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.

• Egg whites and yolks

  Eggs can be frozen successfully, but separately. For whites, make sure you label how many there are in each container. Leave whites to thaw naturally. They are ideal for making meringues: allow 50g caster sugar per white and proceed as normal. Yolks should be covered (in a container with a lid) and will keep for 4-5 weeks. Defrost and use yolks as normal in sweet and savoury dishes.

• 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.

• Dish size - eat one, freeze one

  Submitted by Linda Gale, South Wales

  Whenever I made lasagne, shepherds pie etc. for myself and my husband I did it in quite a large dish. We found after I had served us each a portion there would be some left over. Invariably we would look at it and say "that's not really enough for another meal, I'll have a bit more" So I bought 4 smaller dishes and make the lasagne etc in them. It takes a little longer but it means we just have one each and put 2 in the freezer for another day.

• Frozen chopped onions

  Submitted by Claire Dixon, Co, Durham

  I buy bags of frozen chopped onion from a well known frozen food shop. It saves time, sore eyes and money. I only use what I need so have no waste or rotting onions to get rid of.

• Freeze your milk

  Submitted by Eva Harrington, Surrey

  I often freeze milk (in unopened plastic cartons), particularly when I am going on holiday and have a couple of unused cartons going to waste. It doesn't seem to make any difference to it, my mum has been doing it for years.

• 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!

• Surprise Soup

  Submitted by Tania, Runcorn, Runcorn

  If you have a few veggies left from a meal but not enough to reuse for another meal, put them in a container and freeze. Add any other leftovers such as veg, pasta, spuds or beans to the container as they arise. When full, make up a couple of pints of stock add the contents of the container and cook until tender. Wizz in the blender adjust flavouring and consistency to your liking and enjoy. Almost free soup that tastes different every time!