5 Foods You Didn’t Know You Can Freeze

There are a number of foods that almost everyone is confident of the fact that they can be kept in the freezer to retain their freshness. Almost everyone can relate to the fact that if they bought too much meat, they can freeze what they don’t need for later.

Same thing applies to your favourite bread on sale which you can stock up and throw what you don’t need later into the freezer.

However, there are some other foods that you ought to be freezing that you probably don’t know belong in the freezer. Instead of letting these foods go to waste, you can start storing them in the freezer for a day that you would be busy and most likely need them.

Cooked pasta
Everybody knows how easy it is to make enough pasta for the whole family when you only want to cook for two persons.

This is why it is a good thing that you can freeze the leftover pasta you aren’t able to use.

Pasta freezes a little better when it’s cooked al dente beforehand, and drizzling it with olive oil before storing in the freezer can help it keep from sticking together when you thaw it out.

Eggs
The good news is, you can freeze your uneaten eggs. To however do it right, you will need to do a little bit of work to get it done right. Eggs shouldn’t go in the freezer while still in their shells. Water expands when it freezes, meaning frozen eggs have the potential to crack. Cracked eggs can in turn become contaminated by bacteria.

Instead, crack the eggs open and beat them together to mix. Pour the mixture into an ice cube tray, with about 3 tablespoons of the mixture in each section, and transfer to a freezer bag for later use. Egg whites can be frozen in trays as well — this time 2 tablespoons per section.

Egg yolks alone, however, should be mixed with a dash of salt or sugar to keep their texture from getting too gelatinous when they’re eventually thawed. Yolks should be frozen in servings of 1 tablespoon.

Cheese
It is totally safe to freeze cheese but it is important to remember that it doesn’t work with every variety. Freezing some cheese makes it dry and crumbly. This doesn’t affect processed, hard, or aged cheeses quite so much, so feel free to toss any excess of these types in your freezer.

Cheese that has been frozen is best when used for cooking, since the melting process will negate any effects of the freezing.

Salad greens
Salad greens in a way tends to go to waste pretty quickly in the fridge. The good intentions you have while doing your grocery shopping don’t always stick once you’re back at home, especially if you end up with lots of carbohydrates.

It is possible to freeze those greens you don’t use, but they won’t be salad-worthy when they thaw. Instead, freeze the leaves in small batches (cooked or raw) and use them in smoothies. Toss them in the blender while they’re still frozen.

Avocados
When you buy avocados and they become ripe, you usually have just about a day to use them before they turn to mush. So what happens when you have a handful of them that ripen all at once? Lucky for you, you don’t have to thrash them because you can actually freeze avocados.

To freeze halves of avocados, just halve, peel, and seed the avocados, then brush them lightly with lemon juice to prevent browning. Finally, wrap them very tightly in plastic wrap.

Another way of storing them is to mash the avocados with a splash of lemon juice and place that in a freezer bag. Once thawed, they probably won’t be good to eat sliced, but they’re great in any recipe that calls for mashed or chunked avocado.