By Kathy Roth Eastman, Smart Choices Editor
If you have a freezer—beyond the one attached to your fridge—you may already realize what a gold mine of opportunity you have in saving food dollars. If you only have your fridge freezer, opportunities for savings exist, though in smaller quantities, of course.
I have been a “food freezer” for years; we purchased our chest-type freezer long ago when my husband started hunting, so he could freeze game. Through these many years, I have found our freezer to be one of our most indispensible appliances, both for convenience and for saving food dollars.
How we save $$
We save hundreds of dollars each year by keeping our freezer full, from the combination of:
- Purchasing less meat and fish (my family hunters and fishermen keep our freezer packed with venison, turkey, and fish). As true sportsmen, they believe that if you hunt it, you eat it.
- Making use of “free” foods. I make batches of stock/broth from chicken and turkey bones, which make outstanding soups for soul-warming winter meals. Whenever I’m offered apples or grapes from friends or neighbors, I always take them. My homemade cinnamon applesauce is a favorite family and homemade grape juice gets rave reviews at potlucks. Both are extremely easy to make, so they are well worth my efforts.
- Preserving summer’s bounty. While I don’t have a huge garden, I do manage to freeze some tomatoes, green beans, winter squash, and occasionally a few other goodies we raise ourselves. And, as in “free foods” above, I don’t turn down gifts of fruits and veggies that friends, coworkers, or neighbors raise, and I also purchase and freeze produce from a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm and local farmers market. Many veggies need to be blanched (partially cooked) before freezing, although tomatoes, peppers, and onions do not. I also process batches of pesto, which freezes extremely well.
- Making favorite foods from scratch. I don’t have a lot of extra time for cooking and baking, but occasionally I’ll whip up a large batch of homemade noodles, pie crusts, or bread/rolls and freeze them for later use. Not only do I save money, but my family is thrilled by the homemade treats. We recently purchased rhubarb at the farmers market, and I pulled a pie crust out of the freezer to bake an easy, family-pleasing dessert.
- Stocking up on sales at the supermarket. The past few weeks, I have gotten great bargains on pork, chicken, and frozen pizzas. Other times, it’s ground beef or ice cream. I’m feeding two grown boys (one temporarily living with us, one home from college for the summer), so picking up a few bargains really helps on our food budget.
- Freezing leftovers or “planned-overs.” Sometimes we just can’t face another meal of leftover barbeque or stew. However, freezing a single serving or two of leftovers makes a scrumptious lunch a few weeks later, as good as, or better than, a store-bought frozen meal. Try the same thing with leftover pancakes, French toast, or waffles. Freeze them separately on waxed paper and, once frozen, gather them into zippered freezer bags. Remove as many as you need from the bag, then warm up in the microwave or toaster. Occasionally, I’ll plan to make an extra batch of spaghetti sauce or a casserole for a quick supper later.
Buying a freezer
I’ll admit that my freezer is old. But because it’s a chest freezer and isn’t an auto-defrost type, I feel it’s still relatively energy efficient. However, if you plan to purchase a new freezer, look for Energy Star; those with a volume of 7.75 cubic feet or greater must be at least 10 percent more energy efficient than current federal standards for “regular” freezers, while those with less than 7.75 cubic feet of volume must be at least 20 percent less than for “regular” freezers.
Energy-saving freezer tips:
- Chest freezers are usually more energy efficient than upright freezers. That’s because they are better insulated and cold air doesn’t spill out when the door is opened (because warm air rises). Auto-defrost freezers can consume 40 percent more energy than manual defrost models.
- Compare models by reading the Energy Guide labels on various models to find the best buy. And of course, it goes without saying that an Energy Star model is your best bet for saving energy.
- Set your freezer temperature between 0 and 5 degrees F; any colder than that and you’ll waste energy. Any warmer and you risk your foods defrosting and not keeping well.
- Keeping your freezer full (but not so full that air won’t circulate) helps your freezer work most efficiently because the block of frozen foods helps retain the cold temperature.
- Position your freezer in a good spot. The cooler basement is a better choice than a garage that may reach summer temperatures over 90 degrees. Don’t place it in a spot where the sun coming in window can heat up the exterior; it will have to work harder to stay cool.
How to best freeze foods
According to AllRecipes.com, poorly wrapped foods risk damage from freezer burn—a loss of moisture that affects taste and texture—and can absorb smells from or transfer smells to other foods in the freezer. Choose moisture-proof and vapor-proof methods of wrapping. Good ways to prep foods for freezing include:
- A vacuum sealer. I gave my husband one for Christmas a few years ago, and it works great, especially for meats.
- If not using a vacuum sealer, wrap products in two different types of wrappings. For example, a plastic wrapper or freezer bag against the food and then freezer paper or foil over that. Wrap as tightly as possible; if you use freezer bags, squeeze the air out.
- If you use plastic containers (I favor ice cream tubs for broth; whipped topping or margarine tubs for applesauce), don’t put the food into the container until it’s cooled. Then, don’t fill quite to the top because the food will expand during freezing. However, don’t leave too much headspace because the extra air will cause premature freezer burn.
- Rewrap meats purchased in Styrofoam packs for longer-lasting storage. For individual servings of burgers or chops, I remove the meats from the store package, then place them on a wax-paper-covered baking sheet. After the items are frozen, pick up each meat chunk along with some of the waxed paper. Using double bags, stack them, then zip the bags closed. You’ll be able to pull out as many as you need for dinner.
- Use a similar process for berries (blueberries, strawberries). I wash them, scatter on a wax-paper-covered baking sheet, freeze, then transfer to a double-zipper bag. I can pour out what I need for smoothies, pancakes, or a salad.
- Be sure to label and date the packaged foods. There is nothing more frustrating than thawing out what you think are steaks, only to discover—too late—that it’s a package of stew meat.
- I’ve always hesitated to freeze casseroles, such as lasagna, because I don’t want to leave one of my often-used baking dishes in the freezer for weeks or months. Here’s a tip I recently discovered: Before putting the food into the baking dish, line it with overlapping strips of aluminum foil that extend well beyond the edges of the pan (long enough to completely wrap the food). Freeze the dish, then pull the foil package out of the pan, wrap it well and put it—pan-less—back into the freezer. Of course, it will now hold its shape. You can insert it back into the pan before thawing.