Can you freeze egg whites and yolks? Yes you can! How about avocado, milk and coffee?
Save money and get freezer-wise with these everyday food items you didn’t know you could freeze.
New Zealanders waste SO MUCH food every year and it’s not just leftovers. These freezer tips are less about landfills challenges and more about saving money and pure convenience. We need to get smarter about what we can freeze, a natural preserving method dating back centuries.
If you buy in bulk you may already be splitting meat into likely serving portions so you only defrost what you need when you need it. You may be freezing fruit ready for preserving another day, or blanching and freezing greens ready to enjoy off season.
Stored in air tight containers, labeling and dating your food so you know when to safely eat it and avoid UFOs (unidentified frozen objects), is really handy. Take a note of what’s in your freezer and every month bring what’s at the back to the front.
I’ll be blogging more about food salvage and preserving, a subject that I’m very passionate about…but for now, did you know you can freeze eggs? I hadn’t thought to before now although I do enjoy fresh free range eggs and often get given, or buy, too much. They CAN be frozen.
Freezing Eggs
To be specific, we are talking about raw eggs here. How often does a recipe call for egg yolks…only to waste egg whites, or the other way around. Do you find yourself with stray yolks in your fridge that you frantically are looking for recipes to use them for, or end up throwing them out after a week? No need to panic. Both egg whites and yolks freeze well with a little kitchen love.
Firstly, you shouldn’t freeze eggs in their shells. There is some cracking required and a few nifty tips to be followed before transferring them into an airtight container to freeze. It’s handy to use ice-cube trays so you can defrost them individually as required, or combine several into a container (large whisky ice trays are great too due to their size) – whatever best works for you. It’s handy to write on the lid how many eggs it contains and also the date you freeze them.
There are a few tricks to take note of first however:
Freezing Egg Whites
If you are a lover of egg white omelettes as I am, separate the egg whites and freeze them separately. Pouring them into an ice tray is great to freeze, then transfer individual cubes into an airtight freezer proof container to store (that way you can free up your ice tray for more handy freezing projects). Egg whites don’t need any treatment, they will freeze and defrost well as they are.
Defrost egg whites in your fridge overnight or allow a good hour or two to thaw. They will lose some foaming power once thawed, so may not be so dreamy for meringues but great for omelettes, savoury tarts or frittatas. Your best chance of getting the best froth however is to allow egg whites to reach room temperature for approx 30 minutes before beating.
Freezing Egg Yolks
Unless treated properly, frozen egg yolks ‘left as they are’ will solidify to a weirdly firm gel upon thawing. To avoid this, you’ll need break up the yolk with a fork then mix in a 1/4 teaspoon of salt or sugar for yolk before freezing (depending on whether you are likely to use them for savoury cooking or sweet baking). The addition of salt or sugar helps the proteins in the yolk from solidifying.
Defrost in the fridge then use straight away. Great for custards, sauces and puddings.
Freezing Whole Eggs
If you have eggs that you want to preserve before their best before date, they can be frozen ‘whole’ (ie: the white and the yolk together) but will need to be lightly beaten first, then a 1/4 teaspoon of salt or sugar per egg. The reason for this is due to the yolk (explained above). Deduct salt or sugar from your recipe once they are thawed as required.
Defrosted ‘whole’ eggs can be enjoyed as scrambled eggs and in baking.
Other everyday foods you can freeze
Bananas
It’s best to peel them first. It’s often more helpful when you need them later to cut them into quarters before you freeze them. They are ideal to defrost and mash for banana cakes or use from frozen in smoothies and cocktails. As with all frozen foods, ensure they are stored in an air-tight container.
If you have a little more time on your hands, slice raw bananas then insert a toothpick; dip in chocolate then sprinkles, then freeze. They make for easy desserts and treats straight from the freezer. FIND ‘Frozen Banana Bites’ RECIPE
Cheese
Hard cheeses freeze well and it’s handy to grate first then lay on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Once frozen, transfer into an air tight container – free-flow grated cheese is handy when you just want a sprinkling rather than defrosting a whole block.
Soft cheeses can also be frozen although when they are defrosted they lose their texture so you won’t be able to use it on a cheese platter, but rather more suited to a cheese sauce or fondue.
Avocado
Peel then chop avocado into chunks or puree, squeeze some lemon juice over the raw avocado then freeze in an airtight container or zip-lock bag (squeeze as much air out as you can). Defrosted it is great for sauces and guacamole but not for a raw salad as the texture changes and becomes sloppy.
Wine
I’m sure many of you will smirk at this….who has left over wine?! Whether it’s white or red, any partially empty wine bottles can be frozen in ice cube trays (particularly useful after a dinner party). Frozen wine works well, as does frozen stock, in casseroles and stews or sauces.
Milk
Milk can be frozen very successfully. Milk expands when frozen so be sure to remove a small amount from the bottle before freezing in a freezer-proof container. Thaw in the fridge when you are ready. Shake well before using so any separation between the milk and cream is combined.
I freeze 2L and 3L light blue milk with great success. It can take a few days to fully defrost depending on the size of the bottle so there may be a large iceberg in the centre for a while! It’s great to take camping as it will defrost slowly and keeps your chilly bin nice and cold for longer too. Cream can be frozen too but the consistency will change upon thawing so consider it better for soups and curries, not whipping.
Butter
Ensure it’s tightly wrapped or in it’s original foil/paper packaging so it doesn’t absorb any freezer smells. Slice what you need with a hot knife or defrost the whole block as required.
Garlic & Herbs
Raw garlic cloves (peeled) and diced herbs freeze well in olive oil. Half fill ice cube trays with herbs then drizzle over olive oil. Freeze overnight then transfer to an air tight container for later use. Use a frozen cube at a time as required for your dishes. Ginger can be wrapped and frozen too – but no need to dice as you can freeze whole then grate from frozen as required.
Shredded Cooked Chicken
We already know and regularly freeze pre-cooked chicken meals (casseroles, stews etc) but seldom do we freeze shredded cooked chicken. This is particularly handy after a Sunday roast where there may not be enough for another meal, but enough leftovers to shred for another day. Remove any bones then freeze in an air tight container. Handfuls of shredded cooked chicken can then be thawed whenever you need it. Great for sandwiches, quiches and pizza toppings!
Citrus Juice
When life brings you citrus, freeze it! Lemon, orange and grapefruit juice freshly squeezed and frozen into ice cube trays are delicious to add to a pitcher of water in summer, or add to ice tea. They are also rather delicious blended into a Citrus Slushie with a dash of your favourite tipple!
Coffee
Yes, those half drunk cups of coffee have a purpose! Freeze in ice cube trays then add to DIY iced coffee. You’ll be thanking me come summer.
