Your top freezer tips

‘The best tip I know is to take bulky items like mince completely out of their packaging before freezing. Square plastic packaging can take up so much room – if you take it out and pop it in a freezer bag you can save room. This method allows you to purchase more meat when reduced with massive potential savings.’ – Sarah Forrester

‘Freezer tip for bulk buying for the family: I wrap the meat (chicken breast, pork chops etc) first in cling film and then put them in a labelled freezer bag. This way you can take out only what you to defrost.’ – Emma Xealous ‘My tip is to bulk buy i.e. peppers, other veggies and chop them freeze on a baking tray and bag up – it saves lots of money.’ – Ellie Bromilow ‏@SqueekyMango

‘Freeze in smaller portions so the food cools faster and thaws faster for best quality.’ – James Wright

‘My tips for freezing meat is to portion it into single portions to make it much easier when defrosting to easily get only the amount of meat that you need. When defrosting the meat put it in a bowl of cold water, it will slowly defrost and will mean no food poisoning or funny smells coming from the meat.’ Kathryn Withers
‘When packing your freezer items away, split the produce into meal-size portions. You will reduce any waste from defrosting and cooking too much and will also reduce your waistline. This will also help cut your shopping costs because buying in bulk seems to work out cheaper, but for you to really benefit you have to be savvy with your portions and cook slightly smaller meals – it may even result in you being able to plan your meals for the week by arranging your frozen food into meal sets within the freezer. You could even buy with a friend or family member and split your frozen items!’ – Bonita Carter‘

‘Freeze in smaller portions so the food cools faster and thaws faster for best quality.’ – Gavin Wlodyka‘Avoid freezing large amounts of food in one container. Instead, split up into two or more portions, which will mean they can freeze – and defrost – more easily. This also helps overcrowding your freezer, as it’s important it remains at the right temperature for optimal results.’ – Penny Brown‘When you only want one hamburger, but have frozen a kilo of beef, it can be wasteful to defrost everything. Instead, smush the meat in a zip-top freezer bag, and create indents on the outside of the flattened bag with chopsticks, then freeze. When hunger strikes, you can easily break off a portion of meat within the bag, while the rest stays safely frozen!’ – Shea Wong‘If freezing meat, separate into portions first.’ – Gemma brown ‏@dorsetsgem ‘Freeze cooked meals in portion-sized containers so you can defrost just what you need rather than whole lot.’ – Alison E ‏@fudgecake78

‘Organise drawers by product type and insist the family keep it this way! For instance, put frozen vegetables and chips in one drawer, meat products in another, frozen desserts in another an so on. Not only does this make it easier to find what you need quickly but it saves money by keeping the freezer door open to a minimum time when looking for something. It also allows you to use up food that otherwise might be buried at the back of the drawer and helps you write a shopping list that is not wasteful by buying food that is already in your freezer but you can’t find in the disorganisation! Sounds simple and like common sense – that’s because it is!’ – Heather Athanasiou‘My top freezer tip is to keep meat and fish in one drawer and vegetables in the second drawer and ice cream in the third and label the drawers.’ – Sheela Vyas‘Always try to keep similar products in the same drawer i.e. fish drawer or meat or bread it will help when trying to find things.’ – Judith Lightfoot‘Always rotate the food in your freezer once a month and eat up the stuff that is lurking in the back! (It can’t be left in the freezer forever!)‘ – Michelle Best‘I use coloured stickers to colour code my freezer bags. Red Meat, Blue fish, yellow veg etc.’ – @chrismse1‘Always bring older food to the front and put newer food at the back as even frozen food has a use by date. I keep a running stock check on my frozen food so I always know what I have and I include date of product.’ – Vanda Bridgens

‘Save yourself a lot of aggravation and bother later on by reading your freezer handbook correctly and by defrosting and cleaning regularly.’ – Andrew Davis‘My top freezer tip is to make sure it is in tip-top running condition by regularly vacuuming underneath and at the back of your freezer. This will keep it running more economically and give it a longer life.’ – Liz Denial

‘Once your freezer has defrosted, wipe over the inside with a solution of warm water and bicarbonate of soda, this not only makes if fresh and clean but it helps prevent build up of ice in your freezer and makes it easier to defrost next time.’ – Sharon Lawrence

‘Keep it clean!’ – Kumba Dibba‘One of my top tips for a freezer is keeping the outside dry, some times condensation builds on the outside of freezers and they start to go rusty. I check my freezer on the outside every day and wipe with a dry cloth even after washing, I wipe it dry never leave it wet (this causes rust)’ – Sharon Roberts‘When defrosting your freezer use a steam cleaner, just place a towel in the bottom of freezer to catch any drips. There won’t be many as the ice comes off in large sheets which are easy to catch. It is very fast and also the steam cleans your freezer at the same time. Go on, give it a try!’ – Bob Jones‘Clean the dust off the grid and behind the appliance to increase efficiency and save money.’ – Maggie Barker‘Check the door seal is clean and makes good contact when closed. A poor seal lets in warm air, pushing up running costs. Frost around the door seal may mean it’s not doing its job properly.’ – Euan Davidson

‘I have often wasted money by buying items I’d forgotten I already had, so to keep a record of what’s in your freezer and avoid buying the same items twice. I suggest you stick a list on the door so you can record and date each item you put in. Once you run out of an item, you can simply add it to your shopping list.’ – Cheryle Morris‘Make a list of what’s in your freezer and keep it on your freezer door and as you use an item tick it off the list, this will stop you from over buying as you actually know what’s in your freezer. It also gives you quick ideas for dinner time as you know what you have!’ – Louise Hempenstall‘It’s easy to keep a record of what’s in your freezer and avoid buying the same items twice. Stick a list on the door, so you can record and date each item you put in. Once you run out of an item, simply add it to your shopping list.’ – Carolina Johnson‘My top tip for using a freezer is to keep a record of everything that’s in the freezer with the date on which I put it in. I use an alphabetical book of the kind designed as an address book and list items in categories such as vegetables, fish etc. When an item has been used I cross it out. I also keep different types of items in different drawers. This enables me to find things quickly and also to make sure that items are used on a rotational basis so that nothing stays in the freezer longer than it should. Since I started to use this system I no longer waste time searching for items or waste food by throwing away items that have outlived their freezer life.’ – Denise Tyas‘Laminate an A4 sheet of paper and stick to the side or front of the freezer and every time you use something write the item on the sheet so you remember to add it to you shopping list.’ – Sam Bale‘Keep a notebook near the freezer to enter the dates and details of all food saved in the freezer and use the food in date order.’ – Meiling Bingham‘Keep a record of what’s in your freezer and avoid buying the same items twice. Stick a list on the door so you can record and date each item you put in. Once you run out of an item, simply add it to your shopping list.’ – Mary Burnage‘Have a whiteboard near your freezer where you can write down what is in there and when it went in, so that a year down the line you don’t find some weird Tupperware pot with unknown contents.’ – Russell Hide‘Make a list of your freezer contents as you often forget whats lurking in there!’ – Anna Warner ‏@annawarner5

‘Don’t overload the freezer because it won’t work fully and it will cost you more money to run, and only buy what you need. Ask yourself the questions: ‘Can i afford it?’, ‘Do I really need it?’ And that way you will not overload the freezer and save money all around!’ – Beverley Cousins‘Don’t over fill your fridge freezer.’ – Antikhab

‘I always buy end-of-day bargains at supermarkets and freeze them. This saves lots of money.’ – Ross Gibbons‘Buy reduced food in evening and put into freezer for future use.’ – Khawer Shahzad‘Go to you local supermarket around 6-7pm when reductions are going down to their lowest and restock your freezer for a fraction if the cost. Items like meat that are in large plastic containers take up less space if you transfer them to a sandwich bag first.’ – Bronwen Earls‘Look at the supermarket offers each week, mine always has half price offers on frozen food so I stock up on those particular items that I can use.’ – Sandra Clarke‘I buy foods on special offer and bulk cook casseroles or soups and freeze them in reusable tubs with labels.’ – Olivia B ‏@Mi55o

‘Vacuum-seal leftovers from food that you want to eat at a later date and bung it in the freezer, use a permanent marker to label the bag and then apply cello-tape over your writing to prevent frost from rubbing out your label so you’ll always know what type of food you’ve frozen (in case you’re likely to forget)’ – Sami Al-Janabi‘My top freezer tip is to use the clips from the end of unwanted coat hangers to keep your frozen food bags shut. Plastic coat hangers, usually from when you purchase clothes, have two clips on them. Cut the clips off and use for closures on bags of chips, etc. They are sturdy and last a long time.’ – Lisa Day‘Make room in your freezer for healthy homemade meals. Get plastic tubs with different coloured lids e.g orange lid for stew, red for curry etc. This saves so much time for quick after school dinners. Make loads of meals on Sunday and freeze! Saves a lot of time, making quality family time for our large family, cheaper too.’ – Sarah Walsh‘There is not much room in my freezer for a family of 4+ extras so when you get your food home, take the items in boxes and re-package them in freezer bags with new labels to make more room.’ – Helen Humberstone

‘The most important thing is the packaging of the food that needs freezing – it should be as tight as possible and there should be no air left in the bag. If there’s meat to be frozen, it has to be washed tthoroughly both inside and out, then left to cool in the fridge for about 24 hours. If you have a big piece of meat or a whole chicken, it’s best to cut it into smaller pieces. Small pieces of meat or smaller chickens can be left as they are. Then you need to wrap it tightly in plastic or aluminium foil and store it in the freezer.’ – Katerina Bozhinova‘To save money on expensive pour-and-freeze bags, use empty juice cartons, open out the top and cut along carefully. Wash it out thoroughly, then use to freeze soups,fruit puree and other soft fruit mixes. Just carefully turn top back over,and secure either with one of those plastic clips, or a much cheaper alternative is a small wooden spring peg. Don’t use plastic as it will become brittle and shatter.’ – Niki Bolton

‘For longer periods of freezing, use special wrappings such as heavy-duty aluminium foil, special plastic freezer bags or freezer wrap. You can also use heavy-duty plastic containers or jars, but never put glass containers in the freezer; the extreme temperatures may cause the glass to break. Remember to leave head space in jars or containers because foods expand during freezing. I always date everything when it goes in and have a little check list on the side of the fridge so I know when certain foods will be going off. Any food left over gets frozen.. no waste in my house.’ – Samantha Masters‘I use pegs to close all my veg packets, chips and cereals. They are great for airtightness. You can colour code items so you know what’s in each bag especially if you freeze you own grown veg after blanching.’ – Simone Lee‘The best tip I have is to save (or get from other people) as many clear plastic takeaway boxes and ice cream cartons as you can and use them to store things in your freezer.’ – Karen Whittaker‘Vacuum pack all fresh meat etc and it will keep 6-9 months longer without getting freezer burnt.’ – Angela @AN52LAM‘Always use freezer bags for your frozen food you buy in boxes i.e fish fingers, waffles – you’ll save so much room.’ – Sam Ilyas ‏@samairaghs‘I ask my local shop for empty penny sweet plastic tubs they throw out, they make great free freezers containers.’ – @TimothyBain‘I use a clothes peg to keep plastic bags of frozen peas etc from spilling their contents in the freezer.’ – Maggie Coates‘To make the most of the room in your freezer, remove any products from hard plastic wrapping and use good quality freezer bags. Invest in a vacuum machine which saves even more space by removing all air, but also keeps food for longer, this is terrific for storing things in the fridge as well! – Joy Muir

‘The best space saving tip is to remove food from it’s box – tear the
cooking instructions from the box and place the food with the
instructions in a sealable bag and place in the freezer.’ – Lynnette Webster

‘To prolong the life of frost-free fridges and freezers, always ensure that all food and drink is properly covered, including ice cubes, as the moisture evaporates and gathers as lumps of ice at behind the back of the freezer – eventually this accumulation of hidden ice causes it to break down and can be costly to get an engineer to fix.’ – Ginny Thorne‘I use mats in the freezer that stop it icing up. This means less time spent on defrosting. I like to buy food when on special offer and after cooking it, separate it into meal sized portions and freeze them. When somebody calls unexpectedly, as does happen at our home, I can just defrost one of my home made meals that has not cost me a fortune. (This has happened twice in the last few days!)’ – Margaret Johnstone‘Fill out empty gaps in your freezer with cardboard boxes to stop food getting too frosty.’ – Amanda Marman

‘To stop your freezer icing up or get rid of ice- use a steam cleaner when the freezer’s turned off.’ – Holly H

‘Use a steam cleaner when it comes to defrosting the freezer – it’s very quick so the freezer doesn’t strain to stay cold while you’re cleaning.’ – @HuffleJuffle

‘My top freezer tips are for families, especially busy ones like mine. I have 4 children and am eager to cook from scratch but often find, with homework and clubs, I’m so busy and it’s so time consuming, I reach for the easy things. So I batch cook. Cook extra Bolognese or chilli or even curry and freeze in portions. This way I know what’s in the freezer and its a lot cheaper and quicker to do.’ – Debbie Burfoot‘As a small but busy family, my freezer is my life saver. I regularly cook large batches of different meals to freeze for a later date. I don’t go out and spend loads of money on freezer friendly boxes though. I use old ice cream tubs and the tubs from takeaways to store my ready made meals. Once the meal has cooled in the tub, I put it inside a freezer bag and label the freezer bag with permanent marker. Once I have used the meal, I wash out the freezer bag and rub off the permanent marker with kitchen towel so that I can use it again.’ – Corinne Fisher
‘My top tip is to do batch cooking. If, for example, you eat spaghetti Bolognese every week, do a big pot of bolognese (say four servings) and use one on the day and freeze the other three – you’ll find it so much quicker to just remove the serving in the morning and just cook the spaghetti for the evening meal.’ – Pat Hancock

‘We do lots of batch cooking so we label and date everything and put it on a chart that way we can cross off what we eat and nothing ever goes to waste.’ – Leanne Lunn

‘When cooking make extra portions to freeze. This means you always have ‘ready meals’ in the freezer helping you to avoid the temptation of takeaways.’ – Kayleigh Bates‘My top tips for using a freezer are to store extra or left over foods to prevent wastage, store home cooked meals and children’s favourites like ice cream.’ – Felicity Puns Hon

‘Cook meals in batch, make scones and breads and bag and label and freeze – order the freezer by shelf according to produce to find easily and used in order of date etc. Buy in bulk if cheaper and cut or divide into portions for defrosting.’ – Kristin McBride

‘I always cook double when I cook chilli or curry. The remaining food goes into the freezer for midweek tea if I’ve got no time to cook.’ – Sam Ilyas ‏@samairaghs‘Make an extra portion (or more) of any meal then freeze it for an easy meal when you don’t fancy making the effort.’ – Paul Wilson ‏@prwilson101‘Make big batches of tomato sauce with mince for the freezer and then turn into cottage pie or spag Bol or chilli.’ – Megan Bayford ‏@alessmeg

‘Your freezer temperature should be below 0°F. Use a thermometer to check the temperature. Use microwave-safe plastic wrap if you plan to thaw or cook the frozen food in the microwave. Freeze in smaller portions so the food cools faster.’ – Ayesha Zaheer‘There is no time limit to how long food can be safely frozen for – as long as it’s kept frozen at -18°C or below and remains properly frozen, it will not become unsafe.’ – David De‘My best freezer tip is to set the freezer at -18°C then it’s the right temperature to preserve every food to make it last longer but not too cold that can cause ice crystals.’ – Lauren Griffiths

‘Pack empty space in the freezer with scrunched up pages from a newspaper – this will cut the costs of running a freezer due there being less space to keep cold.’ – Paula Hewett

‘Put scrunched-up newspaper into any empty space in the freezer to save on electricity.’ – Evelyn Stace‘Keeping it full, even if its with water in containers, saves on running costs.’ – Gwen Dolen‘A filled freezer is more efficient to run than a freezer with space in it, so get batch freezing when you can.’ – Janet Saville‘Keep the freezer full.’ – Paul Haylock‘If you can – though it will be difficult for people who have very little money – always keep your fridge freezer around 75% – 80% full. This will help the freezer thermostat to work more effectively and to keep the temperature down because the less space available – the less the freezer has to do.’ – Philip Austin‘I always keep my freezer full as it uses less electricity to run it than one that is half full.’ – Tina Muller‘I freeze plastic bottles that have been used full of water and put in the freezer as this helps conserve energy usage in the freezer and keeps the temperature at an even level.’ – Michelle Anderson‘Keep your freezer full as possible, a full freezer is more economical to run!’ – Rosemarie Moss‘My freezer tip is if your freezer is getting empty fill it will bags of water, when the water is frozen crush it whilst still in the bags and you have lots of ice and it also saves energy by lowering the temperature a great deal.’ – Keren Curran

A full freezer works more efficiently that an empty one (although not overloaded). You can use things like bottles of water to fill the space. Even rolled up newspaper can do the job. It reduces the amount of warm air that can enter when you open the door.’ – Becky Thompson

‘If the freezer compartment is empty, fill it with cardboard because the more you fill it the less energy it is using hence saving money on electric bills.’ – Benjamin James

‘Fill up empty space in your freezer by filling empty plastic bottles with water. This has 3 benefits:
– Your freezer will be more ecconomical to run (less fresh air to keep cold)
– If you have a power cut, the iced water in the bottles will help to keep perishables frozen for longer – If you have a break in water supply, the water can be defrosted, boiled and used for washing, flushing etc.’ – Andrew Marshall

‘If your freezer is running low pack it out with screwed up newspaper to save on energy.’ – kj ‏@wild_coconut‘Keep your freezer full to save on power! The cold from the food keeps the rest cold so it doesn’t have to work as hard.’ – Kayley Northover ‏0Kayley0

‘When making up a batch of pre-made dishes such as lasagne. Put the dish into the freezer to let the top harden before you cover with cling film. This stops the film from sticking to the top of the dish letting you remove the film before you defost.’ – Elaine Hunter‘When freezing casseroles, sauces etc. line the dish with foil then add casserole. When frozen, remove from dish and place in freezer bag. When used, it’s then easy to pop the frozen casserole back into the original dish for reheating.’ – Ann Matthews

‘Always allow freshly cooked foods to cool before freezing them. This stops the freezer from getting too warm. It also helps to retain the food’s natural flavour, colour and texture.’ – Lucy Cook

‘My top tip is to use muffin tins or ice cube trays to freeze wet or mushy things. Freeze until firm, then pop out (bending is usually enough to loosen it, but dip in a shallow pan of hot water if necessary) and put into a freezer bag. Use silicone bakeware for easy removal, just put it on a baking tray to move it without spilling. Muffin tins are around 125ml which is just right for mashed banana, Bolognese, soup, etc. and ice cube trays are about 60ml which is good for things like chicken stock, tomato puree or baby food. You can even use this technique to freeze unused portions from tins, e.g. tomatoes or beans.’ – Leneh Buckle‘Use a silicone muffin tin for freezing small portions of food – this is great for baby food’ – Keith Burt

‘Freeze milk! Handy if you live in a rural area and don’t happen to have a shop or a cow nearby. You can take advantage of bulk buy offers and save money too. 2 pints defrosts quite easily overnight.’ – Caroline Rann‘For quick, healthy and scrumptious ice cream, just stick frozen bananas in a blender and serve immediately. Tastes amazing – just like real ice cream!’ – Amanda Mahoney‘If we’re going on a short UK break and have a milk (in a 4 pint or whatever size plastic bottle) in the fridge, we freeze it in empty smaller plastic milk cartons or plastic bottles (remembering to leave space for expansion, as the milk will increase in volume when frozen), to be used when we return. Also we usually take a small bottle of frozen milk with us, which keeps well in an insulated bottle sleeve, to use with coffee/tea in the hotel, as the tiny milk pots provided in rooms is often minimal. It usually lasts for the first night and following morning.’ – Peter Wilkinson
‘Fill an ice cube tray with milk and freeze. That way you will always have milk on emergency standby for your cuppa (defrost first)’ – Jackie Farrall‘Stock up on butter and keep a couple of packs in the freezer. Any time you need some, simply grate it straight from frozen!’ – Jem O’Sullivan ‏@AngelJemJ‘If you have chunks of leftover cheese in the fridge and are unlikely to use them, grate and seal in a sandwich bag then freeze. Instead of wasting it, you’ve got ready-grated cheese to add to a white sauce or to crumble over the top of a dish going in to the oven.’ – Suzanne Heath‘I freeze Frubes (other makes are available!) yogurt sticks – they make a great healthy desert on school nights when you’re in a rush and will defrost slowly in lunchboxes keeping everything else cool. One tip for tiny hands is to wrap the end in a piece of kitchen paper to stop frozen fingers.’ – Hayley

‘Buy crushed garlic or ginger in bulk. Spoon the garlic and ginger into ice cube trays and freeze. Once frozen take them out of the ice cube tray and put them into a freezer bag.’ – Jane Hutchison

‘To have fresh garlic in an instant, buy garlic in bulk and whizz it up in your chopper add some oil and put in ice cube trays and pop out a cube when you have the need. The oil makes it easier to pop out of the ice cube tray.’ – Rita Mistry

‘You can freeze root ginger to prevent it becoming mouldy in your fridge. The quality may suffer a little upon defrosting but put the chunks of ginger you need through a garlic press to release their juicy essence!’ – Gillian Husband-Major‘If I have leftover garlic and ginger I blend together and store in ice cube tray and freeze. If I ever run out I use my frozen backup!’ – Sam Ilyas ‏@samairaghs‘Freeze root ginger. I only ever need a small piece of ginger so I just put it in the freezer as it is and it lasts for ages! When I need it in a recipe, cut the skin off with a small knife, and grate using the small hole grater.’ – Ross Walter‘I mix butter and herbs and garlic together and then freeze in cling wrap to form a cylinder so I just cut off a slice to use for garlic bread or frying fish or meats. I do the same with garlic, chilli and ginger I peel it fresh, chop it up finely with a machine then freeze in ice cubes that way less cleaning of machinery and you have fresh garlic, chili and ginger when you need it for curries etc.’ – Ashleigh Annand

‘Avoid waste by preparing sandwiches with any leftover bread and fillings and freeze until needed.’ – Patri Oldfield‘Make paninis in advance with hard cheese, pesto etc.. and place in individual bags and freeze. This saves time and effort whenever you want a panini, just remove from freezer and place in sandwich press.’ – Karen Davidson

‘Freeze loaves of bread on the day you buy them and only take one or two slices out when you want some toast. This saves the bread from going past its sell by date.’ – Jean Fox‘Freeze homemade or bought bread sliced so it can be used several slices at a time,less waste. Make extra cakes when baking using the whole oven and freeze them.’ – Marion Courtney‘I keep loaves of bread in the freezer, they defrost in minutes and can be put straight into the toaster or under the grill.’ – Gloria Wilding‘To help your freezer run more efficiently if it is not full use loaves of bread and rolls to top it up or do a several batches of cakes or cupcakes always handy if you have unexpected guests as well.’ – Susan Martin‘My top freezer tip is to grate stale bread and the left over ends of cheese and freeze ready to use for breadcrumbing chicken or to use for putting on top of a pasta bake.’ – Kamala Hibbert

‘I put dough (in balls or shapes) in the freezer (open freeze) after it has risen once. I then take the dough balls or shapes out and put in a warm over for 20 min to rise. Bake as usual. You can make loads at one time and take out when needed.’ – Eileen Gabb‘Make double quantities of dough when making bread, as larger quantities tend to rise better, and freeze half – it will reactivate when you defrost, then leave to rise once more.’ – Marianne Gibson

‘I bake for my diabetic daughter who is 12. I always do a large batch and freeze then defrost as necessary. Having a good fridge freezer is a great way of saving money. Her baking needs to have the carbs counted so I put stickers on each packet with the carb content and date I baked them doing enough for a couple of weeks each time. Freezers are so handy especially when you have people in the house with special diets.’ – Emma Brewer
‘I find freezing kids chocolate bars/snacks makes them last longer and the kids enjoy the taste more.’ – Karen Harper‘I freeze raw scones or biscuits – cut them into shape and place on a baking tray in a single layer. Then when a sweet craving or unexpected guests arrive just pull out of freezer straight into the oven.’ – Michelle

‘Freeze white wine in a zip-lock bag for cooking so that you don’t have to open a whole bottle (or buy a whole bottle) for a small amount. It takes up very little space too,’ – Donna Best‘If you should have any spare wine left at the end of the night, freeze it in ice-cube trays and then just throw the wine cubes into recipes which require wine.’ – Cate Gregory‘I freeze any leftover red wine into cubes to use when cooking casseroles or when making a rich gravy for the Sunday roast. Sometimes I add a pinch of freshly chopped herbs to ring the changes, basil and rosemary go well. All we need now is some summer weather and a good supply of wine!’ – Patrice Sessions‘Freeze leftover wine in ice cube trays and use in stock next time you’re cooking. Saves wasting any!’ – @AmyBugg

‘The best soups are cheap and easy to make at home in large batches. Separate them in portions in freezer bags and freeze them. Cheap, convenient, tasty and you know exactly what’s in them!’ – Steve Johnson‘Using food bags to store homemade soup is a great space saver!’ – Nathaniel Lawns

‘To store soup and save space, pour soup into a container lined with a freezer bag and freeze the soup in this, when it is frozen, take the container out and the soups takes less room than it used to and you can re-use your container again.’ – Stephen Kirby

‘Freeze nuts – this way they will keep super fresh and won’t get stale at all (their high oil content makes them prone to going rancid). You should also buy your nuts in bulk.’ – Karine Brown‘Keep nuts and seeds in the freezer, can then be added to recipes straight from the freezer.’ – Rebecca Harvey

‘I always make at least twice as much shortcrust pastry as I need that day and freeze the remainder (wrapped in cling film) for use at a later date. Then when I have scraps of cooked meat too small to serve on plates, I add some veg and gravy and can make a pie in very little time. It is also useful to have for making fruit pies, which served with custard go a lot further than fruit on its own.’ – Norah Sinclair‘I do a lot of home cooking and get lots of bits of leftover pastry. Now I keep a bun tin in the freezer and any pastry scraps I roll and cut out to line the tin. At the end, when all cases are lined I have 12 frozen pastry tart cases and usually make jam tarts. Works brilliantly and saves wasting food!’ – Sharon Mead‘Freeze leftover pastry in blocks and then grate off pastry required from frozen block.’ – Alison Edgar

‘My freezer tip would be, if using lemon in a drink don’t waste the rest of it or let it shrivel up. Cut it into slices and pop in an ice cube tray with water, then into the freezer. Next time you need ice and a slice for your drink pop a cube out of the ice tray and into your drink.’ – Lindsay Robson‘Save some cash for yourself by saving the skins off oranges and lemons or limes, just pop them in the freezer. Great to have handy for baking when you need some zest and much easier to grate too! You could also chop them into bits and put in ice cube trays fill with water and use to perk up that glass of healthy water.’ – Vivien Forrest

‘Keep a lemon in the fridge freezer to eliminate smells.’ – Terence Mealing‘My tip is to slice a lemon up, put it in a container and place in freezer, so if you want to add a slice of lemon to a drink, it’s ready frozen and helps to keep the drink cool.’ – Edward Murphy‘When freezing ice cubes I like to put small slices of lemons in the trays before adding water. Nice for party drinks.’ – Maddalena Dalton ‏@MaddalenaMad

‘My top tip for using a freezer is to freeze your own herbs. Washed, dried, chopped, just put them in the plastic container to be ready to use. My favourite is to freeze chives.’ – Tanya Arjun‘When you have leftover fresh herbs, chop as normal and half fill ice cube tray sections. Top up with water to just cover the herb and freeze. When completely frozen, transfer to a bag and label. The next time you need that particular herb for a recipe, just take an ice cube out of the bag.’ – Jayne Newbold‘Batch puree fresh herbs, ginger and garlic and any vegetables eg onion in a vitamix or similar blender and freeze in bags or ice cube trays for use in cooking dishes like curry etc.’ – Alan Gippa‘Chop up herbs and put them into ice cube moulds and freeze, and just defrost when needed.’ – Alyson Davies‘My tip for freezing is to freeze all your remaining sage leaves at the end of the growing season. It works a treat.’ – Victoria MacLean‘Bought or homegrown herbs only keep for a few days, so pop a bunch you won’t need into a plastic bag and tie. Once frozen, untie, and crush bag with your hand letting herbs crumble. Re-tie and seal.’ – Gill Saunders‘My favourite tip is to buy fresh herbs, chop them up finely, put them in ice cube trays and then fill with water and freeze them. Put in a plastic container and even out, then mark out squares with a knife and pop in the freezer. Once frozen you break up the squares and use one cube per meal when making a curry – absolutely yummy.’ – Jo-ann Hampton

‘If you only need or use very small quantities of cream, put cream in ice cube tray as soon as you buy it and then just remove the amounts you need to thaw – it’s ideal for cooking!’ – Elizabeth Waim‘When using sauces such as passata, lemon juice etc, rather than throw away the bit you don’t need put it in ice cube trays and freeze it. Once frozen you can put into a freezer bag and use as and when needed for recipes next time!’ – Rebecca Lis‘When you buy a jar of tomato puree and have only used a couple of tablespoons from it, freeze the rest by spooning into a ice cube tray and when you need to use just pop a cube or two in your soup/sauce and it will defrost.’ – Annie Louise Harrison‘My freezer tip is freezing things like tomato sauce, pizza dough and cheese sauce ready to make quick meals with when you don’t have a lot of time.’ – Victoria Croker‘As a mum to 3-year-old twins, the fridge freezer is my lifesaver. I used to love cooking when I had time but now when I get time I make lots of pasta sauces so that I can freeze them ready to use when I don’t feel like cooking or don’t have time or energy! The sauces can be used to make fresh pizza, a pasta bake or add more spices and add to a curry. By freezing the sauces it enables me to plan our dinners and feed unexpected guests.’ – Sharon R.‘My tip is make your own batches of pasta sauce, fry carrots, celery, onion, then add tomatoes and herbs or vary the ingredients to suit. Freeze in portions required in bags with the date on until needed – considerably cheaper than buying jars of pasta sauce and always on hand.’ – Linda Wheeler‘If you have ever purchased a concentrated food paste (like Tikka cooking paste) you’ll know they don’t last long once opened, so pop the remaining paste into an ice cube tray and freeze it for future use. This way you can take out what you need rather than if you had frozen it as a hole block in the jar. Also you can use the cubes to jazz up other meals or add to baked beans to make quick curried beans with a jacket potato.’ – Terry Curtis

‘I buy a large joint of beef when on special offer. Cook it, then slice it all up and pack in foil trays in quantities to suit us. When completely cold put lids on and label. Freeze. Heat one thoroughly when needed and enjoy. Saves money and time.’ – Nesta Ring‘Separate meat with baking paper, when you just want one portion its easy to take what you need.’ – Helen Brown‘With the increase in unsavoury meat content in many chilled and frozen convenience foods, a good freezer is the answer to our busy lives. I cook food in bulk – lasagne, roast chicken, pies, even rice and blanched veg. It possible to have homemade convenience foods and know exactly what you are eating, especially if you support your local high street butchers.’ – Andrea Robinson‘My tip is that I partially cook meat and then freeze it. When defrosted you heat it up and it finishes cooking. That way it does not taste like it has been frozen and it does not dry out.’ – Eileen Gabb‘My top freezer tip is to keep uncooked meat at the bottom of the fridge so the blood doesn’t drip onto the other food, if you put meat on the top you could get food poisoning.’ – Becky Sheedy

‘When you have a lot of fruit (eg. strawberries, blackcurrants and raspberries) freeze them to make fresh jam during the winter.’ – Sinead O’Rourke‘When the fresh packets of pieces of fruit like mango for example are reduced at the supermarket – grab them and pop them in the freezer. When you feel like a healthy snack blend with your choice of flavour of healthy yogurt and a spoonful of honey: instant fruity frozen yogurt!’ – Karen Scammell

‘Any fruit leftover – chop and put on a baking tray on baking paper and put in freezer. Once frozen, remove individual pieces and put in freezer bag. Ideal for adding to puddings etc. Pineapples chunks are lovely and they do not freeze rock hard so can be had as a frozen treat.’ – Pamela Hutchinson‘Freeze exotic fruits and veg when they’re cheap so you can use them all year round: i.e., blackberries for pies, smoothies, fruit salad.’ – Karyl Winchester‘Keep some grapes in your freezer – they work really well as ice cubes, without diluting your drinks!’ – @AmyBugg‘Freezing grapes is a nice treat for the children. They’re just like boiled sweets but healthy and 1 of your 5-a-day too.’ – Vicki Catalano ?@VicdingbatVicki‘I use frozen blueberries straight from the freezer in my muffins – the fruit stays whole and well distributed.’ – @philibaldi

‘Bananas never keep too long without going off. A good tip when your family don’t class them as edible is to peel and chop the bananas, freeze over night and then blend in a food processor with a dash of milk until a thick puree forms. Add a tablespoon of cocoa powder (or more to your taste and depending on the quantity of bananas) and mix until combined. Place back in a freeze-proof dish for 2-3 hours and voila, fat-free chocolate ice-cream that can also be one of your 5-a-day!’ – Jenny Crockett‘I love bananas, but always had a couple that I ended having to throw out. Now, when I buy a pack of them, I peel a couple of them, wrap the fruit in cling film, and place in the freezer. They are fabulous in the summertime taken from the freezer and eaten like a creamy ice lolly, or used to make a smoothie from frozen. I also bake banana bread with them after leaving to defrost for a few minutes. They can be kept safely for a few weeks.’ – Norma MacPherson

‘If you forget to put bottles in the fridge to chill, be wary putting them in the freezer – fizzy drinks especially beer, Coke and champagne have a habit of exploding.’ – RJ Mansfield

‘Freeze leftover pieces of lime and lemon to use at a later date in cocktails.’ – Jennifer Burnage

‘For a cooling summer drink, or to add to your favourite G&T, try using frozen citrus fruit slices instead of always having to buy in fresh. Simply slice up a lemon, separate each one individually with cling film, and store in the freezer until needed. The frozen slices mean that you need never lack a lemon again, and they are a great substitute ice cubes too!’ – Barbara Kuzma‘A great tip is to cut up a Mars bar into thin strips and pop them into the freezer alongside some strips of watermelon soaked in vodka, they make a fabulous party combo.’ – Adam Byfield‘Freeze grapes to be used as “ice cubes” in drinks.’ – Catalin Fliscu

‘When making sloe gin or similar, freeze the berries then hit with a rolling pin – saves pricking each one with a pin!’ – David Paterson‘Making smoothies, no matter how delicious, can be time consuming and a bore especially for only one smoothie. Make it once in a larger amount and freeze in a muffin tin. Transfer these to a ziplock bag and put back in your freezer. When you want a smoothie, just chuck one of these smoothie disks into a blender with a little liquid such as milk/water/coconut water etc and enjoy.’ – Christina Brown‘Freeze a bottle of vodka with a red chilli inside for perfect chilli vodka.’ – @Mark_B_Wood‘Freeze cheap cola in ice cube trays so your Coca Cola or Bacardi is not diluted – alternatively make lollies with or without the alcohol!’ – Karen Brown

‘When packing a cool box for a picnic or a day at the beach don’t use costly freezer gel packs or the like which take up valuable space. Simply freeze smaller size bottles of water and place those amongst the contents of the cool box. Not only will they provide the required cooling they will also provide a nice cool drink as the iced water slowly melts throughout the day. You can even make them up with your favourite cordial but make sure to remove about 10% of the contents before freezing at home as the water expands and would force the cap off or burst the bottle.’ – Fiona Hall

‘Make more pizza dough than you need for one meal and freeze it after the first proofing. Then you just need to take it out of the freezer in the morning of the day you’re using it up. No effort homemade pizza.’ – Sara Brooks

‘When freezing home-grown veg, or maybe half of a gluten-free (very expensive) loaf, or anything, except raw meat, try to suck out as much air from the freezer bag as possible before tying it to prevent freezer burn. You look a bit weird doing it and there are mechanical vacuum alternatives, but they’re not half as much fun!’ – Simon Sackett‘I freeze all my leftover mash, veg and we have bubble and squeak. I have so much left over I will need a new freezer not enough space at the moment! I do not waste anything.’ – Antoinette Child‘I love to grow my own fruit and vegetables, but I always have too many to use at one time, so freezing them to use over the winter period is a great way to save money and enjoy the produce of my garden.’ – June Wright‘If you want to freeze your veg. Make sure you blanche it first. Then spread it out upon a tray and freeze it like this first then transfer to a freezer bag and place it back inside. Now when you need to use it, it won’t be a block of ice!’ – Caroline Payton‘My tip would be when buying celery, chop the whole thing up, pop what you don’t use into a freezer bag then into the freezer, then when you next need some, grab a handful and throw it into your recipe. None gets wasted. You hardly ever use a whole bunch in one recipe.’ – Carolyn Figg‘Buy mushrooms in bulk and slice and freeze for use in casseroles and stews etc.’ – Lynn Dewhirst‘Freeze fresh vegetables on a chopping board for initial freeze, bag once frozen so not all stuck together.’ – Lornee Bedford

‘To freeze fruit, use the waxed paper from the inside of cereal packets to line your the trays. To freeze fish, firstly rinse under the cold tap to create a protective layer (glaze) around the fish when frozen.’ – Adele Leek

‘After a roast chicken, I strip as much chicken as possible from the bird to re-use in a chicken curry to freeze for another day. I also make my own stock by boiling the carcass with water and a bouquet garnish of bay leaves and thyme. I then sieve and cool the liquid and fill up ice cube trays, so that I have as much or as little stock or sauces, casseroles, curries as I require.’ – Cassie Terry‘My top tip is to buy chicken in bulk but wrap separately so you can get them out and defrost as you need them.’ – @thekellycarter‘Freeze the carcass from a cooked chicken along with peelings/stalks of vegetables to make stock for a soup. You can make this straight from the freezer.’ – Tracey Musgrove‘I freeze chicken breast in tin foil in the bottom drawer of the freezer – it’s always fresh and quick to use. To remove tin foil I wash it off in lukewarm water in the sink.’ – Soraya20

‘Food bought ready frozen keeps its taste and texture better and for much longer than food frozen at home because it has been frozen very quickly and deeply when the food was fresher.’ – Vickie Barnett

‘Put ice cream containers inside sandwich bags to keep it scoop soft.’ – Mr Horrand ‏@Horrand

‘Freeze whites and yolks of eggs individually in ice cube trays. Once frozen, they will keep for several months.’ – Katie Bennett ?@KTBennett83‘Don’t throw away unused egg whites. Freeze them and when thawed they can be used to make meringues.‘ – Sandra Lane

‘You can freeze eggs, though not in their shells. This can be useful if a recipe requires only whites, such as meringues. Don’t freeze yolks and whites together – the yolks will go rubbery.’ – Emma Bonner‘If you have eggs that will not be used before the use by date, then you can freeze both white and yolk as long as you don’t keep them in the shell. Break the eggs and beat them together as if you were making an omelette, then freeze them in ice-cube boxes. Perfect for baking.’ – Pauline Appleton

‘Buy a whole salmon when on offer and get the fishmonger to cut it into steaks, then freeze in bags of 2, ready for use.’ – @sp_harris

‘Freeze leftover gravy or stock in ice cube trays. Simple and tasty to defrost and use.’ – @Privateinfo‘Pour leftover gravy in an ice cube tray and so you will always have gravy to hand.’ – Ilse Dieleman

‘Freeze leftover gravy/red wine in icecube bags. Perfect for babies’ dinner or popping into sauces!’ – @Sineadsocs‘Make up a batch of apple sauce or gravy, put this in ice cube trays and you then can use as little or as much as you require. This is a perfect tip for people living on their own.’ – Susan Harris

‘My best freezer tip would be for a new baby. Instead of spending silly money on the pots of baby food every day, I used to get some healthy vegetables and a little pasta, cook and blend them to almost liquid and pour them into ice cube trays and freeze them. Then when it’s dinner time, we just needed to take a few out and microwave. Quick, easy, healthy, and you know exactly what’s in them.’ – Chris Hill‘Freeze cucumber: chewing on frozen sticks of cucumber soothes the gums for young babies.’ – @therealspizer
‘Freeze pureed veg in ice cube trays to make baby dinners. Mix a selection of different cubes together to make a meal.’ – @Vixen156

‘Freeze chocolate – it’s much easier to grate when required in recipes.’ – Anna Joy Furnival

‘Craving chocolate when trying to diet? Put your chocolate in the freezer and take a piece out at a time. Suck the chocolate while frozen and it will last for ages while satisfying your chocolate cravings.’ – Allison Sherwood

‘We freeze left over coffee in ice trays to make iced coffee with.’ – Rich Metson

My freezer tip is good for lunches, I buy and cook a bag of potatoes in the oven as jacket spuds. Then, when cool, individually wrap or put in a freezer bag. When I want one for my lunch at work, I take out the freezer, pop it in microwave and the topping! Speedy and healthy too!’ – Tina Hector‘Bulk boil potatoes and then freeze in portions ready to use for mid-week meals without the prep e.g. cheese and potato pie.’ – Jacki Constantine

‘Freeze part-boiled potatoes in sealable sandwich bags to save time when making a roast dinner or at Christmas. Simply defrost and pop in the oven for 45 mins for perfect roasties every time.’ – Nicola Taylor Allison

‘I freeze juice in little plastic bottles ahead of days out, that way by the time we’re thirsty they have defrosted and you’re left with a nice icy cold refreshing drink.’ – Audrey van Rensburg‘I freeze small cartons of juice and include them in lunchboxes. They keep the food cool and fresh and the juice is still lovely and cold when you drink it. Bonus of doing this is there are no reusable ice packs to lose or have to carry around all day.’ – Lynthia Doran
‘Buy tinned fruit in natural juice or light syrup and use this liquid to pour into ice cube trays, add a cocktail stick to each cube section and freeze to make into mini lollies or you can liquidize the tin of fruit, freeze in cubes without the sticks and add to sparkling wine to make even fruitier drinks.’ – Chefette

‘Top freezer tip, if you enjoy decorating cupcakes or your children do, bake in large batches and then freeze to speed up the decorating process on rainy days.’ – Rachel Ballinger‘I freeze any cake trimmings or leftover cupcakes and when I have enough I blitz them with buttercream to make cake pops!’ – @lindaaanderson

‘Cooked too many sausages? Freeze them! You can slice the cold sausages up and put them in a freezer bag – they won’t stick together and they will defrost easily too. Thin slices can be used for pizza topping, or thicker pieces can be added to a casserole to add variety, or bulk out the other ingredients if you have an extra person to dinner.’ – Carol Bevitt

‘If you have whipping or double cream left over, whip it up and then freeze for another occasion.’ – Jim Williams‘My top freezer tip is to freeze cream in an ice cube holder, then you can add small amounts.’ – Kathryn

‘My freezer tip is to freeze pesto! I never get through a whole jar before it says to consume within a couple of days so I spoon it into an ice cube tray and freeze it. I then pop out a cube into my pasta when I’m cooking and it wastes far less!’ – Jayne Tucker