If you’ve been reading our blog for very long, you will know that I love my freezer! I have saved so much time and money simply by buying items on sale, prepping them, and freezing them.
If you’d like more information on freezing fruits and vegetables, check out my post Freezer Friendly: Fruits and Veggies, and for a list of Freezer Essentials, you’ll want to check out Lucy’s post.
Freezing meat is another way to save money. When you see a great price on meat, stock up!
When I buy a lot of chicken on sale, I use about half of it to make freezer meals, and divvy the rest of it up between freezer bags in amounts I use for recipes (typically about 1 lb. per bag).
Another great tip with chicken is to cook some of it beforehand. If Dan is up to it, I’ll have him grill 10 lbs, or I’ll roast it in the oven. Once the meat is cooked, I chop it and put it into freezer bags in 1 lb. portions. This pre-cooked chicken is so handy when I need to make a meal fast!
You can also buy whole chickens on sale and freeze them whole. Just make sure to give yourself enough time to thaw them before they need to be cooked.
When I find a great price on ground beef, I will make meatballs out of some of it to freeze, and the rest I will cook and divvy up in freezer bags, so when I need a fast meal the meat is already cooked.
Roasts also freeze fabulously, so anytime you see marked down beef, buy extra. Just make sure that you transfer it to freezer paper or freezer bags.
Another awesome meat I love to freeze is ham. A good ham is so delicious, but it takes a while to cook, and there’s just too much meat for one meal. When I cook a ham, I put most of it into the freezer, chopped up and in smaller portions. For ham, I find that 1/2 lb portions seem to be enough for my family.
SeafoodMost seafood is freezer friendly as well, so if you see great prices on salmon, shrimp, or whatever you like, buy extra to freeze. Or if you go fishing, clean your fish, dry them well, and freeze them for later!
I’ve found that there are a lot of fishermen and hunters who don’t actually like eating the meat they get. We have a friend who loves fishing, but hates eating fish. He is willing to give us fish, just so that he can keep up his hobby without feeling guilty! It’s a win-win situation, so I would encourage you to let your hunting and fishing friends know that you will take any unwanted meat off their hands– it can save you so much money!
Tools for Freezing
In order to extend the life of the meats you freeze, you’ll want to make sure that they’re stored well. Freezer bags in gallon and quart sizes are very handy for this. Butchers use freezer paper, which can work well, also.
Make sure to use a permanent marker to label the meat, since most meat looks pretty similar when frozen.
Kerry’s favorite tool is a {Affiliate Link} FoodSaver Vacuum Sealing System
Are there any other ways you freeze meat? Or any tips for it?
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This post is part of our Outside the Box Mondays series. Check out the series for more awesome ways to save money and/or make homemade.
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