What's your best freezer "secret"

[Cratchit]

Probably everyone already knows this but ... mine is that you can freeze whole chillis. Red ones retain the heat better than green ones, but both work. It also means you can buy those little packets in the supermarket, which are often cut price down our way, and not waste any... Sometimes I defrost them in the microwave too. Ohmagawd I'm so 21st Century, or tight and desperate ...

I thought freezing just slowed down the decomposing process, it doesn't stop it. So I'm also a bit about it killing bugs

when I did food safety thing, I learned it doesn't kill them just stopped them breeding.

I don't like freezing chillis or herbs as you do lose some of the flavour. I do cheese and pastry though.

Does anyone know if you could freeze homemade yorkshire puddings? I made a roast yesterday, first time in ages. I was out of practice and it took me most of the day. I had leftovers and was wondering if it would be possible to freeze my own roasties and yorkies so have a quicker roast once in a while when I fancy it.

Well spotted, califrau

Peel bananas and freeze them. Defrost for 10-15 mins to soften a bit and whizz them up in a food processor-instant banana icecream. You can put in plain yoghurt if you want it sloppier. A very healthy pudding option!

Great thread! I always cook double quantities of a meal then it goes in the freezer, then I know I always have something if we're in a rush.

Btw, does anyone know if you're making your own fish fingers & chicken nuggets, do you freeze them before or after cooking? Or doesn't it matter?

Snort at Cali.

Tights are less prone to laddering if you freeze them before you first wear them. Apparently candles burn more slowly if you freeze them first, but I never remember to try this on the rare occasion somebody gives me a nice scented candle.

This is a fantastic thread - I see I have much to learn!

One area I do know about tho - on the vodka front, put some slices of lemon and lime into the vodka bottle and they infuse into it.

You can then get a lurvely lemony-limey vodka shot straight from the freezer (don't try straight from the bottle tho, you can lose a lot of lip that way...)

These are all fantastic! Quick Q tho - can you just bung a frozen meal in the microwave or would I have to defrost it first? Like lasagne say or curry / bolognaise?

you can get chewing gum off tights and clothes by freezing then chipping it off!

I make strawberry vodka, yum, as they don't freeze on their own, the poor little things, unless you want instant jam.

why not straight from the bottle but yes to straight from freezer?

I meant pour into glass first as if you put your lips to frozen glass you are liable to have a Dumb and Dumber moment (voice of experience here)

If your lipstick snaps it will gel again in the freezer.

ahhhhhh got ya!

On the killing bugs thing, from p6 I too am preggers and was looking at the Food Standards Agency at the weekend.

Their advice is that sushi is fine as long as the fish has previously been frozen for 24hrs at -20C - and they say that all shop or restaurant sushi in the UK will have done this.

Link here.

It is because the bugs to worry about in raw fish are parasitic worms and they do get killed by freezing.

The FSA says the smoking of smoked salmon also kills them so UmSami go get yourself some!!

Banana Loaf ? Best Ever

4oz butter
4 oz brown sugar (use any color)
1 egg
1Ilb banana
3 tbsp yogurt, any flavor or plain or crème fraise
1 tsp vanilla ess
8 oz plain flour
1 tsp bicarb
1 tsp cinnamon
4 oz raisins

Gas 4 oven with shelf in middle
Grease and line a 7x11 loaf tin

Put the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat together ? or put in food processor and push button. Then add egg and beat till smooth. Add banana?s if doing by hand mash first, if in and push processor then just chop them into the bowl button. Add yogurt and vanilla essence.

Sift in the flour, bicarb, cinnamon and push button or stir.

Finally add the raisins (don?t push button as the raisins will disappear!!) just mix in with a spoon and then pour the mixture into the bread /loaf tin and level off with a shake and put in the oven for one hour and twenty mins ? check a cocktail stick comes out clean and it is cooked.

Turn out and let it cool. Then cut into slices and put each slice in a freezer bag ? pop in the freezer and use when required Ideal for pack ? ups as the slice of loaf will have defrosted by lunch time.

Try using dried blueberries or cranberries instead or aswell as the sultanas. This cake does keep well in a tin, if you don't want to freeze, and will mature with age ? if ever allowed. It has a lovely moist texture.

I find Camembert and Pont l'eveque cheeses freeze well, but Livarot which is very similar doesn't! The texture was a bit odd.

and if you have a skirt that is staticky clingy pop it in the freezer for a minute before putting it on...

presumably some other ponce has already mentioned coffee beans and grounds? To keep it fresh. Not that I can drink the devil's nectar blood any more.

I freeze whole oranges, then use them as icepacks when filling up the esky to go to the beach. Then you have a frozen snack when you get there.

I also do the frozen grapes thing. Lovely on a hot night.

Fab thread. Just the sort of thing we need in these hard times.

Thanks, everyone.

Absolutely ANYTHING that takes more than a teeny bit of effort to make. We have a large freezer that we saved up for and I love it so much..... (I nearly said love her so much....)

I love to organise it.....

top shelf - 'emergency' meals - frozen left overs in perfectly tesselating, portion sized marg tubs. I always make double, usualy get teased but then am redeemed when I produce home cooked meals in 3 minutes flat...

second shelf - dd's food. desserts in ice cubes [rice pudding with fruit in, stewed fruit, yogust etc] and marg tups with dd textured food.

3rd shelf - bread, reduced crumpets, reduced muffins, reduced bagels reduced etc

4th shelf - reduced meat [ every bit of meat I buy has reduced sticker on then freeze till used.....] Just wish I had the organisation to portion it out first.

5th shelf - fish. White fish is amazing. Frozen veg [bags of slightly boiled/steamed stuff then in bags.] Those ready prepared stir fry packs freeze mega well

6th shelf - treats......hubbie works at hostel and greggs donate. We get what the residents don't want. Sounds rough and scruffy but my god you should have tasted the chocolate slice I had out the freezer tonight.... Also bags of froqen fruit, frozen yogurt and lollies.

Freezers were invented for skint people

I am so sad. I appreciate this forum to let this out.....

ooooooh. My favourite thing to freeze is takaway.

In laws come over and buy way to much then I freeze it.

We had Chinese today that we had for my birthday. My god it was good. And free!!!!!!

[though always makesure nooone has put a sucked spoon back in - freezer hygiene is very important. Make sure you heat it mega mega loads....]

I buy all my veg reduced prepare it all in a big batch the day i buy it and freeze it in bags. Then you can just grab a handfull in hte evening when you need some to stem/boil or thow some into curries - spag bol etc. Has saved me a fortune and lots of time!