When it comes to saving cash, your freezer is your best friend. Not only can you freeze almost any produce, but also having a freezer full of family friendly food is a huge time saving device for any busy mum.

What to freeze

The good news is not only will freezing food help retain the quality of the food you buy but it will also help with the daily items that always seem to run out like bread (which can be toasted from frozen) and milk. So don’t be afraid to fill your freezer with your family favourites as well as standard produce such as fish, meat and/or frozen vegetables. Better still it’s worth knowing that food can be frozen in various forms:

• In its raw just-bought state
• A pre cooked state
• Or as simple leftover

Meaning freezing doesn’t always involve a large cooking operation especially if you’re a freezer novice who up until now has just kept ice cubes in her freezer.

There are, however, some basic guidelines to freezing food that will help make your life easier:

1. Always cool cooked foods before you freeze them. Freezing food when hot will only increase the temperature of the freezer but could cause other frozen foods in the freezer to start defrosting.
2. Bear in mind a full freezer is more economical to run, as the cold air doesn't need to circulate so much, so less power is needed, which means it pays to shop, cook and freeze in large batches.  Try making hearty soups, and meals with thick sauces such as stews, bolognaise, shepherds pie, lasagna, and chilli con carne. All are easy and cheap to cook in large batches and fantastic to freeze in individual portions for lunch or fast ready meals.
3. Always remember to portion meals into realistically sized portions i.e. cut pre frozen food up and bag it separately and the same for meals you make in batches, before freezing otherwise you’ll find yourself defrosting a family sized meal for a single lunch.

Using frozen food

When it comes to using your frozen food you need to also take care. Firstly, proper defrosting is a must for meat and poultry. This means either leave food in the refrigerator to thaw all-day or overnight, or use the defrost setting on a microwave oven for quick results. If you have thawed something and change your mind do not put it back in the freezer, as this is a recipe for food poisoning.

Also look out for freezer burn on your food. This doesn’t make food unsafe, merely dry. It appears as grayish-brown leathery spots and is caused by air reaching the surface of the food. Cut freezer-burned portions away either before or after cooking the food. And whatever you thaw make sure you cook it properly especially if it is meat and/or poultry because although certain foods can be used straight from frozen (check labels for this information) others need to be cooked until piping hot.

Lastly, if your lovely packed freezer goes on the blink. Don’t panic. One of the most important things to do is keep the freezer door closed. Food in a fully loaded freezer will usually stay frozen for two days. In a freezer half full or less, food will not last more than a day. This gives you time to off load it onto a neighbour until your freezer is fixed.

The freezer friendly guide

In theory, food can stay frozen indefinitely, which is why the recommended storage times below are for quality issues only, as long term freezing can affect the taste and look of food.

• Grated cheese can be frozen for up to 4 months and can be used straight from the freezer.
• Most bread, will freeze well for up to 3 months.
• Milk will freeze for 1 month. Defrost in the fridge and shake well before using.
• Vegetables will stay frozen for several months
• Most fruits will stay frozen for 8-12 months (citrus fruits 4-6 months)
• Large cuts of meat will stay frozen for 6 -12 months
• Oily fish for 3 months
• White fish for 6 months
• Baby foods can be frozen for 3 – 4 months, after which it may lose some of its nutritional value. If you are freezing baby food be sure to freeze in baby portions. Try spooning the food into a clean ice cube tray (each cube is equivalent to about 1 oz of food). Cover the tray with cling film and once the cubes have frozen solid, empty them into separate freezer bags.
• Foods that do not freeze well are: foods with a high water content, such as salad, tomatoes, marrows, cucumbers, strawberries, radishes, lettuce and watercress. Bananas, kiwi fruit and pomegranates. Dairy products such as cream, milk, yoghurt. And always avoid freezing eggs in their shells and canned food, as they will burst!