Want to learn how to freeze anything? The freezer is a busy person’s best friend! It offers a way to keep food fresh longer, and also makes it easy to have freezer meals ready when you are in a rush. Freezing items properly will help you enjoy your food for months, instead of wasting them away in your fridge! Here is our guide on how to freeze anything, from flash freezing individual ingredients to full meals. Stock your freezer with these great ideas.
Flash Freezing
If you want to freeze specific ingredients or items that you want to be able to measure out individually and not all in one lump, flash freezing is the way to go. This process involves laying out the items on a sheet tray and placing it in the freezer for about an hour. Once frozen, transfer the items into high-quality freezer bags or freezer-safe container for storage. This works great with fruits such as berries, vegetables, and cuts of meats! This prep saves so much time when you need just a little of an ingredient.
Eggs
Did you know that eggs can be frozen too? To do this properly, crack open the egg first before transferring it into an ice cube tray or airtight container; adding a pinch of salt per egg will help keep them fresh in the freezer as well. You can also scramble eggs before freezing—just make sure they cool down completely before transferring them into an airtight container for storage.
Freezing Full Meals
Freezing complete meals makes life so much easier! To make ahead freezer meals properly, it’s important that you package the food well and use airtight containers or bags. Hearty soups and stews make great frozen meals; they can also be portioned into smaller containers if desired. Casseroles are also perfect for freezing. To ensure the best results when reheating later on down the line, label each container with the name of the dish and reheating instructions so that there is no guesswork involved later on!
Don’t forget to include the date they were prepared so you can eat them before they expire. I recommend printing these labels on computer paper or water-resistant stickers and taping/attaching them to your bags PRIOR to meal prep.
Herbs
Herbs can easily become freezer burn victims if not stored properly! To prevent this from happening, We recommend either pre-chopping herbs and storing them in ice cube trays with melted butter or oil (which will help them last longer), or freezing them whole by cutting off the stem end and submerging them in water before storing them in an airtight bag or container.
Single Servings
When freezing single servings of food such as oatmeal, mac and cheese, or burritos, make sure they cool down completely before packaging them up properly—this will help keep their flavor intact once thawed out later on! It helps if you use individual plastic containers with lids when doing this as they are easier to store than large bags/containers. Don’t forget to add a label with expiration date and cooking directions so that you know what you have stored away in your freezer!
Freeze Anything With These Great Tips
With these tips you will soon have a freezer full of quick meals and ingredients. Check out our database of recipes for the best freezer meals to cook in your Crockpot, or Instant Pot. Sign up to get full access to our recipe database and more!) Get recipes for meatballs, enchiladas, cheesy stuffed shells, and more!
