A Low Waste Guide to Freezing Food
The freezer is one of the best ways to preserve and store your food so it doesn’t go bad, but also so you can buy in bulk and make less trips to the grocery store.
This may surprise some, but I keep most of my flours and grains stored in my freezer. I once had an encounter with moths in my pantry and ever since made the switch to keep the food they love in the freezer so I would never have that issue again (if you’ve ever experienced this you will know that they get into everything!)
I have large plastic containers that take up a lot of space, but I keep my flours and by oats stored in them in the freezer. The nice thing about the containers is that I can take them to the bulk store when they are empty and them throw them straight back into the freezer when I get home. No need to pray that you bought the right amount to fit into the container when you get home.
Meats are also another thing I utilize my freezer for a lot. I don’t eat a lot of meat, but I like to buy it from the butcher and then freeze it so it’s available when I want to cook it. Meat is something that I dislike buying from the grocery store because I HATE styrofoam packaging. They are destined for the garbage, and who know where the meat came from.
By purchasing meat at the butcher, it comes wrapped in wax coated paper, reducing the packing significantly. When I get it home, I wash it and then freeze most into meal size portions. Previously I had stored meat in plastic freezer bags that I tried to wash and reuse but found this challenging with raw meat.
Recently I bought reusable silicone bags for the freezer and this has been a game changer. They are a bit pricey ($11/bag), but if you buy them gradually there is a long-term return on investment. I like them because you can wash them in the dishwasher and no more disposable plastic.
I will prep burgers (meat or veggie) in a big batch and then freeze them in glass containers in between layers of parchment paper. Another easy meal prep hack!
Freezing food is also a great way to store fruits and veggies that you won’t finish before they go bad. Often, I find it best to freeze foods on a cookie sheet, and then move them to a silicone bag or container so that nothing sticks together.
The freezer is also my go-to when I need a quick healthy meal and don’t have time to make something. I will freeze leftover curries or stews in portion sized containers to grad and go. Broths are also another freezer friendly staples. I often make broth from bones or veggies scraps and freezer the broth to make soups later on.
You can definitely freeze items in glass! Leftover almond milk that you can’t finish in time? No problem. Simply fill the glass jar and leave an inch or two at the top (because liquid expands when it freezes and leave the top off. Once it’s frozen, you can then put the top on.
There are not many things that can’t go in the freezer, and this is a great way to keep your food from going bad and to meal prep!
Make sure to do a freezer audit every week to see what is in there and can be used up with your next week’s meal plan. Food doesn’t last forever in there and can get freezer burn if you leave it for too long so definitely try to use things up within a few months.