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How to make the most of your freezer

  The freezer can be an important extension to your store cupboard. It
  can help you fight food waste and keep you from being tempted by the
  ready-meal aisle, saving you money. On the other hand, you may recall
  throwing bags of frozen food into the bin as you puzzle over what they
  are and what year they went into the freezer. With a little
  organisation and careful labelling, you can eat well and keep your
  cool.

Does food keep in the freezer forever?

  Freezing food stops the growth of bacteria. In theory, food can be
  frozen indefinitely without going ‘off’. However, foods that are
  exposed to the air in the freezer can be affected by ‘freezer burn’,
  and fats can go rancid. Over time, the quality, taste and texture of
  all food will be affected by being frozen. Meat with a greater surface
  area, such as bacon, mince or sausages, keeps less well than large cuts
  of meat.

  The tables below are guidelines for how long foods can be frozen for
  and still taste good, but this is subjective and affected by other
  factors. The faster food is frozen, the less likely it is to become
  ice-damaged and mushy – better to freeze little and often than to add
  large quantities of unfrozen food to your freezer all at once.
  Flat-packing food in thin layers in plastic bags will help it to freeze
  faster. Keep in mind that some industrial freezing processes can extend
  the freezer life of foods, but home-frozen foods may only taste good
  for a fraction of the time.

How long does food keep for in the freezer?

  Food How long Special instructions
  Bacon 1 month
  Sausages 2 months
  Mince or cubed meat (beef, lamb, turkey) 4 months
  Whole chicken 1 year Wrap well to minimise contact with air
  Roasting joints (beef, lamb) 9-12 months
  Chops and steaks 6-9 months
  Chicken pieces (breast, leg, thigh) 6-9 months
  Oily fish fillets (salmon, mackerel) 2-3 months
  White fish fillets (cod, haddock) 6 months
  Pesto, curry paste 6 months Freeze in ice-cube trays, then store in
  bags
  Chillies, ginger (whole) 6 months Grate or chop while frozen
  Stock 6 months
  Nuts 1 year
  Unsalted butter 6 months
  Salted butter 1 year
  Cheese – firm (cheddar, mozzarella, Gruyere, emmental) 3 months Grated
  cheese can be used from frozen
  Eggs 3 months Do not freeze in shell. Freeze beaten egg in a box, or
  freeze cooked egg dishes like frittata
  Egg whites 1 year
  Milk 3-6 months Skimmed milk keeps longer than full-fat milk
  Bananas 6 months Bananas will brown in the freezer, but can be added to
  smoothies from frozen
  Berries 6 months Freeze on a tray and decant when frozen into a box/bag
  to use a few at a time
  Blanched or par-cooked vegetables (carrots, potatoes, cauliflower,
  green or broad beans) 1 year
  Cooked meals (soups, stews, etc) 3 months
  Cooked beans, grains or pulses 3months
  Cakes (un-iced) 3 months Defrost unwrapped
  Bread (loaf, slices, pitta, breadcrumbs) 3 months Slice before freezing
  to defrost in the toaster

How to make frozen food last longer

  Wrapping food well and eliminating exposure to air will help keep its
  flavour and texture. It’s tempting to throw a packet from the
  supermarket into the freezer, but you may get better results from
  rewrapping the food so there’s minimum of exposure to air. If you’re
  storing food in a resealable bag, seal the bag almost completely and
  then use a straw to suck out any air (don’t do this with raw meat,
  though!).

  By using freezer bags, you can ensure all excess air is removed, and
  they take up the minimum of space. You can wash and re-use bags. If you
  would rather use a plastic box, select one that can be filled as
  completely as possible.

  When you label a box or bag, use the table above to work out the use-by
  date, and write this on the label. This will helps you know at a glance
  what to use first and what can be left for another night.

  (Ed. Accurate labelling will also eliminate the egg-white-fish-stock
  mix-up I made when trying to make a pavlova!)

  Try portioning your leftovers into smaller sizes. They’ll be easier to
  reheat or defrost. If the food requires defrosting before cooking, do
  this in the fridge.

  And, of course, always ensure food is completely cooled (ideally
  refrigerated) before you put it in the freezer.

How to freeze vegetables

  Blanching vegetables is often recommended before freezing. Blanching
  simply means partially cooking food in boiling water before draining
  and cooling it in iced water. This helps to retain the colour and
  texture of vegetables and kills any lingering microbes. The length of
  time you should cook vegetables for varies depending on the size, but
  most bite-size pieces require 2-3 minutes at a rolling boil. Peppers
  are the exception – they can be frozen cooked or uncooked, though
  they’ll always come out less than crisp.

  Cooking leafy greens before freezing reduces the space they take up.
  Freeze them in silicone muffin cups or in ice-cube portions to make it
  easy to use what you need.

  Keep a bag in the freezer for parsley stalks, celery ends, the tough
  outsides of fennel bulbs, leek ends, even mushroom stalks. It can all
  go into making an excellent stock when you have time.

  Cooked potatoes such as par-boiled [38]roast potatoes or buttery
  [39]mash will freeze well, but raw potatoes will not.

How to freeze fruit

  Spread berries, peach slices, cherries, melon slices and the like out
  on a baking tray and fast-freeze before tipping into a bag and sealing.
  Some fruits, such as nectarines, peaches and apricots, benefit from a
  toss in sugar and lemon juice to retain their colour.

  Whole lemons, limes and oranges can be frozen, allowing you to zest
  them before they fully defrost. Or you can freeze the grated zest in a
  container and the juice in ice-cube trays. Frozen Seville oranges still
  make great marmalade if you haven’t got time to make it during their
  short season.

  Bananas go brown and mushy when frozen, but they have some advantages.
  They make amazing instant [40]banana ice cream, [41]smoothies and
  [42]banana bread. Just remember to slice them into bags before
  freezing, to make them easier to use.

  Apples and pears should ideally be cooked before being frozen. Stew or
  roast them with a sprinkling of lemon juice and sugar, leave to cool
  completely, then pack into containers and freeze.

How to freeze herbs

  If you end up with more herbs than you can use, the best way to retain
  their flavour and texture is to chop them up and mix them with a little
  neutral-tasting oil before freezing. The oil helps reduce freezer
  damage to the delicate leaves and prevents air from getting in and
  reducing their flavour. If you spread this oily paste thinly in a
  resealable bag, you can chop off as much as you need from the frozen
  pack. Ice-cube trays also work.

  [43]Pesto is a great way to keep herbs, and can be made with many
  different flavour combinations. Herb butter also works well.
  Learn how to freeze raw ingredients, leftovers and batch meals with our
  top tips

Foods not to freeze

  Soft cheeses such as camembert, brie and cream cheese don’t freeze
  well. Parmesan can be frozen, but its flavour may be affected and, as
  it can be kept in the fridge for a long time, freezing probably isn’t
  necessary. Opinions differ on freezing cheese at all, with most
  agreeing that the best use for frozen cheese is in a cooked dish. The
  structure will be affected and you may not be able to slice it.

  Egg yolks can be frozen for use in baking or as an egg wash, but won’t
  work for all recipes. Mayonnaise will split if frozen and hard-boiled
  egg whites will go rubbery. Whole, raw eggs should not be frozen.

  Milk can be frozen with some (generally) acceptable changes to its
  structure – the fat is separated from the liquid suspension and can
  have a grainy texture that’s usually fixed with a quick shake. While
  frozen custard (ice cream) and yoghurt are a real treat, if you thaw
  them they also develop this texture. If you want to freeze double
  cream, give it a light whipping first.

  Raw vegetables with a high water content, such as tomatoes, cucumbers,
  mushrooms, courgettes and lettuces, will never be appealing when
  defrosted. The same is true of many fruits, including citrus fruits,
  watermelons and grapes, but these often taste refreshing when eaten
  frozen.

More from BBC Food

What I ate when I ran out of rice and pasta

Dalgona coffee: does the internet’s new favourite drink actually work?

How to make bread with no yeast or bread flour

Freezer friendly meals

Recipes using frozen foods

  Using frozen foods reduces waste and means you have a ready supply of
  fruit, fish and veg whenever you need it.

Make and freeze recipes

  Make double and freeze leftovers to make your food shop go further.

Easy ice creams

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