How to stock your freezer to save money and prevent food waste

All too often your freezer can become a graveyard for forgotten food, but now's a great time to give it a revamp to help save on your shopping bills.

Frozen food not only lasts longer than fresh, it can be cheaper, more nutritious and prevent unnecessary food waste, too.

We've rounded up tips on optimising your freezer space, and the foods most worth freezing to help save money.

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What to stock your freezer with

It's a myth that fresh food is better for you than frozen: many fresh fruit and veg products will have been in transit for a number of days before they end up on the supermarket shelves. But frozen versions are often frozen very quickly after they're picked, which locks in their freshness. 

It's a similar story for fish. In fact, most 'fresh' fish you see for sale has been frozen in transit and defrosted to appear fresh in the chilled aisles. 

Frozen food can be convenient because you can use it when needed, rather than rushing to cook it before it's past its best or wasting it once it's passed its use-by date.

Fruit and veg: is fresh always best? Get the full breakdown on fresh versus canned versus frozen from our expert nutritionist

Frozen and fresh food prices compared

Frozen versions of foods are often cheaper, so it’s worth checking the prices per kilo of fresh versus frozen when choosing what to buy.

We compared the prices of a selection of popular foods that freeze well at major supermarkets to see how fresh and frozen versions measure up on price. In each case, the frozen equivalent was a better deal.

• Sainsbury's fresh loose broccoli, £1.92/kg versus Sainsbury's frozen broccoli florets, £1.44/kg: saving 48p/kg
• Tesco fresh raspberries, £12.00/kg versus Tesco frozen raspberries, £7.50/kg: Saving £4.50/kg
• Morrisons fresh battered cod fillets, £12.50/kg versus Morrisons frozen battered cod fillets, £8.00/kg: Saving £4.50/kg

Buying fresh food when it's on offer and freezing it is another way to get the best out of supermarket deals (and your freezer), particularly for higher-cost items such as meat, fish and cheese.

Depending on how long food can be frozen for (you'll need to check the pack as this can vary), you can stock up on fresh foods when there are deals around and have them on hand for when your fridge stocks are running low or for special occasions. 

Just remember that many frozen foods need to be defrosted for 24 hours in the fridge before you cook/eat them – again, make sure you check the pack instructions.

Get to know what you can and can’t freeze 

The Which? inflation tracker shows the price of foods such as butter, milk, cheddar cheese and bread has shot up by up to 33.6%. 

All of these foods can be frozen, so if they're staples of yours, it's worth grabbing them fresh and freezing them if you spot them on offer.

Raw meat, fish and pastry also tend to freeze well and can be bought on offer. 

If you struggle to get through a whole loaf before it goes stale or mouldy, freeze half when you get home and defrost when needed.

Always check the label for specific instructions, but as a general guide: 

• Cooked meats can be frozen for up to two months
• Fish can be frozen for up to two months 
• Uncooked meats can be frozen for up to three months
• Bread can be frozen for up to three months
• Grated cheese can be frozen for up to four months
• Raw pastry can be frozen for up to six months.

Bear in mind that the texture of cheese is impacted by freezing, which can make it more crumbly. Grating it first helps to minimise this.

Freeze excess fruit and veg

You can freeze some fresh fruit and vegetables, which can be handy if you find you have too much to get through and it's looking a bit wilted or shrivelled. 

Vegetables such as broccoli, green beans or asparagus can be frozen, although you'll need to blanch them first (immerse in boiling water for a couple of minutes, then cool with ice or cold water before freezing). Cooked or parboiled potatoes freeze well, too. 

You can also freeze fruits, although do peel and dice them first if they come in skins, such as bananas or melons. Strawberries can be topped and frozen, as can berries.

Some fruit and veg can stick together in the freezer, and might lose texture. Freezing berries or veg chunks on a tray first and then decanting into a bag or tub helps to prevent big frozen clumps.

What not to freeze

While lots of foods can be frozen there are some that can't be.

Avoid freezing salads or water-based veg such as beansprouts or cucumber, which tend to become mushy once defrosted. Canned foods, generally, are also not suitable for freezing.

Fresh cream and yoghurts can be frozen, but they might become lumpy when defrosted. 

Save on essentials: discover which supermarket is cheapest this month

Freeze leftovers, including takeaways

If you’ve already gone to the trouble and expense of cooking a meal from scratch, or bought a takeaway, then consider popping any leftovers in the freezer to be used another day.

Many batch-cooked foods freeze well, including soups, casseroles, curries, Bolognese sauce and chilli con carne (or bean chilli, if you don’t eat meat).

The trick is to let these cool thoroughly after cooking and then to pop them in the freezer immediately.

Make sure you portion up and decant your leftovers into freezer-proof containers or freezer bags, and label them with the date, any cooking instructions and, importantly, mark what is contained inside, as you might forget. Once frozen, many sauces look the same.

Is it safe to freeze takeaways?

You can freeze some takeaway foods, if it's on the day of purchase once cooled, although proceed with caution and throw it away if in doubt.

'It's OK to chill or freeze some leftover takeaways to reheat later,' said David Alexander, head of general food hygiene at the Food Standards Agency (FSA). 'Ideally, check with the takeaway or restaurant to ensure that the food is suitable for chilling or freezing and reheating and follow good food hygiene at home.'

The FSA also recommend you take extra care with takeaway rice – this is because rice should never be reheated more than once and it's possible a restaurant might have already reheated it before serving.

Further information on freezing, defrosting and reheating food safely can be found on the food.gov.uk website. 

Time to upgrade your freezer? Take a look at our round-up of the best freezers

How to arrange your freezer for maximum efficiency

Whether you have a freestanding freezer, a fridge-freezer or a large chest freezer will determine how much room you have, but there are ways to make the most of any space:

• Have a system Put foods you use most regularly towards the top, and it's usually recommended to put meat and fish nearer the bottom in case of spillage.
• Ditch bulky packaging If you're tight on space, strip out unnecessary cardboard or plastic packaging. Just make sure that you retain cooking and storage instructions, and the date the food was frozen – or pop a freezer-proof label with this information on it.
• Stock up on storage: Using freezer bags or reusable freezer-proof containers for leftovers and bulk-cooked meals can be a good space saver. Tight-seal silicone freezer bags can be used for soups and sauces.
• Make a list Keep a note of your freezer contents and where it is so that you can remember what's inside and to make meal planning easier.

Best reusable freezer bags, tested by Which? Ditch the disposables with our pick of the best eco-friendly storage options

Prices correct as of 24th August 2023.