ONLY AVAILABLE IN THE EU + FREE DELIVERY WITHIN THE NETHERLANDS
ONLY AVAILABLE IN THE EU + FREE DELIVERY WITHIN THE NETHERLANDS
THE ART OF FREEZING
A freezer is almost like magic, as it is practically a tool in your kitchen that lets you press the pause button for food.
You can use this technique when you've bought or cooked a lot, are about to go on vacation, your intention to cook a meal succumbs to last-minute plans, or you're the only one who likes that big pot of soup you've made.
During these times, the freezer is the best way to store food until you're ready to eat it.
These six tips can help you get the most out of your freezer.
This is where food waste ends:
Freeze, Plan and Conquer!
1
FREEZE IN PORTIONS
Think about real-life meal planning when you freeze. For instance, you probably won’t need a whole loaf of bread at once, so slice it up before you pop it in the freezer. Then you can toast it right from the freezer a slice or two at a time.
Freeze berries on a cookie sheet separately for about half an hour and then transfer them to a bag, so they won’t all stick together in a clump.
Scramble two raw eggs (yes, eggs can be frozen!) so that you can cook breakfast for one. You get the idea!
2
KEEP IT AIRTIGHT
Less air = less freezer burn (what happens when foods oxidize in the freezer).
Remove meat from supermarket trays and wrap well with plastic wrap or freezer paper before storing it in zip-top bags. Squeeze excess air from plastic bags and containers, and avoid opening the freezer door unnecessarily. Freezer burn is harmless but affects taste. Oh, and those water crystals that can form on frozen foods? Perfectly normal.
3
LEAVE ROOM FOR LIQUIDS
You may have learned in science class that matter contracts when subjected to lower temperatures, but that’s not always true in the kitchen.
Most liquids expand in the freezer, so leave about half an inch at the top of containers to account for this.
4
BLANCH
You can put most foods straight into the freezer with minimal preparation, especially if you plan to eat them within a couple of days. Most fruits and vegetables, however, benefit from the simple process of blanching, which preserves their quality, color, and vitamin content—particularly if they might be in the freezer for a long time. It takes a few minutes at the most: you clean your produce, pop it in a pot of boiling water, then cool in ice water. See the storage section for specific blanching times.
5
LABEL AND ORGANIZE
Label containers with contents and date, and use clear containers when possible so you can easily see what’s inside. Lay bags of leftover mashed potatoes and tomato puree flat in the freezer so they’re easy to stack. You can use large containers to partition your freezer by food type, with areas for fruits, vegetables, and prepared foods.
As your commitment to freezing grows, you can use a whiteboard on the freezer door to keep a log of what’s inside. It helps with meal planning and minimizes time spent digging around for last week’s corn.
6
DEFROST SAFELY
You’ve taken care to freeze your foods to their best advantage, now give some time and attention to proper thawing. The safest ways to defrost frozen foods are by placing them in the fridge (overnight will usually do it), in the microwave (settings vary according to model), or in a bowl of cold water. Food safety experts do not recommend thawing on the kitchen counter or in warm water. And, yes, you can refreeze your food, as long as you’ve followed one of the procedures to defrost it safely in the first place.
