Grocery shopping can be difficult because you're limited to what you can eat before it spoils, and you end up wasting food. Instead of running to the store multiple times a week or tossing spoiled food in the compost, freezing your food is a solid option (pun intended). I'm not just talking about frozen pizzas and fruit for smoothies — anything. Here are seven things that you never thought you could freeze, but should.
1. Bread
Whenever I buy bread, I put the whole loaf in the freezer as soon as I get home. Although it would seem unnecessary to freeze bread, nothing is worse than looking down at your sandwich after your first bite and realizing there's a chunk of mold staring right back at you. Avoid this by freezing pre-cut slices, and then pop one in the toaster when you're ready to eat it. It'll thaw and toast at the same time.
2. Sauces
If you can't finish your jar of tomato sauce within a few weeks after opening it, or you've made too much pesto from scratch, then freezing them in ice cube trays is the perfect way to store them for months and have individual portions already prepped for paninis, pastas, and more.
3. Milk
I bet you've never thought of this one. I started freezing milk after one incident when the temperature in my refrigerator was accidentally changed to the coldest setting. The milk lasted weeks beyond the refrigerator expiration date, and I didn't have to pour half of the carton down the drain from spoilage.
#SpoonTip: For easy thawing, freeze milk in ice cube trays like the sauces. This is great for iced coffees and teas since it won't water your drink down.
4. Grapes
Most people only choose to freeze smoothie-friendly fruits, such as strawberries and bananas, but that should change. Freezing fruits like grapes make the perfect bite-sized popsicles on a hot day and are a healthy alternative to popsicles and ice cream.
5. Butter
Butter always seems to come in large packages or tubs, so an easy way to keep them from going bad before you can use it is to freeze them and then thaw them in the refrigerator a day or two before use. This will surely ease your mind the next time you're worried about shopping in bulk at stores like Costco.
6. Food Scraps
If you made a recipe and have extra peels, bones, herbs, and veggie and meat scraps, resist the urge to compost them. Get your money's worth by freezing them and then making a flavorful stock for cold winter days.
7. Uncooked Batters and Doughs
So you didn't follow my fifth tip to freeze your butter, and you decided to bake a whole bunch of cookies with it instead. But now you have too much cookie dough. You're in luck—you can freeze unbaked cookie dough too. Since all the prep work has been done, all you have to do is pop them in the oven when you get a craving for sweets.
With these seven food items in mind, don't be afraid to freeze foods that aren't commonly frozen to save money, time, and food from going to go to waste.