10 Freezer Hacks That Will Change Your Life, by LifebyMikeG on YouTube. 19 min 8 s.
- Video length
- 19 min 8 s
- Time to do it
- 30 minutes plus freezing time
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Pick your leftovers. Soft herbs, marinara, stock, pesto and citrus juice all freeze well. Chop or blend each one into a spoonable paste or liquid before freezing.
For compound butter, soften butter and mash in chopped herbs, garlic or zest. Spoon into small molds or roll in cling film and chill until firm.
Blend fruit, yogurt and greens for smoothies, then pour into 1 cup molds. Freeze solid and pop the blocks into a bag for later blending.
Cook down marinara sauce until thick, cool it, then fill 1 cup molds. Thick sauce freezes better than watery sauce.
Mix lemon juice, grated ginger and honey into a paste. Freeze in 2 tablespoon molds and drop one cube into hot water or tea.
Simmer vegetable scraps, onion skins and herb stems in water for about an hour, strain, cool and freeze the stock in 2 cup molds.
Blitz basil, oil, nuts and cheese into pesto. Freeze in small molds and add a cube to pasta or soup at the end of cooking.
Chop garlic finely, cover with oil and freeze in small molds. Use one cube wherever a recipe calls for a clove.
Freeze blanched vegetables in portions. Spread them on a tray first so they freeze loose, then bag them.
Tips and common mistakes
Cool cooked sauces and stock fully before freezing so the freezer stays cold.
Press cling film onto sauce before freezing to reduce ice crystals and freezer burn.
Label each bag with the contents and date, and use within about three months for best flavour.
Leave a little headspace in rigid containers because liquid expands as it freezes.
Questions
Can I freeze herbs without blanching them?
Yes. Chop soft herbs like basil, parsley or coriander and freeze them in oil or water in ice cube trays. They keep their colour better this way than dry freezing.
How long do freezer cubes last?
Most sauces, stocks and herb cubes keep well for about three months. After that they are still safe but lose flavour and texture.
Do I need special silicone molds?
No. A standard ice cube tray works for small portions. Use a muffin tin lined with paper for larger 1 cup blocks.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
