Flamingo’s Guide to Freezing

Today’s post is one of spontaneity, yet inspiration.  I originally had something else planned to post today.  However, last night I received an email from a friend regarding freezing vegetables.   She froze baby carrots.   Much to her chagrin they turned out soggy.  I realized that as much as I talk about my freezer infatuation,  I never specifically shared on how to freeze things.

Before you freeze, here are some tips to remember:

• Freezer burn occurs when the item is not properly sealed.  You do not want any air in your container.  So, if you using a freezer bag, be sure to “burp” the air out of the bag before sealing.  If you are planning to store items for awhile, consider to double bagging them.
• Liquid expands when frozen.  Be sure to plan for that by allowing room in the container for the liquid to expand.  Otherwise it could explode in the freezer or pop a hole in your freezer bag. 
• Canning jars make great freezer containers. 
• How long can you store items in the freezer?  Here is a resource.  Just remember freezer recommendations are about quality not safety. Your item will never spoil in a freezer that is freezing properly. 

So what can I freeze?

Beans: if you cook your own dried beans, these freeze beautifully in canning jars or freezer bags. 

Rice: Cooked rice freezes well in freezer bags.  Sometimes, I need to add a bit of water when I reheat if it is too dry.

Baked Goods: cookies, brownies, granola, bread, rolls, bagels, waffles, pancakes, muffins and even doughnuts.  They all freeze awesome.  Simply enclose in a freezer bag.  You can even freeze store bought baked goods.  I am really lazy sometimes and throw a store bought loaf of bread directly into the freezer.  Since, we usually use it within 2-3 weeks, mine stay fine and have yet to be freezer burned.  I am not encouraging this practice, just being honest.

Flour: I often buy huge bags of flour when it goes on sale. Since, my pantry is in the garage I don’t always like to store it sitting out. Plus, flour does have an expiration date. So, I will sometimes keep mine in the freezer. It will not freeze into a solid mass. However, it prevents it from “going bad”.

Pasta noodles: Yep. You can freeze them. Well, make sure you cook them first. Also, do not freeze them in liquid such as broth or soup.

Cheeses: Blocked cheese, shredded cheese and sliced cheese freeze well in freezer bags.  Again, my full lazy disclosure admits that I usually don’t end up throwing them in freezer bags.  The store bought packaging seems to protect mine, but I am not condoning this.  I’m simply admitting that I can be a lazy stockpiler.  The only thing to keep in mind is the defrosting time.  Cheese does not defrost well in the microwave.  You know.  Because it melts and all.  Not that any of you would try that.  ahem.  My block cheese I keep slightly frozen because it shreds the best in my food processor that way.

Milk:  Yep.  You can freeze milk.  And 1/2 and 1/2 and heavy cream.  Keep in mind that when freezing liquid it expands.  So you need to pour some out.  This is a huge money saving tip when you are leaving on vacation and realize you have half a gallon of milk in the fridge.  Just throw it in the freezer.  I don’t freeze my milk too often because we drink it too quickly.  You can freeze it then, drink it however, I often use my frozen milk to use for baking and soups.

Other dairy:  Sour cream, ricotta cheese, cream cheese, yogurt and cottage cheese will freeze.  However, it is a bit odd when you thaw it.  You are not going to be able to use unfrozen sour cream on a baked potato.  However, any of these unfrozen dairy goods are fine to use in soups, casseroles, baked goods or smoothies.

Pasta sauce: Have you ever opened a jar of spaghetti sauce and only used half the sauce? Well, if the sauce came in a glass jar, simply toss the whole thing in the freezer. Yea.

Soup: Having the soup obsession I confess to, you can guarantee I have some type of soup in the freezer. I freeze my soup in gallon size freezer bags. I don’t recommend freezing soup with noodles or rice in the broth as the noodles and rice get soggy. I keep mine in a separate container until I reheat.

Chicken / turkey / beef broth:  If you make your own, plan on freezing it in canning jars, freezer bags or other freezer containers.  The jars are my favorite.  Again, be sure to plan for freezing expansion or otherwise you will have a freezer container explosion.  Your kids will think it is cool, but not you.

Casseroles: Enchiladas, rice casseroles, tetrazzini, and lasagna are just a few of the casseroles that freeze well. Be sure to enclose in a freezer container or freezer bag.

Meat:  Obviously you can freeze raw chicken and raw beef.  However, you can also freeze cooked chicken and cooked beef.  Even if your beef was frozen, you can thaw cook and then refreeze.  You are not to refreeze raw meat though.  You can also freeze bacon both cooked and raw.

Herbs: The herb I use regularly is cilantro. I have thrown this in the freezer in a small freezer bag. However, a lot of folks like to freeze herbs in ice cube containers, so you can just pop them out and go.

Peppers/onions: I freeze these in small freezer bags. The warning is that they will come out soggy. For me, this is not a big deal when using in soups or casseroles.

Diced tomatoes: I freeze these all of the time in the summer. I can tomatoes, but sometimes I only have 2 cups worth so I simply freeze them in an appropriate container.

Banana:  If you open up my freezer, you will most likely be hit by a frozen banana.  I don’t peel my bananas, I just throw them in the freezer (no bag or anything since the peel protects the banana from freezer burn).  To reiterate, I am lazy with some things.  A lot of folks, peel and even chop the banana before freezing. 

Berries:  Summer berries are fantastic to freeze. However, do not expect to thaw these and eat these raw.  They will be soggy.  The majority of our frozen berries we use in smoothies.  Oh how I can’t wait to make smoothies again.  Be sure to wash the berry and destem.  Also, I pat dry and lay flat to freeze. 

Other Fruit:  I freeze peaches and apples.  I usually soak them in lemon juice first to prevent browning.  They get a tad runnier than canned fruit, but I still make cobblers and crisps and we scarf them down.

Vegetables:  You can freeze most vegetables. However, it usually requires you to prepare them before freezing.  I found this fantastic chart on freezing vegetables. Technically, you can freeze them without blanching them first.  However, the texture is not useable as a side dish and is usually soggier than desired.  I try to avoid doing that, but life will collide sometimes and that is just how it rolls. And if it rolls that way, I simply hide them in a soup or a casserole.

What doesn’t freeze well?  Potatoes and lettuce.  Celery does not either, but I usually still freeze mine to throw in with a chicken roast carcass when I am making broth because it adds additional nutrients.  There are other , no freeze items but that list will have to be compiled another day.  I think it’s time to bring closure to this list now.

This has turned into a ginormous list from which I am sure I missed information. If you have something that you freeze regularly, please give a shout out in the comments! 

Linking to Frugal Friday