6 Unexpected Foods You Can Freeze

You can freeze AVOCADO?! What is this madness?
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Marcus Nilsson

And all along I thought the only things worth freezing were little cubes of water, bottles of cheap tequila, and pre-shelled edamame.

As it turns out, the freezer is your door to Narnia, although space is tighter and there are no religious undertones. Oh, the things you can freeze!

While one of my life goals is to own a chest freezer big enough to stash one of every limited edition Blue Bell ice cream flavor, right now I've got something closer to a big drawer that I call "the colder one." Besides the tequila, my time at Bon Appétit has also inspired me to start a "future stock" stash, which looks like a sad bag of celery popsicles. It's a lonely place.

Countryman Press.

Then I opened Fast to the Table: Freezer Cookbook, by Becky Rosenthal, which entails exactly what you think: recipes, how to freeze them. If you're trying to cut down on food waste, or establish a stockpile of emergency dinners that aren't packed with mystery chemicals and aren't bagel bites, you'll be super into this book. Who knew you could freeze rice? Not this guy. Here are five other freezable foods that you might have ~never expected.~

Granola?!?

Photo: Courtesy of Countryman Press.

Countryman Press.

Everyone knows that one recipe of granola yields approximate 83 servings. So freeze it in little bags! Boom. Breakfast.

Avocado, Seriously?!?

Get the recipe for this smooth avocado cream. Photo: Peden + Munk

So this one is awesome for all of you out there who buy eight avocados when they're on sale and then watch them all go from underripe to black swamp mush in what feels like a matter of hours. You're not going to be defrosting it for chunky guacamole, no. But Rosenthal says: Purée the ripe 'cado, store in freezer bags, and then use for crema (see recipe above), salsa, smoothies, or salad dressing. How. About. That.

Mashed Potatoes?!?

Photo: Courtesy of Countryman Press.

Countryman Press.

Has it always been a close and personal dream of yours to always have a stash of extra-buttery mashed potatoes on hand? Well, it's your lucky day. Let your mashed potatoes cool, then divide them into reasonable *cough* portion sizes in quart bags or disposable loaf pans, suggests Rosenthal. To reheat, they'll need an overnight thaw, and then can be thrown in a slow cooker or pot over low heat. Make sure to label the freezer container, though, because these things get iffy after six months.

Six scoops of mashed potatoes for freezing on a sheet tray.
One less thing to worry about on Thanksgiving Day.
Applesauce?!?

Photo: Courtesy of Countryman Press.

Countryman Press.

Let's not argue about whether or not to leave the skins on when you make applesauce (may we direct you to this vanilla-bourbon-baked applesauce recipe), but have you been freezing it in handy little ice cubes? Me neither! Just don't accidentally plop one in your cup o' riesling after a long day at work. That's an experiment for another time.

Taco Filling?!?

Photo: Courtesy of Countryman Press.

Countryman Press.

Make a ton of taco filling, try not to eat it all, then divide it into portions and label it: "POISON TACOS: DO NOT TOUCH" to guarantee it'll be there when you need it.

Oh Right: Rice?!?

Photo: Courtesy of Countryman Press.

Countryman Press.

The thing about freezing the perfect pot of rice is that it's a little labor-intensive, but worth it in the long run when you come home from work, need that iced cup of applesauce wine, and don't want to wait 40 minutes for dinner. Rosenthal says to spread out the cooked rice on a baking sheet, wait for it to cool, toss it with oil, and THEN transfer to a quart-size freezer bag, spread out again int he bags, and then stack a few on top of each other like books. You don't even need to wait to thaw it out, just a microwave and some patience.

Another Thing to Always Have in Your Freezer: Puff Pastry