Freezer meal prepping is the process of preparing and cooking large quantities of food with
the intention of creating leftovers to store in your freezer. People normally store prepared
food in their refrigerators when they meal prep, but it may be better to store prepared meals
in the freezer, because it allows you to store food for longer periods of time, especially when
you store your food in a chest freezer. A chest freezer is ideal for storing food because it
keeps food frozen for a longer time. This is key, especially with the frequent electricity
interruptions during load shedding. KIC chest freezers keep your food safely and fully frozen
below -9° Celsius for up to 46 hours*!
If you’d like to learn how to meal prep with your freezer, keep reading for some great tips!
The Best Foods To Freeze
Almost any food can be frozen, with the exception of eggs in their shells and canned foods,
to name a few. Some of the best foods to freeze are vegetable or beef stocks, soups,
sauces, stews, and different kinds of bread. It’s best to freeze complete meals, as they are
easy to reheat and serve in the same dish. Examples of complete dishes you can freeze are
lasagne, shepherd’s pie, mac and cheese, and meatloaf. You can also freeze baked goods
and breakfast items such as cookie dough, breakfast burritos, and steel-cut oats.
Even though most foods can be easily frozen, certain foods are more difficult to freeze. For
example:
Leafy Greens
Freezing leafy greens and vegetables to use in a salad will not have the same texture as
fresh greens and vegetables. So, if you want to freeze your leafy greens, it’s best to use
them in soups or smoothies, where the texture won’t matter.
Pasta
If you want to freeze cooked pasta, rather undercook it by a few minutes because it will finish
cooking when you reheat it. If you make pasta dishes, it’s best to freeze other parts of the
dish (such as the sauce) separately. Same goes for if you are freezing soups that have
pasta as an ingredient (such as noodles) – in this case it’s also best to freeze soup and
pasta separately.
How To Freezer Meal Prep
First of all, give yourself 1 to 2 days to plan and prepare. Depending on how much food you
want to cook and how long you want your food to last in your freezer, you may need up to 3
days to meal prep. Most people prefer to meal prep on Sundays, but choose a day that
works best for you. Begin by writing down your family’s favourite recipes and choosing
freezer-friendly recipes.
Secondly, make sure you have all the necessary freezer-friendly containers to store your
food in. Some common types of packaging materials that are safe for freezing are rigid
containers and flexible bags or wrapping. Food-grade silicone is also safe for storing food.
Additionally, other food-grade materials such as aluminium foil, heavy freezer weight plastic
bags, heavy plastic wrap, and parchment or freezer paper are excellent choices for wrapping
items to freeze.
Benefits Of Freezer Meal Prepping
Reduce Food Waste
When you store food in the freezer, you can reduce the amount of food that you don’t end up
eating and therefore throw away. Freezing food also allows you to extend the lifespan of the
food you buy so you are able to eat it before it goes bad.
Save Money
When you reduce your family’s food waste, you also reduce how much you spend on food.
Instead of spending money on food that you end up throwing away, you will be able to eat
more of the food you buy. You can also buy your food in bulk, which can help you lower your
monthly expense on food. Additionally, instead of paying for take-outs on nights that you’re
too tired to cook, you can just grab a delicious homemade meal from your freezer and
quickly reheat it.
Save Time
If you are working full-time or you’re constantly driving your kids around their extracurricular
activities, it can be difficult to find time to make meals from scratch on busy weeknights.
Freezer meal prepping allows you to spend less time cooking every night by simply heating
up the meals you have already prepared. By prepping and freezing meals, you can save
time in the preparation and clean-up process of making a meal.
With these cool tips, you can keep mealtime fun and safe! And as long as you
consume food that is placed in the freezer within four months, it will still have optimal
freshness and taste. Happy Freezing!
Keep it Cool, Keep it Frozen!