Chicken freezing guides? How to Freeze Just About Anything? Depending on the size of your freezer and the types of food you eat, freezing food and meals can be a real time-saver. Before you throw things in your freezer, however, stock up on some of these essentials: resealable plastic containers, plastic freezer bags in assorted sizes, heavy foil, plastic wrap and a Sharpie or marker for dating when food went in the freezer. Whether you have a deep freezer or a standard freezer, the principles of freezing food items are the same. Here are some things you can freeze and specific tips for how to do so.

Leave a little extra room for liquids: You can also freeze soups, sauces and stews in airtight containers. Liquids expand so you’ll want to fill freezer bags and containers only three-quarters of the way, so they don’t explode. Freeze fruits and vegetables: Freezing seasonal fruits and veggies is great, especially this time of year. Freezing your fresh garden veggies now will allow you to use them all year long. Same with in-season fruits, which are sweeter and perfect to add to your smoothies. Casseroles can be frozen either cooked or uncooked, but it’s a bit better to freeze uncooked or partially cooked casseroles as opposed to freezing fully cooked casseroles.

Saves You Time – If you prep and store foods properly, then you can take advantage of your frozen stockpile to create delicious meals quickly! It’s Easy and Convenient – It is so much easier to shop your freezer than to make a last-minute run to the grocery store when you realize your fridge is empty! Does that happen to anyone else? Enter your freezer. That bad boy can freeze so many foods we bet you didn’t know you could freeze! So, which foods can you freeze that’ll still taste great once they thaw? Let’s go over our favorite foods to freeze! Pizza – You could easily make your own pizza at home and freeze before baking. Then pull it out and put it straight into the oven to cook. A quick frozen pizza that’s homemade? Sign us up! Discover even more info on can you freeze.

The reason ground meats have a shorter time frame than the other types of foods listed above is they stand a relatively higher chance of bacteria exposure due to the way they’re processed and handled, says Cambridge, Massachusetts–based William Li, MD, cancer expert and author of Eat to Beat Disease. Also, even if you’re thawing within the recommended time frame, he suggests smelling any meat once it’s thawed, because if the aroma is off, that’s a sign it’s no longer safe to eat. Usually the scent is pungent and unpleasant, and may smell like ammonia due to the breakdown in proteins and fats, adds Wu. Do: Consider How Your Fish Is Handled Seafood is highly perishable, which is why it’s great to have some in the freezer rather than hanging around for too long in the fridge, but how it’s handled and packaged can make a big difference, says Dr. Li.