The Naptime Kitchen Guide to Getting the Most Out of Your Freezer
put your freezer to work to bless your future self!!!
Let’s be honest, here. What mom doesn’t dream of private chef-prepped meals, at least occasionally? Dishes as nutritious as they are delicious that satisfy even the pickiest little food critics and arrive at the table with little to no effort on our parts. Sign me up! But given we didn’t cash in on the $1.8 billion dollar Powerball jackpot earlier this month, my private chef dreams remain sadly on hold. Thankfully, I come from a family that loves to freeze food, which means I’ll always have my very own in-house sous chef—and you can too.
All it takes is a little organization, a few time-tested (Berta-approved) hacks, and a handful of go-to recipes, and you can transform your freezer into your kitchen’s most powerful time (and money) saving tool.
Freezing 101
Freezing food is a kitchen skill that comes naturally to me. I learned it from my mom, and she learned it from hers. If that isn’t the case for you, don’t worry. Just like roasting a whole chicken or cooking the perfect 7-minute egg, it’s something you can learn.
From my perspective, there are two general approaches to stocking the freezer. The first method means carving out an afternoon (or even an entire day if you can swing it) to cook a lot of meals at once. The second is simpler—just double a few meals you’re already making and stash them in the freezer at regular intervals. I love the first approach if I can convince Berta to join me, but really do a ton of both. Either is fine, and both allow you to put in the effort on a day when you have the time and energy so you have a home cooked meal ready to go on a day when your energy stores are drained. Bonus: A well-stocked freezer is not only a boon to your family but can also be used to bless friends in times of need.
Freezing is a year-long endeavor at my house, but there’s something about the transition from summer to fall and the return to routine that has me diving back into the deep freezer and storing up for the winter by planning some easy meals for the busy school nights ahead. You can also take advantage of the last of the late summer produce and freeze servings of your favorites to reheat anytime the winter blues threaten to overwhelm.
Insulating Your Food and Why it’s Critical to Freezer Success
Freezer burn happens when food has too much contact with the air causing dehydration and oxidation. TBH I am not positive what all that means either. I do know this is harmless, but it can affect the texture and taste of your food. So, what’s the secret to preventing freezer burn? Insulation.
For me, that looks like a layer of Glad Press’n Seal on my casseroles followed by a layer of foil. Baked goods get a layer of wax paper and then tinfoil, too. And when freezing liquids, I always make sure to leave about a half an inch to an inch of space at the top of the container to allow for expansion. Be sure to let your food completely cool before you insulate and freeze it, or trapped condensation can lead to freezer burn!
Label, Label, Label!
Get you a Sharpie and some freezer tape (it generally sticks better in cold temperatures than Scotch tape) and always label and date items you are freezing. One question I often get is: “How long do things last in the freezer?” Well, it depends. Assuming you wrapped the food well, my go-to response is six months. Some say three months: others say a year. My thought is if we haven’t eaten it in six months, we should eat it. If I have zero desire for it over six months, we’re likely not going to eat it, and it needs to go. Really, this is more about space than anything for me. Much like our mantra in the Home Reset, keeping something in the freezer just because you bought it or spent time making it is costing you valuable SPACE.
A Quick Note on Defrosting
For food safety purposes, the fridge is always the preferred way to defrost anything. The food never gets warm if it defrosts in the fridge. For something like a pack of chicken or a small casserole, I usually stick it in the fridge 24 hours in advance and 48 hours for a large casserole. I like to place a dishcloth underneath the container to absorb any condensation created. (Note: I said “for food safety purposes”...off the record, your girl is known to stick a frozen casserole on her counter and let it defrost there all day.)
How to Stay Organized and Actually Eat What You Freeze
One of the best ways to ensure those BBQ chicken quinoa casseroles you made get eaten and not lost under the weight of frozen berries and ice cream pints is to keep a Freezer Checklist. My checklist includes the type of food, number of servings, and the date it was made and frozen.
Staples I Always Have in My Freezer
Having a few family favorites on hand from easy, quick-cook proteins to frozen veggies (the ones you know your kids will eat) to pre-prepped sauces to batched everyday ingredients is the ultimate busy mom flex.
Protein:
Aidells chicken sausage
Frozen salmon fillets
Simek’s meatballs
Sukhi’s Chicken Tikka Masala (from Costco)
Chicken Pot Pie (this comes in the prepared foods section and freezes so well! You can freeze prior to or post cooking.)
Fruit & Veggies:
Frozen broccoli to steam
Frozen green beans for my roasted green beans
Dr. Praeger’s Spinach Littles (great if you have toddlers)
Frozen berries for smoothies
The Daily Green Smoothie bags
Riced cauliflower for smoothies or to add to rice for a stir-fry
Starches:
Kirkland cheese tortellini from Costco
King’s Hawaiian rolls
Vegetable fried rice (Trader Joe’s is my fave)
The kids’ sandwich bread I get from Costco
Basic Ingredients:
Frozen garlic and ginger cubes
Pesto (I get the big jar from Costco and freeze in smaller portions)
Any kind of bread
Butter (freezes beautifully!)
Our Favorite Freezer-Friendly Recipes and What We’re Making Right Now
NTK Freezer Favorites
Copycat Perfect Bars for easy, on-the-go breakfasts
What Kate is Making
Caro Chambers’ White Chicken Chili from her new cookbook, What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking, because it’s super easy and has kale in it. I like to freeze this in 1 and 2 cup Souper Cubes for a protein packed lunch option.
NTK Thai Chicken Soup. Golly I love this recipe! It is so filling and veggie packed. It’s super filling and comforting and also super healthy.
What’s Gaby Cooking’s Best-Ever Bolognese: This creamy Bolognese combines a traditional Ragù Bolognese and a Béchamel sauce, and it’s insane. I freeze in Ziploc bags or Souper Cubes for the easiest (yummiest) weeknight pasta. Want to wow friends? Make this sauce.
What Jess is Making
Bri McKoy’s Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie: We love this recipe so much, so I always try to double it whenever I go to the effort, so we can enjoy it twice.
Fed & Fit’s Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake: This no-boil pasta bake is super easy to make and even easier to double, so I can freeze the second.
NTK Peanut Butter Bites: I always have these perfect energy bites in the freezer for the kids. Note: I just skip brewer’s yeast.
NTK Black Bean Soup: This soup is sooooo easy! And cheap! And filling!!! Makes a ton and defrosts like a dream.
Shop My Amazon Freezer Essentials
From freezer tape to my favorite containers, it’s all here.
The NTK Guide to Freezing
Now that you’ve got the basics covered, if you are looking for even more freezer tips and tricks, I created a guide years ago that shares everything I know about freezing. I break down the “rules” of freezing by category (meat, dairy, fruits & veggies, casseroles, liquids, baked goods, and breads) while mixing in smart takeaways like the “soup pot” approach to small quantities of leftover veggies. There’s an entire section devoted to all your burning “Can you freeze that?” questions, and I even take you on a visual tour of my indoor and outdoor freezer, detailing our organization system. My hope is that this $20 investment will save you far more in delicious meals you can pull from your freezer instead of opting for takeout.
A FUN GIVEAWAY!!
Ok friends! That’s all I have for you. I hope some of this was helpful and gets you excited for using your freezer to the max this fall/winter. Got a question? Put it below! Also, we have our very first GIVEAWAY and I am pumped for it! Leave any comment below and you will be entered to win Material Kitchen’s Trio of Knives. I have gotten to try so many knives over the years and I reach for these above all others. I got them over a year ago and they remain my faves! Material sent me a new set but since I use and love my previous set I want to gift them to one of you!
I'm hoping to make a good dent in our freezer in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving! It helps the budget and takes meal prep off my plate to free up time for fun!
Now I’m inspired to get busy filling the freezer (like our local squirrels with their nut-stash)! Thank you!