7 Freezer hacks: Time-Saving Reserves

Bread crumbs
After a barbecue, you almost always end up with leftover buns. Rather than discarding the extra hamburger or hot dog rolls, tear them into pieces and freeze the pieces in a zipper-lock bag until you need fresh bread crumbs. Then just 10 to 20 pulses in the food processor turns the leftovers into ready-to-use crumbs, no thawing necessary. This is also a great way to use up the unwanted heels from loaves of sandwich bread or artisanal bread that you can’t finish before they get stale.

While many recipes call for buttermilk, few of them will require a whole container of the real stuff, and it can be a challenge to use it up before it goes bad. Try this tip to keep unused buttermilk leftovers from spoiling.
1. Place some small paper cups on a tray and fill each with ½ cup of buttermilk.
2. Place the tray in the freezer.
3. Once the buttermilk has frozen, wrap each cup with plastic wrap and store them in a large zipper-lock bag. Defrost the amount you need in the refrigerator before you bake.

Fresh ginger is often sold in large pieces that may not be used up in one recipe. To keep it from going to waste and save it for long-term storage, use this easy tip: Cut leftover unpeeled ginger into 1-inch pieces and place them in a zipper-lock bag. Store the bag in the freezer for one month or longer. Whenever fresh ginger is needed, simply pull a piece from the freezer, allow it to thaw, peel it, and then grate or chop as required for your recipe.

The next time you make rice, prepare a double batch and freeze the leftovers. They can be reheated in the microwave, used to make fried rice, or added to soups and stews. To freeze, spread the hot rice out on a baking sheet to cool. Break up any large clumps. Place the cooled rice in a zipper-lock bag and freeze until needed.

Toasted nuts are often used in recipes such as pesto or cookies, but it can be annoying to have to toast small amounts for each dish. Here’s a solution: Toast several cups of nuts on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven for 3 to 5 minutes. When the nuts are cool, transfer them to a zipper-lock bag and freeze them. Do not use pretoasted frozen nuts for recipes in which a crisp texture is desired, such as salads.

Recipes often call for only a tablespoon or two of tomato paste. Unfortunately, the rest of the can usually ends up turning brown in the refrigerator and then being discarded. Eliminate this waste by using the following tip.
1. Open both ends of the tomato paste can. Remove the lid from one end and use the lid at the other end to push the paste out onto a sheet of plastic wrap. (This method also works as a neat way of getting other solid ingredients, such as frozen juice and almond paste, out of cans.)
2. Wrap the tomato paste in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer.
3. When the paste has frozen, you can cut off just as much as you need for a particular recipe and then return the frozen log to the freezer.

Instead of tossing out that last bit of wine from an unfinished bottle, freeze it. Then when you need a little wine to finish a sauce, there is no need to open a fresh bottle. Measure 1 tablespoon of wine into each well of an ice cube tray and freeze. Use a paring knife to remove each wine cube, and store them in a zipper-lock bag. Add the frozen cubes to sauces as desired.