One of the things that I will do the day we leave on a trip is to freeze everything I can from the fridge and pantry. Here are some ideas on what to do with your leftovers.
Freeze bread, rolls, bagels, English muffins, and such. Just toss them in the freezer in the original bags, then pull them out when you get home - bread thaws in minutes on the counter. This is perfect for trips: your loaf of bread is frozen in a moment of time while you are gone, then when you get home, you have bread within 15 minutes of your arrival without having to run to the store.
Freeze your milk. If the jug is full, you will need to pour some out (for a gallon jug, I empty the shouler area - down to the straight sides. I generally freeze without the cap on to allow the extra to escape as the liquid expands with freezing, then put the cap on (the frozen milk will be up to the lid). It will take a day to thaw in a cool water bath (like you would do to thaw a turkey) or a couple days in the fridge, and you will need to give it a good shake before using to make sure any fats are reincorporated, but you won't lose your milk. Alternately, freeze in an ice cube tray in 1 tablespoon measures, then bag the milk cubes to use in your coffee or to thaw more quickly than a big jug of milk.Tip: there are 16 tablespoons in a cup, so 4 tablespoons of milk will equal 1/4 cup of milk, making measuring for recipes a snap.
Freeze leftover meat, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, and rice in individual portions. You can pull them out and heat and eat for a quick meal. Leftover meat can be diced and used in soups or an omelet.
Freeze bits of fruit to use in smoothies or to cook and puree later into fruit sauces.
Things like sauteed onions and mushrooms also freeze well, so don't be afraid to bag them up and freeze them too!
Worst case scenario, try freezing leftovers from your fridge rather than throwing them away. What do you have to lose if it doesn't freeze well?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment