I’ve never been shy on extolling the virtues of the freezer. There’s this commercial on-air these days that says, “your freezer is not a time capsule.” While I agree with this sentiment, I think there is far too much snobbery around freezers because of our love affair with fresh ingredients. Dear reader, this article will not contain one single word about fresh ingredients.
Freezers came into the homes in 1923 and I’d agree they were just as impactful as the advent of salt and its role in food preservation. Granted, in 1923 we weren’t hunting and gathering and living in subsistence, but this was a game changer for the American family. The first freezers were miniscule. You could only fit a ham and a metal ice cube tray. Now the freezers are generous in size and filled with room-saving compartments. We all know someone who has a giant freezer in their garage filled with such overflow luxuries like sides of beef and push pops.
I can understand the freezers of our childhood can conjure up grey peas and brown blob TV dinners, but the freezer is absolutely your friend in the time and money-saving meal business. Let’s talk about some of the best things to freeze:
The Three S’s: soups, sauces, stocks…these are your keys to making quality weekday meals in under 30 minutes. A warm nourishing meal is entirely within your reach when time and money are scant.
Fruit: bananas, berries, mangoes, pineapple, peaches…buy these when they are on sale and chop and freeze them for smoothies.
Pastry: bread, bagels and muffins do really well for a month and are worth the freeze because they are expensive and spoil quickly.
Dairy: milk, cheese, eggs and butter all freeze beautifully. I have a small love affair with the green-label Kirkland butter from Costco (makes Kerrygold taste like sawdust) and I buy six packages and freeze them. I also buy six pints of egg whites and do the same for my omelets.
Protein: chicken, beef, pork, seafood and tofu are great in the freezer. I don’t recommend freezing whole chickens but I’ll leave that to you.
*Yes we eat McDonald’s chicken nuggets because a 20 piece is free with the two-cheeseburger meal on the app.