Has your refrigerator become a place overflowing with leftovers, rotten produce, and newer groceries that get buried underneath all the mess? Or have you ever stored so many leftovers in the freezer that you simply forget about them and end up throwing them away anyway? 

This is actually more common than you think. But instead of going through a deep cleaning frenzy every few months, why not use other tools to prevent this from happening? 

Our freezers are a fundamental yet rarely used tool that comes with our fridges. 

Freezers should not only store raw meat, ice cream, and scraps you have rendered “useless.” You can freeze a wide variety of foods at your convenience, and they will surely make your life easier. 

There are many hacks for freezing foods you didn’t know you needed, and the best part is that you can start today. 

Freeze extra herbs and veggies 

Odds are you always have some leftover scraps of vegetables and herbs when you make a meal. Instead of throwing them away, store them in a baggie and place them in the freezer. This will come in handy the next time you want to make vegetable stock. These scraps can stay in the freezer for about six months. 

Let food cool before freezing

While you may be inclined to freeze your food as soon as you’re done cooking it, placing it in the freezer immediately may raise the temperature inside your freezer and affect other foods inside. Instead, allow your warm food to chill first by placing it uncovered in the refrigerator. Once it’s cool, you can safely transfer it to the freezer. 

Don’t freeze foods high in water content

Freezing foods that have a high water content will, unfortunately, turn mushy and soggy once defrosted, mainly due to the water inside them crystallizing. Some foods with a high water content are lettuce, cucumbers, watermelons, and potatoes. 

Freeze portion-sized meals 

Have you ever made too much food? Still can’t figure out how much pasta you actually need to cook? Kids didn’t want to eat rice? Instead of throwing away these perfectly fresh leftovers, make it a point to freeze these meals in portion-sized containers. 

This will come in handy on those days you need an emergency meal. The fact that you froze them in these containers will make it easier to defrost. You can also do this for meal prep. Instead of coming home every day to try and figure out what to cook, choose a day to make plenty of meals that you can quickly eat after work. 

Make sure you label your food

It’s important to remember to label your storage container or baggie every time you store something in the freezer. This is because different foods can only remain frozen for a certain time. Not all food is created equally, so labeling helps you keep track, and you won’t accidentally eat spoiled food.