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.

• Frozen onion

  Submitted by Irene Dean, Isle of Man

  I always keep frozen onion in the freezer, it is just as easy to chop up 3 as 1 and freeze. When I am in a hurry putting a meal in the slow cooker it is a blessing and no smelly hands or chopping board to wash.

• Freezing a sliced cake

  To freeze sliced up cake – put greaseproof paper between each slice, this allows you to remove a few slices at a time rather than thaw the whole cake.

• How to freeze a cake

  To freeze a whole cake - wrap a cake in a double layer of clingfilm and foil – it’ll keep for up to one month.

• Roulade

  If you’re freezing a delicate pudding like a roulade, put it on the lid of a large Tupperware box as a base and place the bottom of the box over the top. This will make it much easier to transfer the pudding to a serving dish.

• Who said potatoes don’t freeze?

  They’re guaranteed to be crispy and golden if you parboil and freeze them for later. Just thaw in the fridge and roast.

• Christmas Eve Stuffing

  Making stuffing on Christmas Eve is always a fiddle, and your guests will never know if it’s been made in advance and frozen. Take the stuffing out of the freezer on Christmas Eve and thaw in the fridge.

• Cool storage

  If you are cooking for lots of people and need to keep the food cool and safe in your small kitchen. Save the fridge for highly perishable foods and use an unheated garage, balcony or even an animal-free area of the garden for drinks, eggs, root vegetables and hard cabbage. Use coolboxes and ice packs kept ready in the freezer.

• Uncooked mince pies

  Make mince pies in early December and freeze uncooked in patty tins until solid. Then pack in boxes. Bake a few at a time when needed

• Leftover bread sauce

  You can freeze leftover bread sauce, as long it has not been frozen before.

• Bread crumbs

  Submitted by Mary Dawe, Worcestershire

  If you have bread going stale, make bread crumbs and freeze ready for the next time you make stuffing or bread sauce.