If you are like most people, you use your freezer for meat and possibly some sauce, bread and a few other culinary sundries. The truth is most freezers are underutilized as most people do not want to go to the trouble of thawing out dinner or another meal before cooking and eating it. It is time to put your freezer to full use. Below, we shed light on some surprising foods that will taste perfectly fine after spending time in the freezer.
Ripe or Overripe Bananas
The average person does not think twice before throwing out overripe bananas. There is no sense wasting a freckled banana simply because it does not look the same as a blemish-free banana. Instead of tossing those ripe bananas in the trash, peel them and put them in Ziploc bags that you can store in the freezer. When you get a hankering for banana bread, grab the frozen bananas and defrost them by simply popping them in the microwave.
Cheese
Do not fall into the trap of letting your cheese go bad due to a lengthy stay in the refrigerator. If you do not mind crumbled cheese, go ahead and freeze it. However, the cheese should be shredded before it is placed in the freezer. Otherwise, it will end up breaking down into small pieces after removal from the freezer. Shred your extra cheese, freeze it and you will be able to enjoy it as a pizza topping or mixed into your eggs or other dish in shredded form at your chosen point in time.
Bread and Other Baked Goods
You can freeze bread, bagels and other baked goods, defrost them and notice little, if any, difference in taste. From leftover apple pie to Christmas cookies and beyond, baked goods of nearly every variety can be frozen for posterity’s sake. When in doubt, freeze bread sooner rather than later as it tends to get moldy surprisingly quickly.
Vegetables
You can freeze all sorts of vegetables yet vegetable peels freeze particularly well. Peels from carrots, parsley, onions and beyond are optimal for homemade broths, soups and stews. Just be sure to give the excess veggies a thorough washing prior to peeling and freezing. Put the peeled vegetables in a bag suitable for freezer storage. Seal the bag tightly prior to stowing it in the freezer.
Milk
Your eyes are not deceiving you. Milk really can be frozen. In fact, frozen milk holds up much better than most people assume. Be mindful of the fact that milk expands when frozen. Remove a cup or two of milk out of the bottle prior to freezing to accommodate for this expansion.
Citrus Fruits
Just about every type of citrus fruit freezes surprisingly well. The majority of these vitamin-loaded fruits will taste perfectly fine after a year of freezing. Ideally, you will use a small amount of juice or even a syrup as a protective covering prior to placement in the freezer. However, you must remember to discard the membranes and juice that drips out after removal from the freezer. Furthermore, you can also freeze fruit juice for use in recipes.
