Utilize Your Freezer

Prep for Freezer: Simply roll up one or two slices into a tight cylinder, place the cylinders in a zipper-lock bag, and freeze them.

Storage and Use: Wrestling just one or two slices from a solid block of frozen bacon is a chore. Store them this way and you can easily pull out a few slices as needed.

Prep for Freezer: Peel bananas and freeze in zipper-lock freezer bag.

Storage and Use: Defrost and use to make banana bread or muffins, or drop into blender while still frozen for fruit smoothies.

Prep for Freezer: Stored in the refrigerator, butter can pick up off-flavors. Instead, freeze butter in its wrapper.

Storage and Use: Transfer to refrigerator 1 stick at a time as needed. To quickly soften frozen butter, cut into small pieces or place in zipper-lock bag and pound to desired consistency with rolling pin.

Prep for Freezer: Spoon out chiles, each with a couple teaspoons of adobo sauce, onto different areas of baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze.

Storage and Use: Transfer frozen chiles to zipper-lock freezer bag for long-term storage.

Prep for Freezer: Wrap hard and semi firm cheeses like Parmesan, cheddar, and Brie tightly in plastic wrap, seal in zipper-lock bag, and freeze.

Storage and Use: Store in freezer for up to 2 months. Defrost in refrigerator before using.

Prep for Storage: Pour leftover egg whites (never yolks) into each well of ice cube tray and freeze.

Storage and Use: Use paring knife or small spatula to remove each frozen egg white cube and defrost in small bowl in refrigerator as needed.

Prep for Freezer: Place two pieces of meat (such as chicken breasts, small steaks, or portions of ground meat) at different locations inside a large zipper-lock freezer bag. Flatten out the bag, forcing the air out, so that the meat portions do not touch. Then fold the bag over in the center and freeze it.

Storage and Use: Thaw frozen meats in the refrigerator.

Prep for Freezer: Due to their high fat content, nuts go rancid quickly unless frozen. Freeze nuts in zipper-lock freezer bag.

Storage and Use: Frozen nuts stay fresh for months. No need to defrost before using; frozen nuts can be chopped just as easily as fresh.