10 Foods to Keep in your Freezer

Keeping your freezer stocked is easy, but knowing the right foods to freeze can get a bit tricky. Did you know you can’t freeze certain foods like lettuce, citrus fruits and whole eggs?

What should you keep in your freezer and how do you freeze them the correct way to maximize freshness?

What to Always Keep in Your Freezer

In this post, I will share with you 10 foods that you can freeze that may help you save money in the long run.

1. Cheese. You can freeze hard cheese like cheddar, Parmesan and mozzarella. If you find a good deal on a large hunk of cheese, take it home and shred it. Place it in individual, meal size bags. It should keep fresh for 1-2 months depending on the type of cheese and save you money from buying pre-shredded cheeses.

2. Potatoes. Do you like hash browns but hate to spend the money on the already frozen packs? Just shred fresh potatoes and immediately freeze in meal size portions. Pull out and use as you would packages.

3. Onions. If you cook with onions a lot, but hate to dice them for every meal, dice a bunch one day (to save your tears, consider wearing a pair of goggles, like the ones used for swimming.) and place in small bags. They will stay fresh enough to use in dishes for 2-3 weeks.

4. Eggs. While you cannot freeze whole eggs, as they will expand and explode, you can break them open and freeze in ice cube trays. Use them for quick eggs you may need for recipes. They will stay fresh for about 2 weeks.

5. Peppers. Slice or dice green or red peppers (or yellow!) and freeze for quick use in recipes. What a fast way to top pizzas or make omelets! They will stay fresh for up to a month.

6. Sauces and soups. Make a large portion of your favorite sauce such as marinara sauce, and portion them out for meals. Soups can even be frozen in individual portions for quick lunches.

7. Stocks. Do you make your own stock? After it cools, fill a 1 gallon freeze bag halfway and lay flat in the freezer. When they are solid, you can stack them on their side for storage. They will take up less room this way.

8. Quick dishes such as homemade breakfast burritos and waffles are great for on the go breakfasts.

9. Bread. If you buy bread at day-old bakeries, you can freeze the loafs for thawing later. The bread will stay fresh for about 3-4 weeks.

10. Yogurt and fresh fruit. Mix fruit and yogurt together and freeze in large ice cubes. Pull a few out and add some ice for a quick morning smoothie. You can also cut up fruit such as bananas, berries and peaches in your freezer for this as well. I like to add fresh fruit that is about to over-ripen to a container (those few strawberries that are getting soft for example!) in my freezer and that keeps me from tossing stuff as well.