The Quick Guide to Cooking and Freezing Foods

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Making use of your freezer is a great way to save time when there are so many other things going on in your life. The team at Huggies, with the help of Susan Austin from Frost Bite, have put together a quick guide to freezer food to get you reacquainted with your freezer again.

Top 10 foods to freeze1. Casseroles and curries2. Soups and pasta sauces3. Pasta bakes or lasagna4. Homemade pizzas5. Tarts and quiche6. Meatballs and meatloaf 7. Bread, scones, and muffins8. Sweet and savoury pies and pastries9. Cakes, biscuits, slices and brownies10. Sandwiches for the lunchbox

Top 10 foods to avoid in the freezer1. Lettuce2. Tomato3. Avocado4. Vegetables such as green beans, cucumber, snow peas, etc5. Potatoes sometimes freeze well, sometimes not so well. For example, in a curry6. Mayonnaise7. Cottage cheese8. Boiled eggs9. Strawberries

10. Garlic can get stronger after freezing so use less of it

1. Freeze quickly and defrost slowly2. Plan ahead and allow plenty of time for food to defrost in the fridge3. If you need to defrost in the microwave use the defrost feature, don’t blast your food on HIGH4. Small or thin foods can be cooked from frozen: pizza, cookie dough balls, canapés, sausage rolls, etc5. Store food in usable-size portions before freezing6. Use lots of ziplock bags in different sizes, even for wet foods like soup or casseroles7. Other food can be stored in plastic containers or foil trays8. Spread the food in the ziplock bags so that it’s thin - it will freeze and defrost quickly9. Slice loaves such as banana bread before freezing10. Keep balls of uncooked cookie dough in the freezer for baking for unexpected guests

Top 10 Tips for defrosting

Top 10 ways your freezer can make your life easier 1. Make a double batch of dinner and freeze one portion for another day2. Freeze lots of dinners before the arrival of your baby3. Freeze lots of dinners before having surgery or moving house4. Prepare one or two courses in advance for a dinner party if your Saturday is already too busy5. Make some yummy meals to take to the beach house, ski lodge, farm, camping trip, etc6. Freeze lots of delicious finger foods for your next cocktail party7. Make the cake, cupcakes, sausage rolls, etc, in advance for your children’s birthday parties8. Cook and freeze a meal for a friend who is struggling: new baby, chemo, divorce, etc9. Freeze lots of sandwiches for kids and adults’ lunchboxes to make mornings easier10. Freeze leftover cakes, biscuits and slices so you don’t pig out!

Recommended freezing times chart in months

VegetablesAsparagus 12Green beans 15Broccoli and Brussels sprouts 15Carrots 18Cauliflower 12Corn on the cob or corn kernels 12Mushrooms 8Peas, green 24Capsicums (peppers), red and green 6Spinach, Chopped 18Onions 10Leeks, blanched 18

FruitsRaspberries / Strawberries 24Peaches, Apricots, Cherries 18Fruit Juice Concentrate 24

Note: The standard operating temperature of a domestic freezer is -18°C (0°F). If your freezer is not as cold as this, your food won’t last as long as the times shown here.

Meats and poultryBeef steaks/cuts 18Minced meat (ground meat) 10Veal steak/cuts 12Lamb steaks 18Pork steaks/cuts 10Sliced bacon (vacuum packed) 12Chicken, whole or pieces 18Turkey, whole 15

SeafoodFatty fish 5Lean fish 9Lean fish, single fillets 9Lobster, crabs, prawns in shell (shrimps) (cooked)

6

Clams and oysters 6

Milk and dairyButter, unsalted 18Butter, salted 12Cream 12Icecream 6

Bakery and confectionery productsCakes 15Breads 3