15 MORE Foods You Didn't Know You Could Freeze

Freezer Tips: 15 Foods and How to Use Them

1. Whole tomatoes

   • Wash and dry the tomatoes. Don’t blanch, peel, or core them; freeze them whole in a freezer bag.
   • To peel, run a frozen tomato under warm water for about 10 seconds. The skin should slip off.
   • Use straight from frozen in sauce, chili, or soup. They soften too much for slicing or salads.

2. Chopped onions and peppers

   • Chop extra onions or bell peppers, spread them on a cookie sheet, and freeze for about 1 hour before bagging. Freezing them flat first helps prevent a solid clump.
   • Add frozen pieces straight from the bag to a hot pan. They’re for cooking, not raw salads.
   • Fresh hot peppers, such as jalapeños, can be frozen whole and grated into a pan while still frozen.

3. Lemons and limes

   • Juice: Juice the fruit and freeze the juice in an ice cube tray. One cube is about 2 tablespoons, roughly the juice of one lemon.
   • Zest: Zest the fruit before juicing, then freeze the zest in a small bag.
   • Whole fruit: Freeze whole lemons, then grate them while frozen, peel and all, over fish or into cake batter. Don’t thaw a whole frozen lemon; it becomes mushy.

4. Cooked pasta

   • Cook the pasta 1 minute short of done, toss it with a little oil, and freeze it in meal-size portions.
   • Reheat by dropping it into boiling water for 1 minute, or add it directly to soup.
   • It will be softer than freshly boiled pasta. The presenter recommends fresh pasta for a simple plate of spaghetti.

5. Mashed potatoes

   • Freeze rich mashed potatoes made with plenty of butter and cream. Scoop them into a muffin tin, freeze, then transfer the portions to a bag.
   • Reheat with a splash of milk.
   • The presenter distinguishes these from raw potatoes, which she says turn black and mealy when frozen.

6. Pancakes and waffles

   • Make extra, let them cool completely, then freeze them flat on a sheet pan and transfer them to a bag.
   • Reheat straight from frozen in a toaster.
   • Don’t bag them while warm: trapped steam can form ice and make them soggy.

7. Cookie dough, pie crust, cakes, and cupcakes

   • Cookie dough: Scoop into balls, freeze on a sheet pan, then bag. Bake straight from frozen, adding 2 minutes to the usual baking time.
   • Pie crust: Roll into discs, wrap, and freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using.
   • Unfrosted cake and cupcakes: Freeze unfrosted and add frosting after thawing.

8. Bacon

   • Roll individual slices into small coils and freeze them on a plate for about 1 hour, then transfer them to a bag. Take out only the number of slices needed; they uncurl in the pan.
   • Cooked bacon can also be frozen and crumbled into salads or soup.

9. Cooked beans

   • Cook a large pot of pinto beans, black beans, or chickpeas, then freeze them in 2-cup portions with a little of their cooking liquid.
   • The presenter says 2 cups with liquid is about equivalent to one can. Thaw in a pot or microwave.

10. Rotisserie chicken - Pick all the meat from the chicken when you bring it home. Freeze portions you won’t use right away with a spoonful or two of broth in each bag to help keep the meat from drying out. - Use in soup, tacos, casseroles, or chicken salad. - Save the carcass, bones, skin, and scraps in a separate freezer bag for broth.

11. Sour cream, yogurt, and cream cheese - These may separate or become grainy after freezing, so the presenter says not to freeze them for eating plain. - Use thawed sour cream or cream cheese in baking, or in dips and frostings that will be mixed or heated. - Freeze yogurt in an ice cube tray for smoothies.

12. Greens and mushrooms - Greens: Freeze spinach, kale, or salad mix raw in a bag, squeezing out the air. No blanching is suggested. Use in smoothies or crumble frozen greens into soup, eggs, or pasta sauce—not salads. - Mushrooms: Slice and sauté in a little butter until they release their water. Cool, then freeze. The presenter warns that raw frozen mushrooms turn rubbery and release water.

13. Chips, crackers, pretzels, marshmallows, and coffee - Fold an open bag of chips tightly and freeze it. The presenter says chips, crackers, and pretzels can be eaten straight from the freezer and stay crisp. - Freeze marshmallows to keep them separate and soft. They’re also easier to cut with scissors while frozen. - Pour leftover coffee into an ice cube tray and use the cubes in iced coffee so it won’t get watery.

14. Half cans and jars - Freeze leftovers such as coconut milk, pumpkin purée, canned tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, broth, cooked oatmeal or rice, flour-based gravy, and cranberry sauce in suitable containers or trays. - Don’t freeze food in its can: Transfer it to another container and label it. Label similar-looking items, such as frozen pumpkin and tomato sauce. - The presenter notes that gravy thickened with flour freezes well, while cornstarch gravy can become watery and lumpy.

15. A freezer scrap bag for broth - Keep a gallon freezer bag in the freezer. Add onion skins and root ends, carrot peels and tops, celery leaves and bottoms, herb and mushroom stems, Parmesan rinds, and bones such as a rotisserie chicken carcass or pork-chop bones. - When the bag is full—about every 2–3 weeks for the presenter—put the scraps in a large pot, cover with water, bring to a simmer, and simmer for a couple of hours. Strain and cool. - Freeze the broth in jars, leaving 1 inch of space at the top, or use muffin tins or ice cube trays for smaller portions.

Foods the Presenter Says Not to Freeze for Their Usual Texture or Use

• Lettuce, cucumbers, and celery intended to stay crunchy
• Raw potatoes
• Mayonnaise
• Cornstarch-thickened gravy
• Fried food, which she says turns soggy
• Eggs in their shells, which can crack. She refers to beating eggs before freezing as an approach covered in the previous video.

Equipment and Preparation

Freezer bags, a marker for labels, cookie sheets or sheet pans, a muffin tin, an ice cube tray, a plate, a cheese grater, a toaster, a sauté pan, and a large pot are used or recommended.

Some foods need to be cooled before bagging or freezing. Other key preparation steps include freezing chopped vegetables flat first, sautéing mushrooms before freezing, and portioning foods for later use.

Presenter and References

The presenter is from Tried & True. She refers to a previous video on freezing foods, a book on her website, and a planned future video about what to do when the power goes out. No outside cooking sources are named.