Pointers for safe and secure frozen food storage

A well-stocked freezer can save you money and time, but you don't want to be wasteful. Whether you're batch cooking, buying in bulk, or simply want to hold on to your leftovers a little longer, these tips will make sure you're doing it right.

Keep these things in mind when deciding which foods to freeze:

• The more water a food contains the less likely it is to freeze well.
• Many fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes, are better puréed or made into sauces, soups or cooked dishes.
• Vegetables need to be blanched in boiling water and then cooled quickly in cold water to maintain their colour, flavour, and nutritional value when freezing.
• Freeze food in watertight bags or rigid containers that will make the best use of your freezer space. Items can also be wrapped in foil or film.

Use these pointers to run a safe and efficient freezer:

• A full freezer runs most efficiently.
• Freeze foods when they're as fresh as possible.
• Allow room for liquids to expand as they freeze.
• Never refreeze any food that's already defrosted.
• Label items you freeze with the name and date.

Meat and poultry

• Beef, lamb, and uncooked poultry can be frozen for up to 12 months. Buy in bulk from a butcher, farmer, or market.
• Pork can be kept for 9 months.
• Uncooked minced meat can be frozen for 2 months, and does best when it's shaped into burgers before freezing.
• Sausages, bacon, and ham can last for 3 months and freeze best when they're uncooked.
• Cooked meat can be frozen for 4 months, and this window also applies to casseroles and other cooked meat dishes.
• Soups and stocks freeze well for 3-6 months. Use shorter times for soups.
• Uncooked fish can generally be frozen for 4 months, but you can freeze white fish for a few months longer. Uncooked shellfish and prawns of all varieties will freeze well for 3 months.

Vegetables, fruits, herbs 

• Asparagus, peas, and sweetcorn, as well as broad, french, and runner beans will last up to 12 months. Blanch them for 2-3 minutes before freezing.
• Spinach can last 12 months as well, but blanch for 2 minutes first and then squeeze out excess water.
• Herbs will last for 12 months. Chop and freeze them in ice cube trays, then bag them up for easy use.
• Fruit will freeze for 12 months.

Dairy and eggs

• Double cream and unsalted butter will freeze for 8 months. This goes down to 6 months for salted butter.
• Cheese can be frozen for 4 months and is best frozen grated. Note that cheese becomes more flaky after freezing.
• Eggs can be frozen for 10 months, but must be out of their shells.
• Ice cream and frozen yogurt can last about 3 months.

Bread, pasta, pastry and cakes

• Bread should be frozen ready-sliced or as breadcrumbs for easy use, and lasts about 6 months.
• When freezing pizza, freeze according to the toppings. 2 months is a good guideline
• Pasta of all varieties can be frozen for 4 months.
• Cakes can last for up to 6 months and do best if you freeze them before icing.
• Uncooked pastry should be pre-rolled for easy use before freezing and can last about 3 months. Cooked pastry should be frozen according to its filling, but 3 months is a good guideline to follow.

By freezing intelligently, you can save money and reduce food waste. As a bonus, you'll have loads of readily available, easy-to-prepare meals. So get freezing! It's a no-brainer.

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