What do you freeze, and how, and why

[Aerynne]

I know we have some resourceful and smart ladies on here, so I thought this would be fun. So aside from things that come frozen, what's in your freezer and why?

Here are mine:


frozen in ice cube amounts:

cilantro-lime dressing- made in big batches frozen to save time (I can't eat many commercial dressings and homemade is tastier)

cubes of frozen pumpkin puree. I toss a cube or two into a soup or sauce for color and nutrition.

hummus and salsa (dh makes a dip out of these that he eats with tortillas)


frozen in larger amounts:

bananas for smoothies (we go through an obscene number of these weekly)

individual balls of semi-healthy cookie dough. We eat them as is or take some out and bake them. We call them "hiking cookies" but we eat them at home or take them places.

homemade refried beans. When I run out I make a huge batch and freeze it in smaller containers so we can just get them out when we want.

loaves of bakery thrift store purchased bread

right now there are about 8 packages of tortillas in my freezer because they were on sale

jars of freezer jam I made from my in-laws' peaches last summer

bulk yeast so it will last

ground flax seeds (sometimes) because it's easier than grinding them when I want them. I don't do this as much as I should.

broccoli because I buy it in a huge bag at Costco and freeze some of it

chopped-up red and green bell peppers because I buy dozens of them when they are 48 cents each and cut them up so I can use them later

roasted red bell pepper pasta sauce because I can't have tomato sauce

whole wheat flour that I grind myself and keep in the freezer so it will last better


Non-food:

restaurant ketchup packets make perfect tiny ice packs for hurt fingers. There are always some in my freezer

I only have a standard-sized freezer attached to my fridge, but I seem to be able to fit a lot in it. We have a fruit drawer, a vegetable drawer, and a whole wheat bread drawer. There are also two shelves above the drawers. We have a side-by-side so the shelves are small

[WanderingJuniper]

You have some good ideas. I could really use a larger freezer but right now I keep:
Pesto
Stock
Bananas so many bananas!
Grapes we snack on these as frozen treats

[Mother of Sons]

At one time or another:
Cookie dough
Homemade Chinese dumplings
Homemade pierogi
Homemade pasty
Muffin batter
Cinnamon rolls
Latke
Baked potatoes
Yogurt dots
Fruit for jam
Cooked hamburger/chicken
Biscuits/buns

[charla]

I'm mainly following along because once something goes in my freezer, I don't think about it and end up having to throw it out later.

I do keep a lot of bulk staples in there like flour, rice, nuts, seeds, dried herbs and spices.

[schmamy]

cubes:
-pesto
-fresh cilantro + water
-OJ (for use in recipes, so I don't have to buy a whole 1/2 gal)
-avocado, back when DH was making green smoothies a lot

quart bags (roughly 2-cup or 1-pound):
cooked ground beef
chopped/shredded chicken
cooked beans (white or black, plain)
black bean ragout
cooked Italian drip beef
chicken, pork/beef, turkey and sometimes even lamb broth
smoked turkey
cream of mushroom soup
diced/minced/sliced veggies (leeks, zucchini, bell peppers, mushrooms)
extra yeast
tomato paste, if I didn't need a whole can
caramelized onions


gallon bags:
soup
sauce for zucchini lasagna
8x8 pan of enchiladas
meatloaf, uncooked
diced grilled chicken
fruit--blueberries, blackberries, rhubarb, peaches, cranberries
flash-frozen biscuits, shortcake, etc.
muffins
chicken/pork "trash" (bones, giblets, necks, etc., both cooked and raw, for use in broth)
veggie "trash" (leek tops, celery tops, carrot peelings sometimes, for use in broth)

Lots more stuff I am sure, but that's off the top of my head. WHY?
--I cook large batches to save myself time/effort later (this is #1 by far)
--something was on sale super cheap and so I bought extra
--we buy fruit in season (often pick our own locally), enough to last all year
--I didn't want it to go bad so I threw it in the freezer

[ViolaMum]

I have a lot of the same things. In addition, I like to keep:

coffee ice cubes (so I don't dilute my frozen coffee)
chipotles in adobo (the cans are way too much to use at once, so I puree it and freeze)
different varieties of pesto and herb purees
veggie purees and stocks
leftover wine (I can cook with it)
frozen rotisserie chicken (an hour in the oven and it's like I just picked it up)

leftover pancakes, waffles, and french toast (I usually double recipes and pop the leftovers in the toaster oven to reheat)
phyllo dough and wonton wrappers

homemade freezer biscuits
homemade brown and serve breads
homemade Moravian Sugar bread and other baked goods (I've got at least a couple layer cakes and half a dozen quick breads in the deep freezer)
GF/nut free treats to take to parties for my GF/NF kids

In the deep freezer we keep all sorts of bulk items. I know there's a turkey and a couple chickens, the rest of the side of beef we bought last year, grains, nuts, the usual fare.

[ECingMama]

Bbl

[MegMarch]

Meatballs and diced cooked chicken for quick meals

DD's leftover fruit and sometimes veggies. I toss in the freezer and use as a smoothie the next day for her breakfast.

Non-manhandled fruit and veggies for smoothies too

Diced peppers and onions

You all have so many great ideas!

[Dandelion]

Lately anytime I make a bread-y kind of thing for breakfast (buckwheat bread, chocolate coconut flour bread, oatmeal bread - I make up all kinds of weird things) I bake a double batch and freeze a 9x13 for another morning. I call in paying it forward to my future self So I have anywhere from 2-5 9 x13 pans in my freezer most of the time.

other freezer standards are...

scraps of bread that I save up for bread pudding
veggie scraps for stock
veg/rhubarb/mulberries from the garden
soup that noone really like that I will add in small batches to a better soup
lots of grains - I buy them and forget about them
wine/beer for stews and sauces
candy that my ils give the kids and I feel bad throwing out in front of their faces so I let in rot away in the freezer instead

[mamacat]

We buy those bags of chopped kale from TJs and I freeze them.They are then easily chopped into even finer bits to add to spaghetti sauce or other dishes for more nutrition.They can be minced so finely end up looking more like green spice and then they also simmer/cook faster

[sprout]

my freezer includes:
meat in our family sized bags
deer...hamburger and steaks
frozen soups that I made
frozen fruit that I bought and cut up...bananas, peaches, pineapple
frozen bulk veggies
cookies to be cooked later
muffins
apple juice that I juiced
ice cream bought on sale
homemade popsicles
meatballs for future dinners
hummus
cooked beans
butter

---------- Post added at 11:32 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:31 AM ----------

blueberries
strawberries

I should add that we keep a big deep freeze. I move my things between that and the little freezer above the fridge. We cook out of our freezer most times. After garden / canning season, it is packed and we work our way through it during fall / winter/ spring. If it isn't in the freezer...it's been canned.

[Lady Grey]

oatmeal pancakes
muffins
quick breads
cookie dough
blueberries
lemons, quartered
nuts
extra flour
homemade rolls
homemade bread
single servings of leftover soup (I eat them for lunches)
hamburgers

I'm sure there is stuff I'm not thinking of.

[knitlove]

I do a lot of what was already mentioned the other thing I freeze is the stems from broccoli and cauliflower. When I am citing them up to use the florets on salid I trim and roughly chop the stems and put them in a bag on the freezer to use in soups. I will boil in a bit of broth and then run them through the blender to make the broth nice a rich.

[charla]

Originally Posted by knitlove

I do a lot of what was already mentioned the other thing I freeze is the stems from broccoli and cauliflower. When I am citing them up to use the florets on salid I trim and roughly chop the stems and put them in a bag on the freezer to use in soups. I will boil in a bit of broth and then run them through the blender to make the broth nice a rich.

That's a great idea!

[ViolaMum]

Oh, I also keep the ends of bread loaves for bread crumbs.

And bones until I'm ready to make stock.

Also,
rinds from Parmesan cheese (I add to soup)
extra homemade pie crusts
peeled ginger
soaked beans (but not necessarily cooked)

Then there's
Dh's Death Star ice cubes and
crayons the kids are going to melt - the papers peel off more easily when frozen