If you want to make your meals last longer and your money go further during lockdown, it's a good idea to start freezing food.
Popping food in the freezer not only stops it from going off but it prevents waste - and with panic buying and stockpiling at the supermarkets it's something we should avoid.
While some store cupboard ingredients can be frozen safely, others should be kept away from the freezer and could actually make you ill.
Scottish nutritionist Dr Joanna McMillan told Australia's Today show that freezing foods is the best way to preserve them because it is natural and doesn't use nasty chemicals.
She said: “It’s actually one of the oldest means of preserving foods. I think we under-utilise the freezer in today’s age where we think everything that’s fresh is better for us and it’s actually not the truth.”
Here's everything you need to know about freezing food:
What can you freeze?
- Cooked pasta
- Cooked rice
- Nuts (nuts can actually go rancid due to their high levels of fat)
- Flour - use it directly from the freezer
- Butter
- Grated cheese
- Bananas, peeled
- Bread, in slices
- Herbs
- Stock
- Wine
- Eggs, cracked into small containers
- Meat, both raw and cooked
What can't you freeze?
- Milk - it becomes lumpy once thawed (but can work for cooking)
- Deep-fried food - the crispy coating will turn to mush after defrosting
- Sour cream - it will separate after freezing
- Dishes with crumb toppings - it will lose the crispness and go soggy
-
Cucumber - are high in water and will go soggy
-
Mayonnaise - It will separate and turn to liquid
-
Raw potatoes - the starch will turn them black
How long can you keep food in the freezer for?
- Poultry, whole: one year
- Steak: one year
- Blanched vegetables: one year
- Fruit in syrup: one year
- White fish: eight months
- Open packs of frozen fruit: eight months
- Unsalted butter: eight months
- Fruit juice: six months
- Lamb/pork/beef/chicken/turkey/duck/goose/venison/rabbit: six months
- Bread: six months
- Cakes: six months
- Stocks: six months
- Oily fish: four months
- Pastries: four months
- Salted butter: four months
- Ice cream: four months
- Sliced bacon: three months
- Soups and sauces: three months
- Bread dough: three months
Freezing tips:
Dr Mcmillan shared tips on how to get the best out of freezing your food.
- Let food reach room temperature before freezing.
- Use the ice cube tray to freeze stock or mix herbs with water or olive oil
- Freeze wine in the ice cube tray to pop in a glass to keep your drinks cool or use in cooking
- Anything that has a high water content such as lettuce won't be the same after being defrosted
- Try to freeze everything when at its freshest.
- Defrost meat thoroughly before cooking
- Items such as bread for toasting can be cooked straight from the freezer
- Never refreeze raw meat that has already been frozen and then thawed
-
Don't pack the freezer to full to air to circulate
