Freezing food to prevent waste
About £2.1bn worth of fresh fruit and vegetables is thrown away in UK homes every year, usually because it has gone soft or mouldy. The food we throw away contributes to climate change. Food waste that ends up in the oxygen lacking environment of landfills produce methane – a much more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
Photo by Devin Rajaram on Unsplash
Save money and make you food last longer by freezing it before it goes off - don't forget to label it. Foods that can be easily frozen include
hard cheese - if you are buying a big block of hard cheese to make the most of a store bargain, grate it first and freeze to use later. This is good for cheese on toast, on top of baked beans or in an omelette.
milk - ideal for freezing in smaller quantities - big bottles take time to defrost and use up lots of space in the freezer. Defrost in the fridge and use within 24 hours. Alternatively, freeze milk in ice cube trays for popping straight into your hot drink!
bread - you can freeze all varieties of bread. To make it easier to separate bread slices after freezing, bang your loaf gently on a work surface before you put it in the freezer. Slices from a frozen loaf can be defrosted as needed, or toasted straight from the freezer.
bananas - bananas can go brown quite quickly so if you see them start to go speckled, peel and freeze them to use later. Frozen bananas are great for smoothies, as well as banana bread or loaf. Blend frozen bananas in a food processor for a healthy alternative to ice cream, or bake them in the oven with a bit of honey on top for a nice dessert.
eggs - simply crack your eggs into a sealable container and freeze. You can separate yolks from whites first if you want to use them for different dishes.
For more information and tips on how freeze all sorts of food, and how to safely defrost food in the microwave visit the Love Food Hate Waste website.
And don't forget you can use use you freezer for storing single portions of meals - much more practical if you live on your own.