Tips from the Freezer

The freezer is a food lover's hero because there's not much that can't be frozen until its needed: homemade ready meals (see Timesavers); veg and wonderful herbs; grated cheese for toppings and meat cut in strips for quick stir-frying. This section has a few surprises for us all. Visit the freezer often to keep tabs on what's inside.

• Selection of frozen vegetables

  Celebrity tip by Anthea Turner

  Keep a good selection of frozen vegetables in the freezer. This gives children lots of options when it comes to dinner time

• Cooking for children

  Celebrity tip by Anthea Turner

  When cooking for your kids, cook small batches of new foods that you want them to try. This means that if they don’t like it, you can either freeze the batch or re-use the leftovers.

• DIY frozen ready meals

  Celebrity tip by Sarah Beeny

  To use up veg that I know I won’t get around to eating I make my own ready meals. If I have a few potatoes that I need to use, I’ll boil them up and make mashed potato and freeze it in portions, so next time I am in a rush I know I have them on standby. They’re much cheaper than bought ready meals and there’s something quite nice about knowing you’ve cooked them yourself.

• Frozen Vegetables

  Celebrity tip by Anthea Turner

  Keep a good selection of frozen vegetables in the freezer. This gives children lots of options when it comes to dinner time.

• A glut of cooking apples?

  If you've got a glut of cooking apples, cut them into quarters, core and peel them. To prevent apples turning brown whilst you are peeling them, squeeze the juice of half a lemon into a bowl of water and drop the pieces of apple into it. Drain, quickly pack the apples in freezer bags or plastic containers and freeze them. To use, put the frozen fruit in a pan with some sugar, add a very small amount of water and cook as normal.

• Bagels

  Slice fresh bagels and freeze in plastic bags. When you want to eat a bagel, put it directly into a toaster. They pop golden and delicious!

• French sticks

  Buy fresh French sticks and cut into 3 portions. Freeze those you won’t need immediately and when you do need them pop them straight into a hot oven for a few minutes to revive.

• Make lollies

  Make lollies from leftover smoothies, apple juice or orange juice. You can buy plastic lolly making moulds to use in the freezer.

• Pitta bread

  Pitta bread can be warmed or toasted straight from the freezer: sprinkle with water and warm through. Use straight away for hot fillings, or leave to cool for a sandwich.

• To freeze citrus juice and slices

  If you have citrus juice left over when you are cooking, freeze it in ice cube trays. It is useful for drinks, dressings or all sorts of recipes that need a little juice. Try freezing lemon or lime slices in ice cubes – handy for drinks like gin and tonic!