5 foods you probably didn't know you could freeze

Freezing butter is easy and is especially handy when stocking up for the baking season. Picture: Pexels/Markus Spiske

Freezing butter is easy and is especially handy when stocking up for the baking season. Picture: Pexels/Markus Spiske

Published Jan 21, 2022

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There is nothing worse than seeing an expensive food item thrown in the trash because it went bad.

To prevent this, we often package our favourite foods and put them in the freezer, where they can keep for months beyond their expiry dates.

Unfortunately, not all foods freeze well, meaning they taste terrible when they are defrosted and given a second chance at the dinner table. So, which foods are better for freezing?

Prosecco

Next time you open a bottle of Prosecco and only have a glass or two, keep the rest from going bad by pouring it into a freezer-safe container, adding some berries, and sticking it in the freezer. Once it's frozen, scoop it into a bowl and eat it like a frozen dessert.

Cheese

I know some people who add cheese to nearly every single dish, that is a lot of cheese and it doesn’t generally come cheap. When blocks of cheese go on sale, feel free to stock up.

Cheese can freeze in its original packaging, but wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminium foil.

Research reveals that soft cheese and cheesy spreads will only last a month frozen, so it may only be worth it to freeze the harder cheeses, which will last up to six months.

Remember to defrost cheese in the refrigerator overnight before use.

Butter

Freezing butter is easy and is especially handy when stocking up for the baking season.

Simply place butter in its original wrapping inside of an airtight bag or tightly wrapped in foil.

When ready, remove the butter from the freezer and defrost overnight in the refrigerator before use.

Bananas

Don't throw out those over-ripe bananas in your fruit bowl – you can chop them up into slices and place them in a freezer-safe storage bag.

They can be used in the future for a banana loaf or smoothies.

Herbs

You don’t want to place herbs directly into your freezer as they will become soft and lose some of their flavours, but there is a way to freeze them properly so that doesn’t happen.

The trick is to use olive oil. Simply chop up fresh herbs like sage, oregano, thyme, or rosemary and pack them into your ice cube trays about halfway full.

Cover them with extra-virgin olive oil, leaving a little bit of room at the top for expansion.

Wrap in plastic wrap and then freeze the ice trays overnight.

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