeter, which we like) laced spaghetti sauce.  

[heatherdeg]

Originally Posted by SundayCrepes 

We are also gluten free. I just found a GREAT website www.elanaspantry.com. She has tons of recipes with almond flour and coconut flour. I have ordered her almond flour cookbook, a coconut flour cookbook, and both almond and coconut flours. I can't wait until they get here. (I just don't think it's healthy to eat too many grains and most gluten substitutes have no fiber so I won't buy/make them. I'm excited to find a way to make healthy baked goods.)

Anyway, my point is I hope to make almond flour pancakes and freeze them. How do you reheat your frozen pancakes? Do they get too mushy in the microwave and too crisp in a toaster oven?

When we went gluten-free, we didn't really replace our prior gluten items with gluten-free stuff because ready-made was too expensive and to be honest, I'm just generally too lazy to make stuff that I can really just live without.  And since the pancakes are a rarity, we don't really have much grain in our diet (we are also corn-free, which most people don't realize is a grain).

But we pop them in the microwave... something I think I'd rather not have in my house and is the current topic of debate as we are moving to a foreclosure and have to buy all the appliances.  I think a microwave doesn't need to be one of them.  They're not really mushy although they're soft.  They just come out like regular pancakes.  We heat them uncovered and let them cool for a minute (so a lot of the water steams off).  And really, maybe a different type of flour would react differently.

[SundayCrepes]

Originally Posted by heatherdeg 

When we went gluten-free, we didn't really replace our prior gluten items with gluten-free stuff because ready-made was too expensive and to be honest, I'm just generally too lazy to make stuff that I can really just live without.  And since the pancakes are a rarity, we don't really have much grain in our diet (we are also corn-free, which most people don't realize is a grain).

But we pop them in the microwave... something I think I'd rather not have in my house and is the current topic of debate as we are moving to a foreclosure and have to buy all the appliances.  I think a microwave doesn't need to be one of them.  They're not really mushy although they're soft.  They just come out like regular pancakes.  We heat them uncovered and let them cool for a minute (so a lot of the water steams off).  And really, maybe a different type of flour would react differently.

Yeah, I'm not big on replacing grain items, especially since most gf stuff has no fiber, which I consider no nutrition. But I found recipes for pancakes and muffins and such using almond and coconut flours and that does seem like nutrition to me. Plus, without bagels, english muffins, oatmeal and the like our breakfast choices seem so slim. So I'm eager to try these new recipes and can't wait for my almond and coconut flours to arrive. Coconut should be here Wed. I'll be making blueberry coconut flour mini-muffins (the mini-muffin pans arrived today.)

BTW, one of the things I like about gf is it has forced us to eliminate white flour out of our diets and I am really grateful for that opportunity.