Top 100 Food Items that Should be Frozen

Stop, don’t throw out that food!

Many of the foods that we eat regularly can be frozen and saved for later consumption. A large part of preparing food for freezing is having a plan for how the food will be consumed in the future. Often, preparation such as chopping, blanching, peeling, portioning, separating or slicing may be required before freezing. Additionally, many foods once thawed need to be consumed within a certain timeframe, and to be prepared a certain way. These steps will only make things easier when it’s time for consumption, and will preserve the quality and taste of the food. Here are a few tips to get started:

Basic Food Freezing Tips

• Store food in air-tight containers
• Leave room for liquids to expand
• Store meals in serving sizes
• Allow hot foods to cool to room temperature before freezing
• Store produce after it has been cleaned
• If an item can be found in the frozen foods section, it can be frozen at home
• Fruits like bananas and mangos should be peeled and chopped
• Foods like pasta and rice are good if they are slightly undercooked when frozen
• Many foods can be frozen when they are raw or cooked depending upon
• Thawed leafy vegetables (spinach, lettuce, herbs, kale, cabbage) are best cooked or in smoothies, not salads
• Lingering leftovers like cooked pasta sauce or ground meats can be frozen after a couple of days and added to future meals
• Organization is key, so label and date items

This list is by no means exhaustive. However, if you are new to cooking and food preservation, this list is a great foundation. After a little research, you will find many details on how to freeze and prepare the foods most commonly used by your family. Whether you have a standalone freezer, or just the freezer compartment of your refrigerator, you can use either to save thousands of dollars per year and to serve healthy food.

What are YOUR favorite foods to freeze?

1. Bacon
2. Bagels
3. Bananas
4. Beans
5. Beef
6. Biscuits
7. Blackberries
8. Blueberries
9. Bread
10. Bread Crumbs
11. Breakfast Bars
12. Breakfast Sandwiches
13. Broccoli
14. Broth
15. Brownies
16. Buns
17. Burgers
18. Burritos
19. Butter/Margarine
20. Buttermilk
21. Cabbage
22. Cake Frosting
23. Candy
24. Cantaloupe
25. Carrots
26. Cauliflower
27. Celery
28. Cereal
29. Chicken
30. Chicken Noodle Soup
31. Chicken Nuggets
32. Chili
33. Cocoa Powder
34. Coconut Milk
35. Casseroles
36. Cookie Dough
37. Cookies
38. Corn
39. Cranberries
40. Cream Cheese
41. Cream of Wheat
42. Croutons
43. Dried Fruits
44. Dry Milk
45. Eggs
46. Fish
47. Flax Seed
48. Flour
49. French Toast
50. Grapes
51. Ground Meats
52. Heavy Cream
53. Hemp Seed
54. Herbs
55. Honeydew Melon
56. Hot Dogs
57. Kale
58. Lasagna
59. Greens for Blending or Cooking
60. Lunch Meat
61. Milk
62. Nuts
63. Oatmeal
64. Onions
65. Pancakes
66. Pasta (al dente)
67. Peaches
68. Peas
69. Peppers
70. Pie
71. Pie Dough
72. Pineapple
73. Pizza
74. Pizza Dough
75. Pureed Vegetables (Baby Food)
76. Quesadillas
77. Quiche
78. Rice
79. Sausage
80. Seeds
81. Shredded Cheese
82. Shrimp
83. Sliced Cheese
84. Smoothie Mixes
85. Snack foods
86. Spices
87. Spinach
88. Squash
89. Stews
90. Strawberries
91. Sugar
92. Tomato Puree
93. Tomato Sauce
94. Turkey
95. Vegetable scraps for stock
96. Waffles
97. Whipped Cream (in tub)
98. Yeast
99. Yogurt
100. Zucchini

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