Posted By Zoe Chilvers at 01/02/2012 15:01:06
In a survey, only 21 per cent of people interviewed had frozen food nearing its 'use by' date during the past week.
You can freeze food you haven't had time to eat, right up to it's 'use by' date. The freezer acts as a pause button, giving you more time to eat the food you buy. Once frozen, it won't spoil and puts the 'use by' date on hold.
Here are some useful freezer tips to help you save money and waste less food:
- It's safe to freeze almost any food. You can freeze eggs (separate whites from yolks), milk, cheese (grate first and use as toppings on pizza, shepherds pie, etc. from frozen), fruit, cooked meat (such as chicken and turkey), bread and bakery products, cream (whip before freezing to stop it going grainy when thawed)
- It's good to wrap food properly before freezing to keep it at its best. Use freezer bags or plastic containers and minimise the air around your food to help avoid 'freezer burn', which can affect the texture and taste of your food
- Try freezing food in portions; it defrosts quicker and you'll have just what you need for an easy meal. This could include bread, meat portions (for example chicken breasts) and leftover meals
- Food can be safely stored in the freezer forever but the quality deteriorates, so it's best to eat food within three months
- The look and texture of some food can change when it's frozen (like yoghurt and cheese) but this doesn't mean it's not safe to eat. Yoghurt that's been frozen makes great smoothies, grated cheese makes great cheese on toast or a topping for pasta bake.
- Defrost food in the fridge, use within 24 hours and cook thoroughly making sure it's piping hot all the way through.
For more freezer tips see the Love Food Hate Waste website: http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/storage_and_tools/tips/freezer
Got some food that needs using up in the fridge? Some left over meat and vegetables from your Sunday roast?
Take a look at our recipe cards and try out one of the delicious meals made with leftovers, like this photo of sausage risotto.
See our top tips cards for ideas on keeping food fresher for longer and reducing the amount of food you throw away.
Did you know that every month in the UK households throw away £50 worth of food that could have been eaten? However at Christmas this rises by a staggering 80 percent, resulting in 230,000 tonnes of festive food waste!
We've put together some helpful tips on how to use up your leftovers and reduce the amount of food you waste this festive season, whilst also saving yourself some money!
See tips on reducing food waste this Christmas.
