[siriradha]

Plums! We have a plum tree and I just can't use them up fast enough, so I cut them in quarters (without the seed) and put them in a freezer bag with some sugar and cinnamon, lay them flat to freeze, and I'm ready to use them in shakes, oatmeal, crisps, or whatever.

Cilantro or Parsley. When you don't use the whole bunch, put it into a bowl and snip, snip, snip with scissors until it's as small as you want. Put one tablespoon of this into each section of a regular sized ice cube tray and fill with water. When frozen, pop them out into a freezer bag to store...or just put a freezer bag around the whole ice cube tray.

Yeast! I've had a jar of yeast last up to a year in the freezer.

Grated orange (or lemon, or lime) peel for baking. I don't actually grate it; I'm too lazy. I just let my orange peel dry out on a paper towel till it's crispy, and then run it through my little coffee grinder till it's like I want it. Then, I put it into a little plastic container and freeze for when I need it.

Birdseed. Oatmeal and flour products aren't the only thing that get mealworms!

[kimberly007]

OMG thank you so much for this thread. My DH is actually (finally) considering getting a freezer for the garage. A small chest freezer is all we have room for, but we need the extra freezer space. This thread was actually the catalyst for that decision. The fact that we can freeze bacon and have it in hand more often really peaked his interest. Thanks.

[deneisetorres]

Funny how bacon can always get a man's attention!

[khoyfish]

Like previous posters, I freeze bread, milk, soup, pancakes, waffles, rolls, dough, cookies, eggs, bacon, shredded cheese, etc. I love making large batches of things to save time later, such as the following:

rice: I cook a huge batch in the rice cooker or oven. Once cooled, I put it in freezer bags. Defrost or thaw in the fridge; heat in the microwave or on the stove.(Fried rice works great too.)

Minced/chopped garlic: mix it with enough olive oil or whatever oil you use most until easily stirred(but not soupy). Place in ice cube trays used only for this and freeze. When ready to use, pop them out (or put under warm running water). One cube is about 1 TB. You can let it thaw before using, but I actually toss it into the pan the way it is. This has been a wonderful time saver.

Nuts: I portion them out and put them in ziploc bags. Then I thaw them on the counter or in the fridge before toasting them.

Leftover Parmesan rinds: ziplock bag. I save them for adding depth and flavor to soups.

Herbs: my rosemary and thyme plants produce more than I can cook with or give away, so I snip long sprigs, wrap them whole (strip the rosemary) in plastic wrap, and then place them in ziplock bags. Thaw in the fridge or on the counter before using, or toss them into soups or whatever you're making.

Yogurt: I mix a huge batch (4 lbs at a time) of plain yogurt and honey for my kids. Once it freezes, I scrape it for them and add fresh or frozen berries to it. The kids love it and call it "icy yogurt."

Whole, peeled russet potatoes: I freeze them whole and/or chopped depending on the dish I'm making. I just put them in ziplock bags and toss them in the freezer. They're great for soups, especially when I'm making pho.

Unfortunately, I tried to flash freeze chopped broccoli (which my toddler loves and calls "baby trees"), and I put them into ziplock bags. However, when I cooked it, it wasn't the same--the flavor and texture was way off. If anyone has tips, I'd appreciate them.

Oh, and something funny we put in the freezer, even though they don't freeze: vodka and gin. Though I personally don't like these strong ones (give me Malibu and aloe juice any day), my other family members love this chilling method; plus, it saves space.

[Ronica447]

[buggsmom316]

Think is such a great thread.
I have a questions can I freeze my sons formula? ? Its so much easier to have permafrost bottles sometime and I use to freeze my milk when he nursed so is forums the same

[roush9799]

I tried freezing the GoGurts, now my 2 year old only likes them right out of the freezer.

[shadust1]

frozen go-gurts r really good frozen...dont let ur 2 yr old tell u...try it yourself...yummy!!!

Originally Posted by roush9799

I tried freezing the GoGurts, now my 2 year old only likes them right out of the freezer.

[kittycatinkc]

I often freeze the big bags of fresh spinach. Once frozen i just smash it up and take what I need for my dish Im cooking. Never had a problem.

Sent from my LS670 using AFullCup

[liibyz]

Has anyone tried freezing sour cream chip dip? I can get it for .24 a piece during Kroger's mega sale and was wondering if it would freeze well?

[deneisetorres]

Originally Posted by liibyz

Has anyone tried freezing sour cream chip dip? I can get it for .24 a piece during Kroger's mega sale and was wondering if it would freeze well?

I haven't but I wouldn't hesitate to try it.

[deboe696989]

i heard water freezes well...but never tried it yet

[Til]

Has anyone tried freezing sour cream? Just wondering. TIA!

[Z and G's Mom]

Soft cheeses and milk products like sour cream, goat cheese, cream cheese don't freeze well IMO.

[rhondag508]

I had to freeze the Philly cooking creme in self defense last summer. It is okay that it separates a little because you often stir it into meat products. It looks the same after you use it in a recipe as it did when it hadn't been frozen.

But yes, I agree, sour cream and cream cheese have a real consistency problem that might make a fluffy dessert for example, fail.

[khoyfish]

Originally Posted by Til

Has anyone tried freezing sour cream? Just wondering. TIA!

I have. I buy the huge tubs and place 1 or 2 cup portions in freezer containers. I agree that the consistency isn't great after thawing (if you want it for dips or topping various foods), but I like to defrost it just enough for it to slip out of the container and throw it in the crockpot when I'm making bean or tortilla soup. It tastes good and I don't have to worry about putting it in during the last hour.

[khoyfish]

Question: can I freeze POM juice? Our family loves this and I want to put this in our chest freezer.

[DantheQponMan]

freezing coffee is not a good thing. in fact its one of the worst things you can do for coffee besides put it in the fridge. You want to put coffee in an air tight container and in a dark spot.

Pom juice should be fine I've frozen it before but not the entire bottle I break it down since I don't drink the entire thing and used it in smoothies no problem

[deneisetorres]

Originally Posted by DantheQponMan

freezing coffee is not a good thing. in fact its one of the worst things you can do for coffee besides put it in the fridge. You want to put coffee in an air tight container and in a dark spot.

Pom juice should be fine I've frozen it before but not the entire bottle I break it down since I don't drink the entire thing and used it in smoothies no problem

Never heard that about freezing coffee before. I've always heard that freezing was best to keep it fresh. Now i guess I gotta google it. Lol

[DantheQponMan]

don't worry I thought the same thing for as long as I can remember even my parents did it. I actually found out its bad when I got interested in ordering coffee beans in bulk

[AmandaDavenport]

Originally Posted by khoyfish

when I'm making pho.

Alittle off topic here, but do you have any recipes you can PM me? I have been trying to find a good recipe for Pho as my and my son LOVE it, but can't always make it to our fav Pho rest. before it closes.

[poisongirl6485]

Originally Posted by Til

Has anyone tried freezing sour cream? Just wondering. TIA!

I am learning the hard way on this one. I stocked up on sour cream when I got them for like 60 cents...when it thaws, it's watery and separates. I'm hoping I can still use it when cooking to add to the sauced etc, but you can't use it on baked potatoes or anything. Sucks because I have 4 or 5 containers frozen that I'm not sure if I will even use.

[Z and G's Mom]

ASPARAGUS! Meijer has it on sale for $.99lb this week and last, so I bought up 6.5lbs of it, blanched it for 2 minutes in boiling water, ice bathed it, dried it in the fridge and put it in freezer bags in amounts that my family could eat as a side dish. I've read online that it freezes well so I'm REALLY hoping it does!!

[MommaBee79]

Regular yogurts (yolait kind) freeze well and my kids love love love them as a frozen treat. Just give it a minute to thaw and start chipping at it with a spoon. My son even has special frozen yogurt mittens he wears to keep his hands warm because he eats it this way so often.

Milk - Pop it out of freezer into a sink full of hot water and let sit. Drain and repeat when water cools. The milk will thaw on the outside first and leave a nice ice strip in the middle. It keeps the milk cold while your thawing. We do this when we forget to take it out the night before and need it NOW! I have never never never had a milk go bad or taste/look weird HOWEVER I only buy fat free and so I don't have fat seperation or discoloration to worry about.

lunch meat comes out exactly the same as it went in just will a little extra juice (even the food saver doesn't stop that)

blueberries. Just pop them in the freezer and eat. some kids I know will only eat them this way.

I freeze my coffee-mate (again fat free) all the time with no change to taste.

I have read you can freeze cake batter just fine as well and the cake its self.

[Z and G's Mom]

Originally Posted by Z and G's Mom

ASPARAGUS! Meijer has it on sale for $.99lb this week and last, so I bought up 6.5lbs of it, blanched it for 2 minutes in boiling water, ice bathed it, dried it in the fridge and put it in freezer bags in amounts that my family could eat as a side dish. I've read online that it freezes well so I'm REALLY hoping it does!!

Sooo... the asparagus froze really well but it was a bit mushy. I stuck it in just a bit of water and heated it for about 2-3 minutes. Next time I will try just putting it in a skillet without water to heat it through.

Originally Posted by MommaBee79

Regular yogurts (yolait kind) freeze well and my kids love love love them as a frozen treat. Just give it a minute to thaw and start chipping at it with a spoon. My son even has special frozen yogurt mittens he wears to keep his hands warm because he eats it this way so often.

TOOOO cute!