The freezer of Joy!

[EgremontRusset]

I now have a freezer in the shed! I feel like a grownup Am totally winning at adulting. But what do I put in it? I’ll gradually put batch cooked things in there, of course, but what about ingredients? We’ve only ever had a small fridge freezer before so only had peas/icecream/fishfingers.

What freezable foods bring you joy? What do you use most? And what doesn’t freeze well?

So far I can think of:
Sliced proper sourdough from bakery (we never get through a whole loaf fresh)
Fish pie mix, prawns (raw best?), fish fillets generally
What else?

Anyone?

Mine's full of things I pick up at mark down prices. I've got fish pie mix, mussels, 12 salmon fillets, breaded fish, cod fillets, sliced bread, flatbreads, naans, organic chicken and lamb, all of which were bought for at least half price if not less as there's no way we could afford to eat so well at full price. BIG bags of oven chips, frozen mash, hash browns, frozen veg, frozen fruit, ice cream (I love that we have room for choices of flavour)... and plenty more but I feel like a glutton writing it all down! In my defence we both work from home so have three meals a day at home and this gives me choices without constantly having to go to the shops.

Stock up on frozen veg and fruit ahead of No Deal Brexit when fresh food will be in short supply

I'm serious!

Also: curries, casseroles, lasagna, pizza dough, discounted meat, bread, herbs, sliced lemons for G+T's, chilli, emergency frozen pizza - the list goes on!

Ice cream
Homemade soup
Homemade stock
Raw cookie dough
Croissants/pain au chocolat

You've reminded me to start making room in the freezer for Christmas prep!

Brandy butter can be made now and frozen.
You can make gravy now and freeze and then just add the juices from your Christmas turkey to it before serving.
Stuffing freezes well and I even freeze mine in the oven dish so once it's defrosted it can go straight in the oven.
Some people parboil and freeze their potatoes.
If you're making soup for starters, that can be made now and frozen.
Bread sauce can be made a month in advance and frozen. Same for braised red cabbage and the cheese sauce if you serve cauliflower cheese.
Yorkshire puds freeze well and can also be made one month ahead www.saga.co.uk/magazine/food/cooking-tips/best-ever-yorkshire-pudding-recipe
Mince pies also keep well in the freezer for a month.

Put some treats in there to brighten up winter days, crumpets and mini eclairs for instance.

Homemade stocks: chicken, pork or beef stock.

You can also cut up celery, onion, and carrot put them into bags as soup starter kits.

I tend to buy multiple blocks of cheddar and keep them in the freezer. Butter is good for freezing too if you do a lot baking or if just like mainlining butter.

Pizza dough and raw cookie dough?? Mind. Blown. Will have to try raw bread dough too (I occasionally bake ‘five minute bread’), see if the yeast survives.

Lemon slices for g&t, herbs etc - yay! It hadn’t even occurred to me that having an outdoor one would mean more space in the little indoor one for things like this. Definitely yes to discounted meat/fish, and maybe home made stock now I need an instant pot too

We’ll be with family at Christmas itself but always do a big Xmas dinner for friends in early Dec, I’ve been wondering how to coordinate it now we have DS but clearly the answer is to cook bit by bit and freeze

Ice cream! I make Nigella's lemon meringue ice cream (no churn so mix and shove in freezer) and the joy a bowl of that can give on a bad day is immeasurable.

I freeze fresh stuffed pasta for emergency teas, as it can be boiled straight from frozen and I always have a jar of pesto in the cupboard to go with it. Garlic dough balls also freeze well and cook from frozen.

Other freezer essentials - chicken breasts, sausages of various kinds, peas, green beans ( way way waaaaay cheaper than fresh) and sweetcorn. I buy frozen fish fillets, including salmon that can be baked without needing defrosting. I'm also a lazy moo some nights and can't be bothered to cook from scratch, so I have a stash of frozen breaded chicken, fish and different veggie things like sausages and Linda McCartney burgers.

Leftovers are also kept - I have a stash of takeaway boxes and use them for portions of cooked casseroles, mince, chilli, curry...whatever I make, there's usually at least one or two portions too much. The trick with these is to label and date them (Lakeland do freezer labels, which don't peel off in the cold) and use them within a month or so. It's so nice to take a peek and find a real homemade meal in there if I know the evening is going to be a bit of a juggling act. Not having to cook everything from scratch is lovely!