3 Easy Ways to Stock Up for Christmas
With Christmas just around the corner, now is a good time to be a savvy shopper and stock up on your Christmas food. Anyone who’s been to a supermarket in the evening knows that some food prices can hit dramatic lows towards the end of the day, as stores apply heavy discounts to food that’s nearing the end of its shelf life.
While finding a discounted chicken breast for tea or a bargain loaf for tomorrow’s sandwiches can be a great boost, many are put off to stock up on these items, mistakenly thinking that they need to be eaten quickly. But by filling your trolley, and freezing these perfectly edible bargains, you could save yourself a fortune!
1. Freezing your meats
Did you know that you can freeze food – even meat – on its use-by date. And many more foods are suitable for freezing than you think! When it comes to meats, it is hard to tell which is safe for freezing, so let’s take a look!
Raw meat:
You can freeze all raw meats, provided they haven’t already been frozen and defrosted. This can extend the shelf life of products for up to a year.
Pre-cooked meat:
Many of us believe that cooked meats such as ham cannot survive safely in the freezer. But surprisingly, ham – even the sliced, processed variety – can be frozen for up to two months.
Cooked meat, roasts and stews:
If you’ve rustled up a tasty stew, or a delicious Sunday roast, you might be wondering about the leftovers. While these dishes will be fine in the fridge for up to 5 days, freezing them could extend their shelf life for up to 6 months. To freeze hot dishes safely, allow them to cool before refrigerating, packing – preferably into individual portions – and freezing.
Marinated meats
Whether you are marinating some lamb for the barbecue or just trying to liven up a mid-week chicken breast with a cheeky spicy marinade, don’t worry, marinated meat is safe to freeze. It is best to defrost it on a plate though – you don’t want to risk getting sweet sticky sauce all over your fridge if there is a hole in the bag!
Defrosting food overnight in the fridge will bring the temperature down and make it cheaper to run.
2. Chilling your fruits and veggies
Most fruit and vegetables can be frozen safely, but some have a tendency to go mushy when defrosted. Water-rich foods like lettuce, radish and cucumber will spoil, but others – such as carrots and broccoli – will still be delicious after freezing. To freeze veg successfully, blanch in hot water for a few minutes before cooling and freezing.
Fruit can also be frozen, meaning you can extend the shelf life of market-bought bargains. Arrange fruit such as raspberries on a baking tray, and freeze before bagging and returning to the freezer – this will ensure they don’t clump together. Fruit that tends to go brown should be dipped in a mixture of lemon juice and water, and then dried, before freezing.
3. Stocking up on your staples
When it comes to wanting to stock up on your staples, these can be very difficult to figure out what can and can not be frozen. Instead of letting them go to waste, be sure to buy these products in advance and chuck them into the freezer. But which ones are good to freeze?
Eggs and Dairy
Milk can be frozen, although you may notice a change in texture, and thick, full-fat cream can also survive a freeze. However, low-fat cream doesn’t fare so well, as it will separate.
Because liquid expands when frozen, raw eggs will break when frozen. And hard-boiled eggs tend to go rubbery when frozen. However, raw eggs can be cracked into ice cube trays or other containers and safely frozen for up to a year – meaning you never have to throw away a spoiled egg. So, next time you’re in the supermarket, grab yourself some discount bargains and freeze your shopping bill in the process!
More foods that you can freeze:
- Raw egg yolks and whites
- Luncheon meats
- Grated cheese
- Fish
- Baked goods
- Bananas
Thoughts?
Even though BingoLoans offers short term loans and payday loans whether you have good or bad credit, be a responsible borrower, only use our services when you really need to, for emergencies. Don’t continue to use these types of loans for long periods and if you get into difficulty with a loan, get help from your lender or the money advice service.