Our top ten freezer hacks

Yes, you can fill your freezer with frozen pizza and ice cream but it’s actually much cooler than that. We’ve been experts in home freezing for over 50 years so we’ve learnt a thing or two over the years. Have a look at our top ten freezer hacks to get the most out of that big white* box in your kitchen.

*Other freezer colours are available.

1. A full freezer is a happy freezer.

Keeping your freezer full and well-organised will save energy (and money) as less cold air can escape when you open the door to get something out.

2. Booze cubes.

Freeze leftover wine in ice cube trays. On those occasions when there is a bit of wine left in the bottle (it can happen), pour it into ice cube trays and freeze it so you can use the wine cubes in your cooking.

3. Freeze your eggs.

Yes, eggs. Just crack them into ice cube trays – silicone ones are perfect as it’s easier to pop the eggs out when you want to cook them.

4. Milk it.

You can make milk ice cubes to put into your tea or coffee – they’ll help your drink cool quicker too if you need to drink up because you’re in a hurry in the morning.

5. Hard cheese.

Freezing cheese does change its texture, but harder cheeses like Cheddar, Gouda and Parmesan can be frozen for up to two months. Just grate them first and then pop them into a freezer bag or container.

6. Butter fingers.

Freeze a whole block of butter – then, when you’re making flaky pastry, it’s easy to grate the cold butter into the flour. (And if you’ve never made pastry before but fancy giving it a go, you can find out how on our Make Perfect Pastry blog.)

7. Flavour bombs.

Fresh herbs can be frozen in olive oil ready for cooking as and when you need them. Or freeze them in water for adding flavour to soups and stews.

8. Slice of life.

Have you ever wondered how to successfully slice thin pieces of chicken or beef to use in stir-fries? The trick is to partially freeze your meat – about 30-45 minutes should do it. It’s then really easy to slice as thinly as you like.

9. Pop goes the yoghurt.

Pop a lolly stick in a pot of yoghurt and freeze to make a refreshing yoghurt pop to cool you down on hot summer days. Your kids will thank you for it.

10. Flat out.

Foods like soup, Bolognese, curry, chilli and stew are brilliant for freezing flat in leakproof Soup ‘n’ Sauce Bags or reusable freezer bags. And not only do they save tons of space when you stack them up, they defrost quicker too or can be cooked straight from frozen. You can freeze sauces and stocks like this as well.