The freezer is a wonderful appliance that can save you money and time. You can use your freezer as a wonderful tool to make your life easier in the kitchen.
Whenever you have parts of canned goods leftover I’ll bet you do one of two things with them. You throw them out immediately or you put them in a container in your refrigerator and then throw them out later. Do you realize that the half a can of beans, or ¼ cup of leftover chicken broth can be frozen? Put the remaining contents in a container, label it with its name and quantity then place it in the freezer. You can do that with jarred tomato sauce too---in fact almost everything that comes from a can can be frozen because it has already been cooked. You can even freeze and refreeze butter. You can take anything you have frozen and put it in the microwave on high power for a few minutes and it will thaw quickly.
When you have tomato paste remaining, measure it in tablespoon amounts and put it on wax paper. Put the wax paper in the freezer. When it is frozen roll up the wax paper and put it in a plastic bag. Whenever you need tomato paste, you have it ready to go. There isn’t any need to defrost it because it will melt into the hot dish.
It might not seem worth the effort to save a few pennies of broth or half a can of beans, but if you always throw these items out that adds up significantly throughout the year. In addition to saving money, you’ll also save time because you won’t find yourself having to restock these items constantly. Many times all a recipe calls for is a small amount. If you look, it will be in your freezer so that makes one less item to find in the grocery store.
Don’t hesitate to freeze baked goods like cake, cupcakes, cookies, and candy. In fact, if you have leftover birthday cake the best way to not be tempted to finish it is to freeze it. Slice it and wrap each slice individually in plastic wrap then put those pieces in a gallon plastic bag. You can do the same for roasts, turkey, ham, and deli cold cuts. Wrap just enough for a sandwich in plastic wrap then place that into a gallon plastic. Make sure you label everything. A month from now you will have forgotten what you put in your freezer and once frozen it will be unrecognizable.
Your freezer is good for more than just ice and ice cream. Do you use your freezer?
Cooking is easier than you think and you and your family are worth the time and effort it takes.
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