How to
MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR FREEZER

Besides big-batch leftovers, there are a number of fresh ingredients you can store in your freezer—extending the life of bought-in-bulk items as well as anything at risk of getting spoiled before you can consume it. Of course, homemade doughs (pizza, pie, and cookie) take well to being frozen, as do many baked goods, from biscuits and quick breads to all sorts of cakes and cookies—even some pies.

What to Freeze

Here are the most common items that can be kept fresher longer by freezing.

• Staples such as nuts and seeds, whole-grain flours, butter, hard cheese, bread and breadcrumbs, bacon and sausage, vanilla beans, fresh ginger, and grated coconut.
• Seasonal berries and sliced fruits such as peaches and plums, grapes, and (peeled) bananas.
• Fresh woody, stemmed herbs such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, marjoram, sage, and bay leaves.
• Even milk (yes, milk!) can be frozen before its best-by date to avoid spoilage, though its taste and texture might be affected (in which case use it for cooking or baking, not drinking).
• Egg whites and/or yolks left over from a cake, custard, or other dessert recipe; note the number on the container for future reference (see page 309 for more information). Do not freeze eggs in the shell.
• Do not freeze soft cheeses, mayonnaise, sour cream, and cream-laden soups and sauces.

How to Freeze

In general, the best way to freeze things quickly is to ensure you do it in a very cold (0°F) freezer that isn’t overpacked—the frosty air needs to circulate. (Think of this as the home version of the food industry’s flash-freezing, which exposes foods to seconds of cryogenic temperatures.) A good way to tell if your freezer isn’t cold enough? You can easily scoop ice cream right out of the icebox. Here are some tips to help ensure food tastes its best after thawing.

• Let cooked foods cool before storing; still-warm dishes can raise freezer temperatures and tend not to freeze uniformly. For fast cooling, add a few ice cubes to soups and stews; set a container of hot leftovers in a bowl filled with ice water. Dividing food into shallower containers can also help.
• When freezing liquids, leave at least 2 inches of space between surface and lid—liquid expands a lot when frozen, which is why regular glass jars are not the best option (they can crack).
• Otherwise, pack the containers to the brim, leaving as little headroom as possible—that’s where ice crystals are allowed to develop. The smaller (and fewer) the ice crystals, the less dehydrated the food will be when thawed.
• When adding new packages or containers to freezer, leave several inches of space between them to allow air to circulate and lower internal temperatures; once frozen, you can store items more tightly. Place newest things in the back, and pull older foods to the front.
• Meat, poultry, bread, hard (but not soft) cheese, and fish can be tightly swaddled in butcher paper (waxy side in) and then in plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
• Slow thawing in the refrigerator is best for meats and cheese (and milk), since it allows much of the moisture to reabsorb, which prevents dryness. Place wrapped meats on a plate or in a tray to catch any juicy drippings. Smaller items might thaw as quickly as overnight, but most will require more time—give them a day or two. Be sure that your refrigerator is kept at about 36°F.
• Briefly blanching vegetables, then shocking them in an ice-water bath, can help preserve their color, flavor, texture, and nutrients; drain well before storing in separate resealable bags.
• To freeze berries and sliced stone fruits, place them on a baking sheet in a single layer and freeze until hard, then transfer to a sealed container. A little sprinkling of sugar (raw, brown, or white) or of honey can help the water freeze in the fruit’s tissue without affecting texture.