I used to have a love/hate relationship with wholesale grocery stores until I learned the best way to freeze food and significantly decreased my food waste.
You can find amazing deals on items you normally purchase but what happens when you can’t eat it all and it goes bad? Was it really a good deal after all?
This was exactly the dilemma I’d always struggle with up until just a few months ago. Since then I’ve done massive amounts of research to learn the best way to freeze food and how to save the portions we wouldn’t get to eat before it went rancid.
Us busy moms sometimes don’t have the time to repackage food – just to turn around and freeze it. So I am going to share my tips on the food items I’ve found that can be thrown straight into the freezer – original store packaging and all!
- Guide: Best Way To Freeze Food -
Do’s
- Label everything with name and date
- Place food into freezer right away
Don’ts
- Freeze food when it’s hot
- Pack freezer too full preventing air circulation
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~ This frozen food list contains items which can be frozen in their original packaging ~
Bread, Rolls, Bagels
These all freeze so easily! When ready to use - just pop them into the refrigerator for a few hours and viola! I've even tossed in loafs of bread which had been sitting on my counter for a few days; once I realized it was going to mold before we could get to it. If there is any sign of mold the loaf needs to be thrown away!
Vacuumed Sealed Meats
Bacon, seafood, meat cuts, ground meat, hot dogs, sliced deli meats, etc. Included in this category are pre-packaged tubes of ground meat. This rule only applies to vacuumed sealed! Not the meat which comes on a tray in saran wrap - these stretchy plastic films allow air to penetrate in and your food will become freezer burned!
Vacuumed Sealed Pasta or Entrees
Some of my favorite items to pick up are freshly made pastas! If they are in a vacuumed sealed package (like the Five-Cheese Tortellini from Costco) they are perfectly fine to just toss into the freezer! There are also tons of pre-made meals: quiche, lasagnas, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, etc.
Shredded Cheese
I personally only like to freeze cheese that is shredded. Cheese consistency does change once frozen. A block of cheese won't taste the same if you try to make slices after thawing whereas I feel it is unrecognizable in shredded. Place the frozen bag into refrigerator over night and it's good to go!
Sticks of Butter
Throw the whole carton of butter in the freezer and grab sticks as needed!
Chocolate
Chocolate freezes great! Chocolate chips, candy, pretty much anything solid chocolate!
Nuts
All varieties of nuts do great in the freezer. If they come in resealable bags you can just toss the bag in and grab a handful when needed. If they come in a sealed bag, you will have to repackage them into a freezer bag once opened.
Random
Bag of cranberries, cream cheese and sour cream (although the consistency does change so these are best used in soups or sauces)
These are food items I buy and freeze on the regular so my family rotates through them very fast.
If you feel you will have an item in the freezer for extended amounts of time – please look on the FDA website and they will guide you to the duration of freezing time allowed per item!
1 comment
[…] I always stock up and freeze Costco’s Five-Cheese Tortellini. I literally toss the frozen tortellini directly into the soup when it’s time and it’s perfect! Be sure to check out my quick guide on freezing food here. […]