We are frequently asked about freezing different foods and meals and, as you can probably imagine, we have stumbled upon several tricks that have left us thinking…

“I had no idea you could freeze that!”

Most of these freezing tricks came about because we always try to avoid wasting food.

And when you enjoy cooking and using REAL ingredients, the reality is certain ingredients can go bad if you don’t use them soon enough.

We wanted to share our experiences with you.   And we would love to hear your feedback because we know our Eat REAL America members have discovered tricks of their own and we want everyone to have the opportunity to take advantage of them!

Tomato paste!

We have all probably struggled with the thought, “Oh great, the recipe only calls for 1 Tbsp of tomato paste, and I am going to open that 6 oz can…what do I do with the rest?”  I used to cover the leftovers in the can with plastic wrap only to come back a few days later to find a moldy science experiment happening…ugh!  Can anyone else relate?

Once we stumbled upon this idea, freezing tomato paste leftovers has become part of our routine!

Here is how we do it:

1. Place tablespoon portions of tomato paste on a piece of parchment paper.
2. Place them in the freezer and, after they are frozen, transfer them to a Ziplock bag or covered container.
3. Since they are in small portions, they will thaw super quickly when added to recipes…just grab them out of the freezer and add to the recipe!

In our coaching tip on avocados, we talk about how challenging it can be to hit their peak ripeness.  You know, “Not yet, not yet, not yet…too late!”  And then there is the frustration of avocados going bad before you are ready to use them.

Not anymore!

You can freeze avocado, and the best part?  No one will ever know!  (We have seen comments online that others do not like to freeze avocados because they turn brown once thawed, but this was NOT our experience — we thought freezing worked great!)

Here’s how we freeze avocados:

(when they are firm but just beginning to get soft)

1. Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit.
2. For each half, use a knife to make slices, using the avocado skin to protect your hand.
3. Use a spoon to scoop out the slices, or skip the slicing and just use the spoon to scoop out each avocado half.
4. You can either place the avocado slices or halves in a single layer onto a piece of parchment paper, or place them directly in a Ziplock bag or plastic container.
5. Then seal the bag or cover the container and place in the freezer.   In our experience, they will stay green and will be ready to use when you need them.  We even tested this with and without drizzling them with lime juice to keep them from turning brown and the lime juice really didn’t make much of a difference.
6. Once you pull the avocado slices out of the freezer, they will thaw quickly at room temperature, and then will be ready to add to a recipe or make guacamole!

Fresh ginger can be frozen too!

Maybe you hesitate to buy fresh ginger because you think, “I will never use all that before it goes bad.”  Once Zonya clued me into this trick, problem solved!  We never throw away fresh ginger anymore, and we always have it on hand and ready to use!  If you haven’t already, check out this video and watch how easy it is to freeze and use fresh ginger.

More discoveries we have had success with!

Applesauce!  Buying natural applesauce in the larger containers is more economical, but we always seem to have some left that goes bad before we get to it.  Freezing it in 1/2 cup or 1 cup portions is the perfect solution!  Once it is thawed, you would never know it was frozen.  We just used it in the Chocolate Bliss Breakfast Cookies and it worked perfect.

Veggie scraps for homemade broth!  Save those veggie trimmings, specifically from celery, carrots, and onions and place them in a Ziplock bag in the freezer.  Once you have a full bag, add those to a slow cooker and transform them into homemade vegetable broth…it will be naturally low in sodium and full of flavor!

And it probably won’t surprise you when we say you can then portion up that homemade broth in containers and freeze it, so you always have broth on hand and ready for recipes.

For tips on freezing fruits and fresh herbs, read our coaching tip Frozen in Time where we tell you more about preserving the flavors of summer!

Stock up on sales!

When we find good sales on certain ingredients and foods that freeze well, we like to stock up.  We also do this for certain foods we buy at the farmers’ market that have a short season (like Hatch chilies and fresh corn).  Some examples include:

• Whole grain bread and pizza crusts
• Berries and grapes
• Hard cheeses, especially shredded cheese like mozzarella and cheddar
• Raw nuts (especially almonds, pecans and walnuts)
• Hatch chili peppers (although they can lose a little of their “kick” when frozen and thawed)
• Fresh corn on the cob
• Bananas (peeled and sliced, or broken in half), and not just when they are on sale, but because they are great to have on hand for things like nice cream, popsicles, smoothies, Chocolate Chip Banana Bread (or Muffins), or the Chunky Monkey Breakfast Cookies).

When it comes to freezing foods or prepared recipes, there are a few tips to keep in mind:

• It is best to not freeze high water content foods like cucumber, watermelon, zucchini, cabbage, radishes and oranges.  They freeze well, but once thawed become very soft and soggy.
• Tomatoes transformed into your favorite sauce or recipe can typically be frozen well.  If you want to freeze fresh tomatoes (whether whole or diced), it is probably best to plan to add them into a soup, sauce or stew, because once thawed, the texture will be soft and mushy (definitely not sandwich-worthy!).
• Pasta in recipes should freeze just fine.  But beware cooked pasta frozen on its own will most likely be a mushy mess once it is thawed.
• Milk, yogurt, soft cheese and some recipes with a significant amount of dairy in them can experience texture changes when they are frozen and then thawed.  Proceed with caution on this one!

We are frequently asked, “what are some Eat REAL America recipes that freeze well?”

Here are some of our favorite recipes that freeze great!

• Seasoned Slow Cooker Chicken
• Slow Cooker Balsamic Pork
• Soups and stews including the Slow Cooker Enchilada Soup Bar, the Italian Turkey Burger Soup, the Hatch Chile Stew, and the Slow Cooker Mexican Chili
• Fire Roasted Sloppy Joes
• Homemade Turkey Sausage
• Hummus including the Sweet and Spicy Sriracha Carrot Hummus and the Roasted Beet Hummus
• Pesto
• Meatballs including those in the Meatball Subs with Caramelized Onions and the Mediterranean Meatball Gyros
• Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake
• Baked Oatmeal Cups
• Breakfast cookies including the Chunky Monkey, Chocolate Bliss, and the Pumpkin Pecan Breakfast Cookies.
• Dutch Oven Bread
• Breakfast Burritos
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
• Peanut Butter Cup Power Balls
• Snickers Inspired Stuffed Dates
• Smarty Pants Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
• Harvest Pumpkin Bars
• Chocolate Chip Pecan Blondies

Please share your experiences with us!

What recipes or ingredients have you had success – or not had success – freezing?!