Cash 1 Blog
Freeze Food and Save Money
Lifestyle
Some foods are more perishable than others and can spoil in a day or less if not kept properly and under the right temperature conditions. With a broad range of refrigerators and deep freezing appliances, you can freeze any foods you’d like.
Freezing foods makes life easier by reducing costs on buying groceries every day. You can stock up on as much meat, vegetables and fruits not only to save money but also maintain the natural tastes of the foods and save time. It’s convenient since you don’t need to go to the grocery store on a daily basis to buy food for dinner, lunch or breakfast.
How to Prepare Your Food for Freezing
Freeze In Airtight Conditions
Too much air in the food packaging leads to that freezer burnt taste. Freezer burn doesn’t spoil the food but changes the taste. Still harmful, right? That’s what we thought too. For example, when you freeze meat, don’t use the supermarket package. For a good taste even after weeks, wrap in freezer paper or plastic wrap and keep in a zip top bag. Excess air must be squeezed out from the container or bag.
Use Your Meal Planning Skills Before Freezing
This is more like saying you should freeze in portions. Let’s use some foods as an example; since you cannot finish an entire loaf of bread, you should slice it before tossing it into the freezer. This will prevent you wasting the bread you can't eat as it will defeat the aim of freezing by being wasteful.
Labeling Will Keep The Freezer Organized
You'll be looking for a needle in a haystack if you don’t label your foods properly before freezing. Start by partitioning your freezer into segments, e.g., fruits, prepared foods, and vegetables. This will help you know where to look at when searching. Freezing containers should be labeled with the date and the food inside; the date will help you know when to cook it.
Leave Out Space For Liquids
Even if you never attended a science class, you’ll have heard that 'at a lower temperature, matter contracts'. In the freezer, most liquids expand. While preparing for freezing, you must leave out some space, let’s say an inch to the top of the container.
Preservation Will Elongate The Shelf Life
Most foods do not need serious preparation before freezing. However, depending on the intending time frame of usage, you may consider some preservation techniques. In the case of fruits and vegetables, blanching will keep the taste, color, and texture for a long while.
Safe Defrosting
There are some ways you can defrost your food. Three methods are standard; placing in the fridge overnight, place in a bowl of water and lastly, in the microwave. Whichever method you go with, ensure the thawing is properly done. This will enable you to freeze again if need be.
Here's A List of How to Store Food to Save Money:
Food | FRZR (0° F) | Fridge (40° F) | Room Temp. |
---|---|---|---|
Smoked Breakfast Links or Patties | 1–2 m | 7 d | Needs Fridge |
Cooked or Uncooked Bacon | 1 m | 7 d | Needs Fridge |
Uncooked Sausage from beef, chicken, pork, or turkey | 1–2 m | 1–2 d | Needs Fridge |
Smoked Breakfast Links or Patties | 1–2 m | 7 d | Needs Fridge |
Baked Goods (Learn More)
FOOD | FRZR (0°) | FRIDGE (40°) | ROOM TEMP. |
---|---|---|---|
Bagels | 6 mo | 1 d | 1 d |
Baguette | 3 wk | 1 d | 1 d |
Biscotti | 6 mo | No Fridge | 2 wk |
Bread and Rolls - Baked | 3 mo | 1–2 wk | 5–7 d |
Bread and Rolls - Unbaked | 12 mo | 2 d | Needs Fridge |
Brownies - Bakery or Homemade | 3 mo | 1 mo | 5 d |
Brownies - Supermarket | 3 mo | 1 mo | 2 wk |
Cake - Frosted | 1 mo | 4–5 d | 1 wk |
Cake - Unfrosted | 2 mo | 1 wk | 1 wk |
Cookies - Baked | 6 mo | 2 wk | 1 wk |
Cookie Dough | 3 mo | 5 d | Needs Fridge |
Cheesecake | 2 mo | 4–5 d | Needs Fridge |
Fruit Pies - Baked | No FRZR | 1 wk | 2 d |
Fruit Pies - Unbaked | 6 mo | 3–4 d | Needs Fridge |
Muffins - Baked | 6 mo | 1 wk | 3 d |
Pancakes | 3 mo | 4 d | Needs Fridge |
Pecan or Pumpkin Pies - Baked | 2 mo | 3 to 4 d | Needs Fridge |
Tortillas | 3 mo | 2 wk | 1 wk |
Waffles | 1 mo | 1 d | Needs Fridge |
Waffle or Pancake Batter | No FRZ | 2 Days | Needs Fridge. |
Dairy
FOOD | FRZR (0° F) | FRIDGE (40° F) | ROOM TEMP. |
---|---|---|---|
Milk | 1 mth | 1 wk | Needs Fridge |
Butter | 12 mth | 12 wk | Needs Fridge |
Canned or Dry Milk (unopened) | 6 mth | NA | Needs Fridge |
Cottage Cheese | 3 mth | 1 wk | Needs Fridge |
Cream | No FRZ | 1–2 wk | Needs Fridge |
Ice Cream | 2–3 wk | NA | Needs Fridge |
Margarine | 12 mnth | 1 mo | Needs Fridge |
Natural Cheese | 4–6 mnth | 1 mo | Needs Fridge |
Processed Cheese | 4-6 mnth | 1 mo | Needs Fridge |
Sour Cream, Buttermilk, Cream Cheese | No FRZ | 2 wk | Needs Fridge |
Yogurt | No FRZ | 1 mo | Needs Fridge |
Eggs
FOOD | FRZR (0° F) | FRIDGE (40° F) | ROOM TEMP. |
---|---|---|---|
Eggs - Fresh in Shell | No FRZR | 4–5 wk | Needs Fridge |
Eggs - Hardboiled | No FRZR | 1 wk | Needs Fridge |
Egg Substitutes - Opened | No FRZR | 3 d | Needs Fridge |
Egg Substitutes - Unopened | 1 yr | 10 d | Needs Fridge |
Uncooked Yolks or Whites (In Freezer Bag) | 12 m | 2–4 d | Needs Fridge |
FOOD | FRZR (0°) | FRIDGE (40°) | ROOM TEMP |
---|---|---|---|
Cooked Fish | 4–6 mo | 3–4 d | Needs Fridge |
Fatty Fish | 2–3 mo | 1–2 d | Needs Fridge |
Lean Fish | 6 mo | 1–2 d | Needs Fridge |
Smoked Fish | 2 mo | 14 d | Needs Fridge |
Shrimp, Scallops, Crawfish, Squid - Uncooked | 3–6 mo | 1–2 d | Needs Fridge |
Canned Seafood - Opened and out of the Can | 2 mo | 3–4 d | Needs Fridge |
Hot Dogs & Lunch Meats
FOOD | FRZR (0°) | FRIDGE (40°) | ROOM TEMP. |
---|---|---|---|
Hot dogs, opened package | 1–2 mo | 1 wk | Needs Fridge |
Hot dogs, unopened package | 1–2 mo | 2 wk | Needs Fridge |
Lunch meats, opened package | 1–2 mo | 3–5 d | Needs Fridge |
Lunch meats, unopened package | 1–2 mo | 2 d | Needs Fridge |
Meat (Learn More)
FOOD | FRZR (0°) | FRIDGE (40°) | ROOM TEMP. |
---|---|---|---|
Steaks - Uncooked Beef, Veal, Lamb, & Pork | 6–12 mo | 3–5 d | Needs Fridge |
Chops - Uncooked Beef, Veal, Lamb, & Pork | 4–6 mo | 3–5 d | Needs Fridge |
Roasts - Uncooked Beef, Veal, Lamb, & Pork | 4–12 mo | 3–5 d | Needs Fridge |
Ground - Veal, Pork, Lamb | 3–4 mo | 1–2 d | Needs Fridge |
Tongue, Kidneys, Liver, Heart, Chitterlings - Uncooked | 3–4 mo | 1–2 d | Needs Fridge |
Cooked Meat and Meat Dishes | 2–3 mo | 3–4 d | Needs Fridge |
Gravy and Meat Broth | 2–3 mo | 1–2 d | Needs Fridge |
Hamburger and Stew Meats | 3–4 mo | 1–2 d | Needs Fridge |
Corned Beef - in Pouch with Pickling Juices | Drained, 1 mo | 5–7 d | Needs Fridge |
Ham - Canned Labeled 'Keep Refrigerated' - Unopened | No FRZR | 6–9 mo | Needs Fridge |
Ham - Canned Labeled 'Keep Refrigerated' Opened | 1–2 mo | 3–5 d | Needs Fridge |
Whole Ham - Cooked | 1–2 mo | 7 d | Needs Fridge |
Half Ham - Cooked | 1–2 mo | 3–5 d | Needs Fridge |
Slices of Ham - Cooked | 1 –2 mo | 3 –4 d | Needs Fridge |
Poultry (Learn More)
FOOD | FRZR (0°) | FRIDGE (40°) | ROOM TEMP. |
---|---|---|---|
Whole Chicken or Turkey - Uncooked | 1 Year | 1 –2 d | Needs Fridge |
Chicken or Turkey Parts - Uncooked | 9 Months | 1–2 d | Needs Fridge |
Giblets | 3 to 4 Months | 1–2 d | Needs Fridge |
Ground Turkey | 3 to 4 Months | 1–2 d | Needs Fridge |
Chicken and Turkey - Covered with Broth or Gravy | 6 Months | 3–4 d | Needs Fridge |
Chicken Nuggets or Patties | 2 Months | 3–4 d | Needs Fridge |
Don't see a food item on our list? Check out our saving tips for your fridge.