11 reasons to love your freezer

1. Save leftover wine for cooking

This is an excellent option for those who don’t drink wine but like to use it in cooking. There’s no need to let a bottle go to waste because you need just one cup for a recipe. Simply pour what’s left into ice cube trays and leave to freeze. Once it’s frozen solid you can pop the ice cubes out of the tray and store in a container. As it doesn’t freeze as solidly as other liquids it’s better stored in a container rather than a bag. It’s no good for drinking once it’s been frozen but it is perfect for use in cooking.

2. Store grated cheese in the freezer

Buy large blocks of cheese when they are on special at the supermarket. Grate it and store in a bag or container in the freezer. The freezer is no place for fancy artisan cheese but your average tasty, edam or colby cheese will store perfectly. A bag of pre-grated cheese always proves remarkably handy in my house. It is one less thing to do when preparing midweek meals. Perfect for throwing into frittatas, lasagna or on pizza.

3. Baked goods can go straight from freezer to lunchbox

Home baking can be a little bit feast or famine sometimes, with that feeling you need to eat the whole batch before it goes bad. Nowadays I freeze almost everything I bake. It’s added to the lunchbox in the morning and is perfectly thawed within an hour or so. I make big double batches of muesli bars and savoury muffins to get our family through the week. It all goes straight into the freezer cut into the individual portions. It’s far cheaper to make those things at home and there is no unnecessary packaging involved.

4. Buy cheap bananas in bulk and freeze them

My local vegetable market sells ripe spotty bananas very cheaply. I buy them in bulk and store in the freezer to use later. Peel the bananas before freezing (as peeling frozen bananas can be a bit of a pain). Lay them on a plate or tray to freeze. Once frozen you can put them all together in a bag or container. You’ll always have ripe bananas on hand for baking – because I can never find a spotty banana at the fruit and veggie shop when I need one! Thaw on the bench for an hour before using in baking. Frozen bananas are also delicious in smoothies and make the best sugar- and dairy-free ‘soft serve’. Adults and kids alike will love this healthy ice cream fake out. Grate a little dark chocolate on top and you’ve got a winning treat.

Frozen banana soft serve

Slice 3-4 peeled bananas into thick slices of the same size, and freeze. Once frozen, place in a food processor with a little vanilla extract and process until smooth and creamy. This will take a minute or two. Enjoy straight away or store in the freezer to eat later. Remove from the freezer a few minutes before serving. You can try adding frozen berries, maple syrup, cocoa and peanut butter to this too. Delicious!

5. Cook legumes and beans in advance and store in individual portions

I buy beans and other legumes in bulk. Every few weeks I cook up a large batch and then freeze in both meal-sized and individual portions. Not only is it a huge help when putting together an evening meal to have the grain or bean already cooked but I also save money and packaging by not buying the tinned stuff.

6. Make raw food treats

You can jump on board with the raw food trend and make yummy treats using your freezer. This recipe for raw chocolate uses just a few ingredients and issimple to whip up. It’s an exceptionally tasty chocolate alternative.

Raw cacao and pistachio freezer chocolate

Place 1/2 cup extra-virgin coconut oil, 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup cacao powder and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract into a saucepan and sit over a very low heat until the coconut oil has just become liquid. Whisk together until smooth. Pour into a small tin lined with baking paper. Sprinkle with pistachios. Put into the freezer to set for 2 hours. Once set, use your hands to gently remove the baking paper and break the chocolate into pieces. Must be stored in the freezer.

7. Store your vegetable scraps for stock

It’s a crime to waste new vegetables on making stock, when carrot ends, celery bits and onion scraps do the job perfectly. And there are benefits to using the scraps – onion skins help give chicken stock its lovely golden colour. Simply keep your vegetable scraps in a bag in the freezer until you’ve got enough. While you are at it, store your leftover roast chicken carcass in the freezer too, until you have time to make stock.

8. Use recycled jars for storage

Don’t be afraid to use glass as a method of storage in the freezer. Recycled jars are perfect for storing stock and individual portions of soup. I love that jars fit perfectly in the door of my freezer – freeing up valuable space in the often jam-packed main shelves. When using any glass vessel make sure you leave an inch of space at the top so the liquid has room to expand.

9. Freeze individual portions of pesto or hummus for school lunches

Both hummus and pesto freeze brilliantly, and make an excellent addition to children’s school lunches. Just freeze in small tubs or cups, then pull out of the freezer in the mornings as needed. I really like that because it’s frozen there is no rush to get through it – no one gets sick of it and that lunchbox item comes home uneaten less often.

10. Kill dust mites in soft toys by placing in the freezer

Dust mites are present in every home and can cause unpleasant allergies and aggravate asthma in those who are vulnerable. A child’s seemingly innocent and beloved soft toys can harbour large numbers of dust mites and, more worryingly, their waste – which is the actual allergen.

Place soft toys in the freezer overnight and then wash. Ideally dry in sunlight or a hot dryer. Freezing kills the dust mites and the wash clears away their waste. This should be done every two to three months.

11. Store paintbrushes in the freezer to avoid washing between painting sessions

Paint brushes can be stored in the freezer overnight if you are painting over a couple of days. This saves washing (and wasting paint) in between painting sessions. Wrap the paintbrushes and rollers really well in plastic before storing. Take out of the freezer 20 minutes before use. This method is only suitable for water-based paints.

Handy tips

• Label things! A date and description of what’s in that container will save you a lot of time and confusion when looking through a full freezer.
• I use large sealable bags quite often for storing food in the freezer. Don’t let these be single-use. Simply turn inside out, hand wash and leave to dry.