12 Foods You Always Need to Freeze
Your freezer may be the most essential appliance in your entire kitchen. Not only can your freezer preserve foods for an extended period, but it can also help enhance the flavor of your food. Freezing is a pretty helpful process!
Check out these 12 foods that you should always try to freeze. You may be surprised by how well some foods stay in the freezer. You may even be tempted to buy an even bigger freezer for your home so that you can freeze and store even more food. It's not a bad idea.
Avocados
It can be very annoying when your avocados go bad. They often ripen too quickly, and you miss the opportunity to eat them when they are soft and ready.
To prevent your avocados from ending up in the trash, store them in the freezer! The best way is to puree the avocado with a bit of lemon juice.
Freeze the avocado puree in an airtight container for up to three months. Thaw it and use it to make guacamole, avocado toast, or as a topping for any of your favorite Tex-Mex meals.
Baked Goods
Muffins, brownies, and cookies freeze surprisingly well. Always make a double batch when you bake to freeze some of those homemade goodies for later.
Put your baked goods into airtight freezer bags and pop them into the freezer for up to three months. When ready to enjoy them, let the baked goods thaw at room temperature.
Bananas
Don't let those ripe bananas go to waste. Instead, peel them and place them into zippered freezer bags.
Add frozen bananas to your morning smoothie, use them to make banana bread, or just blend frozen bananas in a blender to make a one-ingredient, healthy, soft-serve style ice cream.
Butter
If you ever find a good sale on butter, you need to buy a lot. Stock up and keep it in your freezer.
Butter freezes really well and is an ingredient you should always have. You can use it for baking, cooking, or just slathering on toast. You can never have too much butter.
Berries
Never let your fresh berries get mushy! Freeze them before it is too late.
Freezing berries is a fantastic way to prevent them from spoiling, something fresh berries tend to do quite quickly. You can use frozen berries to make perfect smoothies or thaw them just to eat plain. Thawed berries on top of pancakes or waffles are also a fantastic treat.
Cookie Dough
This may be one of the best freezer hacks ever. Scoop your homemade cookie dough into portions, then freeze the scoops in a gallon-sized zippered bag.
Anytime you crave a fresh cookie, just take a scoop of frozen cookie dough, place it on a tray, and bake. You can have a fresh, homemade cookie anytime you'd like! Everyone's freezer should be full of cookie dough.
Eggs
If you have too many eggs on hand or if you find a great deal, you may want to consider freezing them. Crack the eggs into an airtight container, whisk them, then freeze.
Frozen eggs are best when used within a year, but they have a much longer shelf life than you would ever get if you just kept them in the fridge. Freezing eggs is a must!
Fruit Pie
Never make just one pie at a time. You should always make at least two! That is because fruit pies freeze really well.
Wrap your baked, cooled fruit pie in plastic wrap, and then pop it into the freezer to store. Anytime you need a fresh pie, just take it out of your freezer, bake it for about 15 minutes to thaw, and then enjoy!
Garlic
Garlic is surprisingly easy to store in the freezer. You can place the whole bulb of garlic in the freezer and take it out whenever you want to use it.
Or, you can peel and chop the garlic, freezing it in small airtight containers to be ready for use. Mix chopped garlic with olive oil and store this mix in the freezer. The flavor of the garlic oil will continue to grow and develop, making it delicious to drizzle on top of bread or mix into your favorite pasta.
Grapes
Frozen grapes are one of the best treats ever. Put the whole vine of grapes into the freezer, which will keep for months.
Grab a handful of grapes for a cold, tasty snack or sweet treat. You may find that you love frozen grapes even more than fresh grapes.
Chopped Herbs
Herbs can spoil very quickly when stored in the fridge. It is a much better idea to keep them in the freezer.
Chop up your fresh herbs and freeze them in an airtight container. You can take them right out of the freezer and add them to any recipe that calls for fresh herbs.
Frozen herbs do lose their bright, vibrant color, but they still retain all their fantastic flavor.
Cake
Do not let a delicious, sweet cake go to waste. If you have extra cake, slice it into individual portions, wrap each slice in plastic wrap, then store them in the freezer.
The cake will keep in your freezer for up to three months. Whenever you crave a slice of cake or just need a quick dessert, pull out a slice and let it thaw at room temperature. Your cake will be just as tasty as the day it was baked!