Freezing foods can save shoppers hundreds of pounds and cut food waste

Freezing wine, eggs and milk are some of the unusual ways Brits can stop food going to waste, new advice by Tesco today reveals. 

To mark WRAP’s Food Waste Action Week, the supermarket is offering customers advice on how to use their freezer to save on the weekly shop and cut the amount of food they throw away.

And while most of us know we can freeze the end of our loaf, few know that bananas, eggs, yoghurts and avocados are also fine in the freezer. Best of all there’s no need to ditch the last glass of wine in a bottle…because your Merlot can also be frozen!

Food fine for the freezer include:

1. Wine: Opened a bottle of wine but know you won’t finish it? Pour the rest into ice cube trays or a freezer bag if you have a larger amount (don’t freeze in the bottle), then add a cube to recipes as needed. Give an extra boost to gravy, add red to a Bolognese for depth of flavour or use white in risottos.
2. Avocados: Avocados have a tendency to go from underripe to overripe extremely quickly. If too many have ripened at once, freeze them at peak condition. Peel and freeze in chunks – add frozen chunks to the blender for a morning smoothie or defrost and make guacamole.
3. Milk: If full or unopened, pour a little bit out of the container before freezing so that it has room to expand as it freezes, or tip into an airtight container. Defrost overnight in the fridge and shake well before using to mix the milk and fat back together, then use as normal.
4. Eggs: Can you freeze eggs? Yes, you can! Crack eggs into a small bowl and whisk together, then freeze in a freezer bag or individual ice cube trays – defrost for omelettes and baking whenever you need.
5. Bananas: Peel ripe bananas and freeze whole or in slices. These can be used straight from the freezer, perfect for cold, thick smoothies or snacking on.
6. Potatoes: Potatoes last well in a dark, cool cupboard, but if you’ve got too many to use before they start to sprout, the freezer is a good saviour. Peel, roughly chop and blanch until just cooked, then spread out on a tray so they’re not touching. Freeze until solid, then tip into a freezer bag – roasties ready to go!
7. Yogurt: Pop a lolly stick in mini yogurts ready for summer snacks at a later date.

Courtney Pallett, Tesco Campaigns Manager said: "Your freezer is your friend when it comes to reducing food waste and avoiding throwing food away. Most of the foods that often end up in the bin such as bananas and avocados can be saved by freezing them to use later.
Good food should never go to waste, so we are proud to be sponsoring WRAP’s Food Waste Action Week this year"

WRAP estimates that 4.7 million tonnes of edible food is thrown away each year by UK households. Food Waste Action Week is its flagship annual campaign which brings businesses, government organisations and global partners together to support citizens to develop the tools they need to cut food waste in their homes.

More tips from Tesco on storing food and saving more are here: What Food Can You Freeze? | Tesco Real Food and here 10 ways to make the most of your freezer | Tesco Real Food 

ENDS