Have you ever forgotten about a fruit or veggie in the back of your freezer, only to find it a few days later, when it's almost too late to eat it? Don't worry, you can probably freeze it! Freezing food allows you to store things long-term which can benefit your meal planning and your money saving efforts. We've listed 5 categories of food that will typically freeze well and can be used at a later time.

Meats

Most everyone knows that meats freeze well. All meat can be frozen, cooked and uncooked. Freezing meat is a great way to take advantage of the big, bulk sales that many supermarkets have. In order to get the best freezer meat storage, remove the meat from the store packaging and put it in a freezer bag.

It is recommended that you package the meat in portions and then freeze it so it's easy to use for a quick meal. To thaw, place it in your refrigerator. If you don't end up using it, you can refreeze it. If you thaw a different way, it must be cooked before refreezing it.

Of course, each meat will freeze differently. In particular, you should take extra care when freezing bacon. For serving purposes, it is best to divide the pack into 2-4 slices between pieces of wax paper and then storing it in a freezer bag. To consume the next morning, you'll have to thaw overnight in the fridge. If you're not looking to cook it for breakfast, you can defrost it in a few hours by putting the freezer bag in cold water.

Vegetables

Vegetables are not as commonly known as a freezer food, but are still not surprising. Vegetables can be tricky, but most of them are freezable! Before freezing, it is important to wash, separate, and dry. Even blanching would work. If properly stored, vegetables can last for up to a year!

For example, ginger can be frozen whole or sliced. Because ginger that is frozen is a lot easier to grate, it makes sense to store it in the freezer. Then when you need it, just grate what you need and put it back. Make sure you wrap it tightly and store it in an airtight freezer bag. Also leafy greens like spinach, chard, and kale can be frozen. Before freezing, chop, wash, and blanch. 

Fruits

Freezing fruits is a great idea, especially if you're into making smoothies and frozen yogurt. The biggest problem people encounter when freezing fruits is when thawing, the texture is ruined. Bananas and avocados will become mushy, but this is not a problem if you are putting the bananas in smoothies or making banana bread. The same is true for avocados. If used in a dip or sauce, it's not problem, you just might not want to eat it whole. 

Berries, bananas, apples, oranges, pineapples, kiwis, mangos, and so much more can be frozen and thrown into a delicious smoothie! For some awesome smoothie recipes, read this article. Frozen grapes are also a delicious snack.

Any citrus zest can also be salvaged. One of the more creative things you can do is juice the citrus fruits into ice trays to make ice cubes. This will allow for a cool, refreshing drink without watering it down.

Dairy

Many people assume that dairy isn't meant to be frozen and there is no way to preserve it, but in reality there is. Of course, the methods for freezing dairy products differ for each, but it can be done. You can freeze milk, cheese, cream cheese, and even yogurt.

If your milk is approaching its expiration, there is no problem with freezing it. When freezing, make sure you leave room for expansion. You should also keep in mind that it will become grainy so it is best used for cooking and baking, not drinking. Once thawed, shake well. That can help alleviate some of the graininess and clumps. 

Cheese can also be frozen for long periods of time. After freezing, cheese is best used on pizzas or in casseroles because it will be too crumbly for sandwiches. Hard cheeses like parmesan and mozzarella freeze better than soft cheeses.

Cream cheese follows the same types of rules as cheese. It will not be consumable if you plan to spread it on a bagel, but to use in cooking it will be just fine. Because cream cheese is notorious for separating, even in the refrigerator, when thawing, it is important to reheat it slowly and stir consistently.

Herbs

Herbs are a great addition to any recipe as they always add a little bit of extra flavor. Herbs can be frozen in many different ways in order to preserve them for the winter months. You can chop and cover them with water or olive oil to freeze or you could just rinse, remove the leaves, and dry them and then freeze individually on a tray.

When you are ready to use them, once thawed, they will most likely be too limp to have as a garnish so putting the herbs in stews, soups, or casseroles would be a great use. Check out our blog that has a soup and pasta recipe you can make with some of your frozen foods.

Freezing food from these five categories can benefit your long-term meal planning and help you if you're looking for a quick and easy meal prep day. If you're interested in learning about more foods that you can freeze, check out this article.