Time to Clean Out the Freezer

Why? Because there is food in there that you forgot about or really don't want to eat, or don't know what to do with. Challenge: Eat it. Find a way to fix it. If it's past salvaging, don't save it again!

No canned beans

Do you buy canned beans for recipes? Don't. Instead, buy dry beans, cook them in your slow cooker or on the stove, then package them in two cup portions or whatever your recipes call for, then freeze them. Thaw them in the refrigerator or microwave when you need them.

Save steel wool pads

Save steel wool pads, including the presoaped kind (although they're not very frugal!) in a container in the freezer to prevent them from rusting. You can use them several times that way.

Radish tops

Do you throw away radish leaves when you clean a bunch? You're throwing away good food. Radish leaves can be eaten raw in the salad but they also make a very good green vegetable, like spinach. Like spinach, too, they cook down, so plop them in boiling water for 15 to 20 seconds, then freeze them. Keep adding to your stash until you have enough for a meal. "Free" food!

More on freezer bags

If you buy chicken breasts in those heavy duty plastic bags, save them. Wash them out and dry, then package things to be frozen in bread sacks or other lightweight free bags, then put them inside the heavy bag that held chicken. Your food will be safe from any possible contamination (washing the bag well with soap and water should remove contamination anyway), and you'll have the benefit of a very good quality freezer bag.

Free defrosting trick

If you have a refrigerator or freezer that isn't frost free and you need to defrost, pack your frozen food tightly in a box that's been lined with newspaper and put a thick layer of newspaper over it. It will stay frozen solid for several hours.

"Free" freezer bags

Do you buy frozen vegetables? Save and wash the bags they come in... they're freezer bags, right? Since they've held frozen vegetables, they're very easy to wash - a good swish in soapy water, a rinse, and you're done. To freeze things in them, close them with a twist'em tie or rubber band and write the contents with a marker.