In today’s post, I am going to give you a list of my 20 favorite “best” things to freeze (great for beginners)!

Why Should I Freeze Food?

Freezing food is one of the BEST ways ever to save time in the kitchen!

If you are trying to cut down on eating out or save time in your schedule, you NEED TO try freezing!

Cooking double meals , preparing

pre-made frozen breakfast or snacks, and freezing cooked meat not only saves you a ton of time, it can also save you money . Seriously, purchasing sale items to freeze & use later and eating out less can SAVE YOU BOOKOOS!

If popping a frozen casserole in the oven or never having to cook fresh meat before preparing dinner doesn’t sound wonderful then I don’t know what does!

I recommend utilizing your instant pot for preparing bulk meats quickly and efficiently to freeze but a crock pot or stove works too!

Click here to watch how I cook & freeze my fresh chicken for 4 meals, all at once!

Things You Can Freeze By Category

Before I give you a list of my favorite things to freeze, I want you to recognize the different types of foods possible to freeze. I have broke these down into 6 categories for better clarity.

1.Pre Frozen

Items such as a whole turkey or store bought burritos that you purchase and store frozen. Pre frozen foods can be cooked , prepared, or raw by the manufacturer .

2.Pre Cooked

(Pre cooked by you!) such as cooked ground beef, shredded chicken, and leftovers.

3.Prepared

Casseroles, DIY buritos, and soups are all examples of ready to eat/ prepared frozen foods

4.Prepackaged

Prepackaged items that do not fit in the pre frozen category go here.

Examples would be, shredded cheese, hot dogs, sticks of butter etc.

5.Fresh

Fresh chicken, beef, pork chops, and all other fresh meats are in the “fresh” category.

6.Liquids

Milk, broth, pop, soup gravy, Etc.

20 Easy (Beginner) Items To Freeze

Now on to that list…

Shredded chicken

Diced or sliced ham

Ground burger

Raw meat

Whole chicken breast

Shredded cheese

Veggies

Most soups

Baked beans

Soup beans

Cookies

Cake

Icing

Broths

Unopened hot dogs

Unopened lunch meat

Hot dog sauce

Gravy

Butter

Sauces (pasta, marinara, Alfredo, etc)

Caution Or (Carefully freeze)

Bread

Double bag to help prevent freezer burn.

If bread seems a little hard, microwave to

soften before eating .

Potatoes

Cover with other ingredients to prevent

turning black . Under cook a tad to

prevent mushiness

Rice

Add a little water before reheating in

microwave or on stovetop. This makes

the rice soft and moist again.

Block cheese

Block cheese taste great but often

crumbles a little more then usual when

you go to slice it. This does not effect

shredding or melting, just something to

keep in mind.

Opened lunch meat

You may want to double bag in freezer bags and make sure all air is out to prevent freezer burn. Also note, when thawed, meat will have some water from ice on it, this does not effect the taste.

Liquids

Many liquids freeze amazing!

Be sure to leave space for expanding.

If you are storing in freezer bags, you may want to double bag or use double lock zippers to help prevent leakage.

I also like to lay my unfrozen freezer bags flat in a pan to freeze. Once frozen I remove from pan and stack in my freezer. This makes sure my freezer bags freeze smooth and flat allowing for easy stacking and saved space. If a bag happens to leak it is so much easier to clean out a pan than the freezer!

Noodles

Undercook noodles a tad helps them not turn too mushy.

Noodles also seem to freeze better when they are not in liquids like soups, try freezing them in casseroles instead.

Cottage Cheese

Cottage cheese seems to freeze ok as long as you don’t mind the texture broke down a little. I, personally, don’t seem to notice much when in lasagna.

Other Tips For Success

•Add your crackers right before you cook a frozen casserole to ensure a crispy topping.

•Date & label everything with a permanent sharpie before you freeze.

•Use up older stuff first to prevent freezer burn /waste.

•Use freezer zip lock bags (not sandwich or storage bags) to prevent freezer burn & leakage.

•Cut one serving from a reheated frozen casserole then drain excess liquid (water) off of casseroles before serving.

•Forget to thaw a casserole? Baking an extra hour usually does the trick. Be sure to leave covered until at least thawed in oven.

•Cool cooked foods before freezing to prevent spoilage.

•Thaw liquids, soups, and bagged items in a bowl, that way, If they leak you can still used the item and the mess is contained.

•Use thicker, name brand aluminum foil over your freezer casseroles or double cheaper foil to prevent freezer burn.

You will also want to make sure the edges of the foil are tightly crimped around the aluminum pan.

•Check dollar tree for great aluminum pan deals depending on which sizes you are using.

•Timid about freezing a new item?

Freezing a small “leftover” portion the next time you make it can be a easy trial run. If you are pleased with the thawed results, then freeze full portions next time .

GIFT IDEA

Did you know, you can utilize freezing this Christmas?

Click here to read how I gifted my mother in law 2weeks of freezer meals for Christmas last year. She literally cried! She was so touched by the consideration of her busy schedule and the time I had taken to prepare each meal.

What’s amazing is, I was able to make each meal out of my regular grocery budget. I would make a double dinner, we would eat one and I would freeze one. So, the time it took was incorporated into my daily life and nearly unnoticed.

This same concept is used for stocking your own freezer with prepared meals in a time saving way.

*Freezer meals are also great gifts for new moms, elderly, family’s in the moving process, and those fighting sickness or bad health.

Click link here for more gifting ideas .

Gifting Ideas outside the wallet

https://www.asimplerlife.net/post/christmas-preparation-2021

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Happy Freezing!

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