Shopping and storage
Freezer Food Treasure - How to Make the Most of the Food in your Freezer
Freezing is a great way to make your food last longer and avoid waste. We can freeze food up to its use-by date, and freeze batch cooked meals and leftovers such as pasta dishes and even bread.
There are lots of simple ways that you can use your freezer to avoid food waste and discover the treasure of food already there to save money on food bills and reduce waste. Here are some helpful and easy tips to ensure you make the most of what’s in your freezer!
Our top tips to avoid freezer food waste:
Use what you’ve got:
- Plan meals using food you already have in your freezer – this will save you money on your weekly food shop and avoid food being forgotten. Batch cooking and freezing meals that can be eaten during the week will save you time and ensure you have a tasty meal ready to go at any time.
- Think of your freezer as a ready store of food – this convenience gives you the flexibility to have ingredients to hand for making meals such as frozen mushrooms and peas – you can add them to a tasty Shepherd’s pie.
- Make a list of what food is in your freezer including the date it went in – keeping this list updated as you add food to your freezer and take it out will help you to keep track of what food you have – otherwise it might never be re-discovered!
- Defrost food in a suitable container overnight in the fridge – once it’s defrosted, it’s best to cook it as soon as possible. Defrosted foods should only be refrozen once it has been cooked to above 75°C. It should not be refrozen more than once.
Keep your freezer organised:
- Implement the ‘First in, first to be eaten’ rule – when you look in the freezer the first thing you need to see is the food you should eat first! So, new food items need to be placed behind ‘older’ ones in the freezer and wait their turn to be eaten!
- Keep your freezer organised– it is a good idea to date and label what food goes in your freezer and to group ‘like with like’ food items e.g. keep frozen veg together. This will make it easier for you to see and find food in your freezer.
Make sure your freezer is maintained properly:
- Do a freezer ‘cook-out’ every 3 months – this will ensure you use the food you already have in your freezer as it doesn’t last forever. Regularly using up the store of food in your freezer to make meals will save you money and avoid wasting food.
- Make sure your freezer is maintained properly – this will ensure food is cooled properly and saves on electricity costs too. The temperature of the freezer should be set at -18°C or less.
Following these simple steps will help save you money, time and prevent food waste. Why not give some of our tips a go and see what treasure you discover in your freezer?
Let us know on social media how you get on, and follow us while you’re there for more simple, helpful tips and tricks to avoid food waste.
More information on freezing food safely can be found here.
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