Many foods can easily be frozen and pulled out for later consumption. It’s a great way to maintain a “revolving pantry” on hand for emergencies or low energy days. This is also a huge help for expectant mothers, those living far from home, or those who just hate cooking and want to minimize how often they do it without eating the same thing on repeat.

How-to

Allow food to cool to room temp, then transfer to airtight, freezer-safe storage containers. If using bags (such as plastic zip-top bags or silicone bags), remove as much air as possible.

If you can, portion things out into reasonable sizes rather than freezing an entire recipe as-is. For example, divide soup into 1-cup sizes, or slice cake into single-serve portions before freezing. This will make taking out what you need later much easier. See “tools” section below for items that will make this easy breezy.

Liquids

Examples: soup, broth, masala gravy, sauces

Liquids expand when frozen, so always be sure to leave some headroom at the top, about an inch is sufficient. If there’s no allowance, the liquid won’t have anywhere to go and may explode whatever container it’s in.

Doughs & Breads

Bread is easily frozen in the package it came in (if store bought) or you can wrap home made bread in plastic wrap, secure it in a zip-top bag, or even a plastic grocery bag, then toss it in the freezer. You can freeze bread after slicing or before.

Unbaked breads, like pizza dough, can also be frozen in plastic bags. Thaw in the fridge until ready to use.

Cookie dough can be frozen either rolled into a log shape or in individual portions. Cookies can also be frozen after baking.

Cakes should be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, and in a deep cake pan, if possible. Cakes can be frozen whole or sliced.

Use

Most items can be thawed safely in the microwave, but the easiest method and the one which retains the best food quality is to transfer the item to the fridge, giving it enough time to defrost before you need it. How long it will take depends on the item and its shape; thinner items will be ready more quickly. Something like marinara sauce in a 32oz jar will take maybe 2-3 days to fully thaw, for example.

Some items can also be used from frozen, such as tomato that are being cooked and incorporated into dishes or ginger and garlic pastes, or even ground beef.

Tools

Several kitchen tools make this task much easier, see below for direct product links. These are not affiliate links.

prep

• jar funnel or canning funnel
• good sized ladle
• silicone spatulas

storage

Silicone portioning trays have been a game changer for me. The original, well-known brand (and the one I initially purchased) I will not link to, as the founders are Zionists, I’m fairly certain. Their web presence conveniently scrubbed all mention of their trips to Tel-Aviv.

Happily, there are many alternatives out there now with the same quality and slightly reduced price. I’ve listed them below:

• 1-cup portioning tray
• 4 cup tray, no dividers
  • good for bigger batches or lasagne

The thing to look for is that the sections are independent of each other (the walls are not attached) so you can easily pop one portion out without affecting its neighbor. Also, look for the wire in the rim, which adds stability and allows for the tight fitting lid.

The other benefit in these 1-cup portions is that items pop out very easily into neat bricks which fit perfectly in gallon size zip-top bags, freeing up the tray for reuse.

Other containers that I’ve used include:

• 1 tsp trays
  • good for storing pureed ginger, garlic, peppers, etc.
• nested silicone cake pans
• glass baking trays
• repurposed glass jars
  • from marinara sauce, jams, jellies, etc.
  • these are great for storing liquids and especially for storing the same type of item that you initially purchased, such as reusing a pasta sauce jar for homemade marinara
• plastic zip-top bags
  • I’ve put virtually everything in these, from liquids, to rice, meats, etc. I dislike plastics, for the most part, but freezing is hopefully not damaging
  • try to freeze items flat and pressed out into a disc, if possible, so that thawing takes less time
• silicone bags
  • I’m looking to replace plastic bags entirely with these soon. Super sturdy, with an airtight seal so even water doesn’t leak (tested); I bought mine from Costco