30 things I routinely freeze that you may or may not have thought about freezing yourself, PLUS how I organize my very, very organized freezer.
Some women have a well organized shoe closet, I have a well organized freezer. My love of food being greater than my love of shoes. And I have some footwear I'm pretty fond of.
I can open my freezer door any day and know instantly what's in there and what I have to choose from. Looking for the pumpkin ravioli I made 4 months ago, BAM there it is in the pasta bin. Sausage? BAM! Everything is stacked and labelled in clear containers.
What you see at the top of this post is the 3rd incarnation of my organized freezer. The drawers I bought to organize it last year were probably as expensive as the freezer itself. But I don't care because I love it and I never lose any food in it.
Prior to the pull out drawers I used stacking bins. First tubs, and then I graduated to tubs with lids. The problem with stacking tubs is you have to remove the whole tubs to get to what was in them or under them.
I freeze everything I possibly can for two reasons. So it doesn't go bad sitting in my fridge and so if I can always have random ingredients I may not use all of the time on hand. Galangal anyone?
Also this post will also show you how to possibly get TWICE as much into your freezer.
If you've ever thrown out a log of goat cheese because it turned on you before you could finish using it ... this post is for you.
30 things you might not have known you can freeze. Or maybe you did because let's face it, you're pretty clever - but hopefully there's at least one thing on here you weren't aware of.
Table of Contents
1. Whole Tomatoes
Freeze tomatoes whole. Just stick them in a container or even a plastic bag, skins and all and forget about them. When a recipe calls for tomatoes, you have them. Cut them when they're partially frozen for easy dicing or let them thaw for more of a whole stewed tomato thing. (they slip right out of their skins when they've thawed) Perfect for soups and stews.
2. Garlic
Stick whole cloves or heads of garlic in the freezer at the beginning of garlic season so in March, April, May and June you still have a garlic stash to grab. (you can freeze it any time before it goes soft and dry but the fresher it is when you freeze it the better the quality will be) Garlic is in peak season around mid-end of July.
3. Pizza Dough
I make a lot of pizza dough as you can imagine. See my backyard pizza oven here as proof. I like to make my dough fresh but always keep at least 4 balls of frozen dough in the freezer in case of a pizza emergency. Like what if Chris Isaak shows up one day and wants pizza and I don't have any dough made? What the hell then? Honestly.
DOUGH FREEZING TIP
(store bought or homemade)
Form the dough into tight balls around 250 grams each using the method in this post before it has started to rise. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze the balls. To use, remove them from the freezer, unwrap, and drop the frozen ball of dough into a bowl of room temperature water for 15 minutes. This helps them rehydrate and thaws them at the same time. Remove the balls from the water, and leave them covered on the counter for 2 hours to finish thawing.
(or just take the balls out of the freezer the night before and allow to thaw in the fridge)
4. Eggs
I wrote a post a few years ago about how to freeze eggs. But the gist of it is, you just crack the eggs, mix the whites and yolks together like you're making scrambled eggs and then freeze them. Don't stir them vigorously though. You don't want to incorporate any air or bubbles because that'll make them rubbery and tough. Freeze in food safe containers or in an ice cube tray.
3 Tablespoons of egg mixture = 1 egg.
5. Whipping Cream
Whipping cream is a miracle dairy product. You can boil it, scorch it, or freeze it and it isn't bothered one bit by any of it.
6. Milk
The trick to freezing milk is to let it thaw slowly in the fridge and to give it a shake to break up any bits that have solidified.
7. Coconut Milk
I've taken to using ½ cup of coconut milk in my Overnight Oatmeal recipe. That means I'm always left with part of a can which I sometimes use and sometimes don't use during the week. Enter ... freezing the coconut milk. It freezes perfectly. I just measure it out into ½ cup servings and stick it in the freezer door.
8. Ginger
I was the goon standing for ½ an hour picking out the smallest piece of ginger in the produce aisle because I know I'm never going to use a piece the size of a cob of corn. Now I pick whichever is the freshest and store the rest in the freezer.
9. Goat Cheese
Game changer. Goat cheese freezes perfectly. Use whatever you need when you first open it then immediately wrap the rest of it and store it in the freezer.
10. Cooked Pasta
I don't do this personally but apparently freezing cooked pasta is a thing. I do however freeze cooked lasagnas and other meals that have cooked pasta and they freeze well.
11. Cooked Rice
Ditto for rice. It freezes perfectly.
12. Tomato Paste
Because how often does a recipe call for an entire can? Rarely. Just plop it by the tablespoon on a piece of wax paper and stick it all in the freezer. Once frozen take it off the paper and store it frozen in a baggie.
13. Chocoalte
If you buy lots of Halloween candy and are sure to hand out all the stuff you don't like first, hoarding all the chips and chocolate bars for yourself, you'll be pleased to know you can freeze all those mini (or maxi) chocolate bars. Chocolate chips too.
14. Chicken/Turkey Carcasses
My freezer is always filled with carcasses from those pre-cooked grocery store chickens. I buy them when I'm in a rush, eat about half of them and then toss the other half into the freezer. When I have 4 or 5 of them in there I pull them out and make chicken broth. Here's my chicken broth method and recipe.
15. Wine
I would like to take a moment right now to acknowledge the thought that just went through your head, "WHO has leftover wine to freeze???". K. Good, now that we got that out of the way I can tell you who has wine leftover. Me. I don't drink wine. I think it's pretty gross. There are a select few vintages I like but for the most part I'd rather have a whiskey. Or beer. Or if we're being honest, a Diet Coke.
If you use wine for cooking, freeze it in an ice cube tray for use in recipes.
If you drink wine but can't down the whole bottle in a night because you aren't 20, store the rest of it in the freezer. (don't do this with an unopened bottle or you could end up with an exploded bottle of wine)
Before your amateur sommelier head explodes you can read all about this method here.
16. Pesto
Make huge batches when the ingredients are in season and freeze them in ice cube trays. When they're frozen take them out and store them in a baggie or Tupperware bin.
17. Tortillas
I must eat an inordinate amount of Mexican inspired food because I'm always in need of tortillas. But I rarely use a whole package of them. Any unused get stored in the freezer in their original package.
18. Flour, Oatmeal, Grains etc.
O.K. Remember that Overnight Oatmeal I'm so fond of? Well I went to make it a while ago and just about barfed when I saw it was filled with grain weevils. Filled might be an exaggeration. I saw 2. I noticed them before I ate it. I now keep my oatmeal in the freezer. I think the fact that I still eat oatmeal is a testament to my love of oatmeal.
19. Nuts
Nuts have oil and nuts will go rancid. Any nuts I only use occasionally I keep in the freezer.
20. Whole Peppers
Peppers are prolific. One plant will fill a wingback chair with peppers. I just freeze them whole the same way I do tomatoes. (not including the ones I make into Jalapeño poppers.)
21. Cold Cuts / Sandwich Meat
That's right. I like me some nitrites and nitrates every once in a while. Sometimes a lady just needs to tuck into a pastrami on rye without worrying the world is going to end.
But I'm notoriously terrible at knowing how much to ask for at the deli counter so I always end up with too much. Into the freezer it goes until the next time. You'll have to dry them with a paper towel, otherwise they're fine.
22. Donuts
Krispy Kremes, Tim Hortons, chocolate or sugar glazed - it doesn't matter. If it's a donut, you can freeze it.
24. Yogurt
This one I don't do but have planned on doing it for years if that makes any difference.
So I can't comment on how the consistency or texture is after freezing. If you have popsicle molds, just fill them with yogurt, stick a popsicle stick in it and you have an instant frozen yogurt.
24. Bread
You probably already know this one but bread freezes BETTER than it fridges. Keeping bread in the refrigerator will make it dry out and go stale. Keep it in the freezer and it'll stay fresh.
25. Birthday Cake
Sometimes the urge to eat a birthday cake comes over you even though it isn't anyone's birthday. And you only eat ½ of it, alone on a Saturday night. Freezing the rest of it accomplishes 2 things. It preserves it perfectly AND it hides the evidence that you bought yourself a random birthday cake to eat alone on a Saturday night.
26. Maple Syrup
You can put it in the freezer, but ... it doesn't freeze solid! So you can pour right from the freezer.
You might not make your own maple syrup, but if you do, you can freeze it instead of hot packing it. Even with hot packing if you aren't being careful your maple syrup can grow mould. (maple syrup mould isn't considered dangerous and can just be skimmed off and reboiled) But still. To be safe, keep your maple syrup in the freezer.
27. Whole Avocados
This is what I do with avocados; I buy a bag of them, stare impatiently for days as they ripen, eat one, then let the rest rot. It's our relationship. If you too have this type of relationship with avocados, when they're ripened to your liking, put the entire avocado in the freezer.
When you want to use it, remove it from the freezer and let it thaw until it's soft enough to cut. Don't wait for it to completely thaw because it'll be a bit of a mush mess.
28. Corn on the Cob
I freeze it every year the day that I pick it. It can come out mushy and gross, but if you use the method for freezing corn that I do you have a good shot at frozen corn on the cob that still has some crunch.
29. ALL the Side Dishes
After every Thanksgiving dinner at my house, I freeze ALL of the leftover side dishes. Mashed turnip, broccoli casserole, stuffing, gravy ... all of it. Everything gets put into individual sized servings before freezing.
30. Shredded/Grated Cheese
Semi-hard cheese like cheddar, mozzarella (any of those you buy in a rectangular or brick shape at the grocery store) can be frozen whole but you can make things even easier for future you by pre-shredding it.
I make a lot of pizza so when pizza cheese is on sale I buy it, shred it, and put it in containers in the freezer. When it's time to make pizza I can just pull out a bag and it's ready to toss on top.
*If you can, avoid using pre-shredded cheese from the grocery store. The cheese is dusted in cellulose or potato starch to stop it from sticking together in the package. WHICH MAKES IT LESS MELTY. Nobody talks about that. If you use pre-shredded cheese and your cheese still looks like little strings after cooking, that's what's happening.
31. Lick Mats/Kongs
Soak your dog's kibble in water until it's soft and saturated then spread it onto a lick mat or fill a Kong with it. Pop the lick mat or Kong into the freeze for a couple of hours and your dog will be entertained and fulfilled licking his frozen dinner for at least an hour.
I use this 3 tiered lick mat and give it to Philip on Sunday nights. He'll work at it for an hour and a half and is zonked afterwards.
I first wrote this post 14 years ago and it had 5 things on it. I remember writing the post because I was SO amazed at how well Krispy Kreme donuts would freeze. This was about the time that Krispy Kremes made their way into Canada - Costco had them if I remember correctly.
And now I have a freezer full of delicious healthy foods and NOT A SINGLE KRISPY KREME. There are however, several slices of apple pie and pumpkin pie from Thanksgiving. And yes. They both freeze perfectly.
Good to know about freezing garlic. My homegrown garlic heads dried out before I could use them all. I'm putting a reminder in my calendar now.
And could you please provide a link to the slide out freezer drawers. Thanks.
Here's a link to the freezer drawers Jody.
As an aside re: tomato paste; if you buy the tubes instead of cans, it can last in the fridge for a really long time.
My favorite thing to freeze is frosting, because then I have a baggie of emergency frosting! If you want ONE cupcake, buy a simple muffin and put some emergency frosting on it, especially if you have specific dietary needs. And sometimes, you just need a spoonful of frozen chocolate frosting, hence the name.
Could a baggie of emergency frosting replace my emergency bag of chocolate chips do you think? ~ karen!
Fantastic post! Few talk about food storage which us home cooks certainly need. Can't wait to freeze garlic. I always seem to be out.
When garlic freezes it turns almost clear. It almost looks like yellow glass. And if you cut it while still mainly frozen it slices and minces reallyyyy easily. ~ karen!
Excellent info, as always. Thanks!
I'm always under the impression that if you freeze cream of any kind, it separates.
It can, especially lower fats like milk, but I would just shake to mix and emulsify. Higher fats like whipping cream freeze the best. ~ karen!
A little something I tried that worked, chopping and freezing scallions. I've thrown at least hundreds of slimey packages away, no more. Just chop in sections suitable for soups(think ramen) salads, whatever. Then spread on waxed paper on cookie sheet and bag when frozen.
Now that is a GREAT suggestion. ~ karen!
To keep scallions a fairly long time in the fridge, roll them up in paper towel one at a time so that each is paper covered. Then I just put them into a long skinny plastic bag (like from the newspaper) with a twist tie and they last really well. We use a lot of them and that has saved us tons...and no more slime to deal with!
Ooo! I can't wait to try that. They're either slime, or dried up. ~ karen!
I'm going to make a list of your suggestions and tape it to my freezer. I've tried many of them successfully before - tomato paste and garlic are game changers. I didn't know about avocados and yogurt. I buy monthly and have so many tubs of yogurt it will really free up my fridge to freeze them. I never bought avocados since I always threw leftovers away. I do chop onions, garlic, peppers and throw them in the freezer to pour out as needed which is also so time saving. BUT I grew my own ginger years ago - a huge batch using some grocery store roots and didn't know to freeze them. They shrank full of wrinkles before I could use them up but now I'll try again. Love me some ginger. Also, I wonder if juicing watermelon would store well frozen. Such a refreshing drink in the summer and we grow so many. I also shred zucchini and freeze in portions used for bread, saute, pancakes, etc. I always learn from you - thank you so much!
Just ordered your lick mat - never heard of them before but my daughter who has everything she wants or needs is madly in love with her dog. We've had many pets over the years but she never was owned by one before Rocky came. So the lick mat will be her birthday present. Thanks for the perfect gift.
Oh, excellent! They really work well for mental stimulation. ~ karen!
My once cool French door refrigerator and its bottom freezer drawer will never be organized like your side by side!
My freezer is actually in a different room than my fridge so don't be too envious. Although the rooms are side by side. ;) An upright freezer IS much easier to organize and keep track of things in. ~ karen!
I totally agree about an upright freezer. Ours is in the basement and always completely stuffed. A chest freezer of the same size would take up a wall, and I would need a step ladder to get to anything down at the bottom. On top of that, you can't put anything on top of the freezer, so all that wall space is wasted.
I am in awe at the loveliness of your freezer! I thought mine was organized but yours is over the top - like Monica Gellar OCD over the top... Organization always make one's life easier and naturally I always appeal to my laziness! Once you spend the time getting a system in place that works for you, it saves so much time and aggravation. I also have a list of freezer items and their location because I have 2 fridges with freezers and also a small chest one - the list is really helpful when planning my weekly menu and keeps things rotating. Thank you for all the suggestions.
Monica and I both endorse your decision to keep a list of freezer items.~ karen!
Great tips - those of us living alone know that many recipes are impossible to make as a single serving so my food and time saver has been freezing meal-sized leftover portions in a container or vacuum seal bag for future quick meals with no waste. But I can't decide if your uber-organized freezer is motivational for me or kinda scary.
Can't it be both motivation and scary? I like to be both at all times. ~ karen!
To quote a certain 'farm boy'...... "As you wish."
Funny thing is I just made sauce from my bags of frozen tomatoes yesterday! I can attest that it works, tastes great and you will never find an easier way to get the skins off. But, now I have to organize my freezer because I cannot know there is a better freezer out there than mine (German, it’s a thing)
AH, I get it. Organize away! ~ karen
Love it! Where did you get your drawers
Hi Elaine. There's a link to the drawers in the post but I just see that it's difficult to see so here you go. I got them on Amazon and I very specifically got these because they're made of rigid plastic and will last a long long (hopefully) time. ~ karen!
I actually already do freeze most of these things but need to go back and read about your freezer organization!
The main thing is to use clear bins and label them. The best bins depend on the size of your own freezer and shelves. Plus flat packing everything you can! ~ karen
Wow good to know on the avocados! And they don’t change color or texture?!
Also, your little silver tree branch/antler knife is gorgeous!❤️
Is it comfortable to hold in hand with all the edges, while spreading things?
The knife isn't terribly comfortable or uncomfortable. I probably wouldn't want to have to butter 15 loafs of bread with it though. ~karen!
And Pavlova! That was a revelation to me. Out of the freezer it's ready to be filled and doesn't seem to need thawing.
Good to know! ~ karen
Right in the middle of reading about the 25 things that I can freeze I get the pop-up asking me if I want the 14 days of hacks. The hack I want right now is how to make that notification go away so I can continue to read your post. There’s no X out of it I can find.
Please.
Hi Teresa! I'm not sure why, or how to fix it yet, but if you put your mouse or cursor over the pop up, the X to close it will show up in the right hand corner. The other reason it might not show is if you're holding your device horizontally. :/ ~ karen!
Ginger, can also be sliced, baked / dried in the oven on lowest setting. Keep in bags / jars. Supposedly it's pantry safe then, but just to be sure I still keep a small jar in the fridge and the rest in the freezer. (I do not peel the ginger. I spray all sides with a 50% vinegar & water solution, let sit for at least 1 minute, rinse and pat dry. Ready to slice!) This year trying to grow some ginger (& turmeric ) in my two "potato" pots (each has two pieces, the inner pot can be removed to grab a potato then just pop it back in). In theory if I can keep them alive in the winter (the roots did survive this arctic blast this past winter, I planted last fall), then I should hopefully be able to just pull up the inner pot, slice off some root and leave the rest of the plant to keep growing. Fingers crossed!
I buy as much ginger as I can carry and take it home to the food processor. It goes into a tiki-head ice cube tray (1 Tbsp. per head) and then into a freezer box.
I grew some, but had a hard time, emotionally, pulling it up and cutting off pieces. They somehow weren't as tasty as the ones someone else killed.
The only produce we grow are heirloom tomatoes so late summer days are spent processing them. All I do is wash them, chunk them, and roast them before freezing. This way they take up way less room and I put them all in the same sized containers so I already have the measurement. And you are 100% right - labeling is VERY important. In fact if you stand around my house for any length of time, I will put a label on you!
That's fine, you can label me, just don't give me a "best before" date. ~ karen!
How about a "sell by?" 😁
Lol 😂
"In fact if you stand around my house for any length of time, I will put a label on you!" 🤣🤣🤣
This one is an immediate 'share with the family'. Thanks.
You're welcome! And thank! ~ karen