Stuff you recently discovered that actually freezes really well...

[MindYourUsage]

...or stuff you now freeze that has been a game changer

I'll start:

• Pesto portions. Dolloped in little tin foil parcels
• Ditto cream cheese (only good for cooking with once defrosted tho)
• A Fecking squeeze of fresh lemon 😂 for those poxy recipes that demand it
• Single portions of mashed potato - freezes exceptionally well with double cream and butter. Game changer for single living.

Chives. I chop and freeze flat on a baking tray, then tip into a freezer bag when frozen. Really easy to use in potato salad and defrosts by the time you’ve stirred it into the mayonnaise. Avoids the soggy leftovers that get left in the fridge and thrown out a few weeks later!

Bread goes into the freezer (a meal’s worth per bag) on the day it’s bought as it only takes a minute in the microwave to bring it back to life.

Pork is the best meat for freezing raw IMO so if I’m not sure I’ll get round to cooking a final meal before a holiday, I plan pork. That backfired spectacularly when DS was dog sitting and cooked himself the pork roast I’d put away for our return!

Pancakes!
I cook a big batch then freeze them

Lots of this fells weird to me - crisps - rice. They are super cheap. How big are your freezers??

Yorkshire puddings, couple of minutes in the air fryer and they're far better than any you can buy.
Edied to add...
IKEA food bags that have two different sizes in each box are fantastic and reusable.

Clotted cream
Firm tofu
Guacamole/Humous
Bananas (still in their skin)
Salami/chorizo
Prosciutto/Parma ham
Wine/cider/beer
Brie and other cheeses
Cake, scones, sweet buns
Milk

Jacket potatoes!

Game changer.
Cook a load in the oven.
Freeze.
5 minutes in the microwave.
Dinner.
Not remotely processed food.

Pasta or pizza sauce, whether it’s jarred or home made. I have some little plastic containers that I decant leftovers into for another day.

I just cut up and peel the whole thing, then grate from frozen with a fine grater. Makes lovely tea with lemon too.

I bake a lot so I'll always have brownies, cookie dough balls and muffins in the freezer. Buttercream freezes really well.

@Creamice Fresh curry leaves are sold in Matta’s in Bold Street Liverpool.

Chopped raw onions
Cooked rice
Mashed potato
Lemon slices (for g&t)
Unused tinned tomatoes/coconut milk
Sliced bread

Yes! Been doing this for years! You get way too many in bag to use before they go off. I eat ALOT of chillies but even I’d struggle to go through a whole bag!

Also lemons and limes for drinks.

Cranberry sauce. You can only buy fresh cranberries in December round here and I love home made cranberry sauce, so I make a pan full, then freeze it in large silicone cubes and defrost as I want to eat it.

Home made Yorkshire puddings. When I make them it makes sense to do a full tray full, then freeze the leftovers. A couple of minutes in the airfryer later is all they need.

Double cream, I’m the only one that eats it, so freeze it in ice cube trays and use the rest of the pot up in sauces and curries from frozen.

home made butter, it doesn’t keep as long as shop bought butter but tastes better, so if I make it I put it into small portions and remove from the freezer as required.

As many on here have said, it's about avoiding waste and/or also convenience. Not just saving money.

I am interested to know how big everyone's freezers are though, as I love all these ideas but do not have the space in mine to lob in whole loaves of bread etc.

Chillies good to grate when their frozen.

How small is your appetite that you need to freeze leftover crisps?! 😬

Mine is just jammed. Absolutely jammed.

But i have a glassboard on the wall nect to it that lists everything currently in there.

I take something out, update the glassboard
I put something in, update the glassboard

I made a cheap glassboard by painting the bit of wood board in a photo frame (lots of coats) and writing on the glass on top.

I have stared doing mine in the slow cooker!

Wrap in foil, cook on high for five hours. Can use a wifi switch for if I am out when it needs turning on.

About freezer size.

When there were 4 of us, shopping meant using the car and life was hectic with after-school activities etc I had a chest freezer in the garage and went by a system of frozen deliveries, batch cooking and leftovers. There were 3-litre tubs of ice cream and emergency celebration cheesecakes!
It had a fast freeze button so I knew the room-temp food I put in was going down to -18 quickly and safely. No ice crystals or freezer burn.
The kitchen freezer (60x 40cm) was just a holding area.

Nowadays I have a side-by-side fridge and freezer (shelves and small drawers) which is mostly stocked from the supermarket 5 minutes away. Leftovers go in freezer-safe glass containers.

Yes, much better. As the starch is more resistant like fibre, you'll end up consuming fewer net calories. It'll also keep your blood sugar levels much more stable and keep your gut happy by feeding the good bacteria.

Not a freezer idea but I keep fresh lemons in a container of water in the fridge. I use ones with clip on lids. Once a week change the water. I have just finished the last of the lemons I bought before Xmas. It is an absolute game changer. I no longer have shrivelled up lemons. I guess it would work with limes as well.

This is a problem I never have 😭 crisp monster that I am. I just try not to buy them often

I made a cheap glassboard by painting the bit of wood board in a photo frame (lots of coats) and writing on the glass on top.

Genius !!

I have to admit that I buy most of my “cooking herbs” pre-frozen. DItto spinach, French beans, diced butternut squash and soft fruit for breakfasts.

About 20 years ago it used to be really easy to buy frozen (sticks/cubes) of double cream and mashed potato. I’ve recently found mash via Ocado (but will experiment with DIY).

In terms of DIY freezing, I use large silicone ice cube moulds for soffrito/pesto and cheap microwave egg poachers for small amounts of sauces.

Having recently switched from feeding 3 or 4 to just one or 2, it would be good to freeze my own spuds (baked or mashed).