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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Everyday Economy

Fill up that freezer

If you buy a lot of food in bulk, you'll naturally need to freeze some of it.

But a lot of us are uncertain about freezing certain foods, like dairy products and vegetables. Erin Hufstetler, at Frugal Living, has a post today outlining the variety of sometimes surprising items -- such as milk, eggs and tomatoes -- that can be frozen.

Here's her suggestion for freezing eggs:

Whole eggs: Mix the yolks and egg whites together. Then, pour the egg mixture into an ice cube tray, and freeze. Two cubes is the equivalent of one whole egg.

Egg Yolks: To prevent thickening, stir in half a teaspoon of salt (or one and a half tablespoons of sugar, if the eggs will be used in desserts) for every one cup of yolks. Then, pour into an ice cube tray and freeze.  One cube is the equivalent of two egg yolks.

Read all her suggestions here. Another article -- at Suite101.com -- takes the opposite tack: What food can't be frozen well (or need special treatment)? Here are a couple answers:

Potatoes - Especially when they are cubed, cooked thoroughly and used as a part of a stew or soup, potatoes aren't good candidates for a freezer. They become mushy and grainy and most people find them unpleasant. If you insist on freezing potatoes, use spuds that have been cut into a small dice (less surface area in the mouth makes the mushiness less noticeable) and have been parboiled but not cooked through. It's tricky to walk this line, though--the potatoes have to be cooked just to the point where reheating will finish the job, otherwise you'll have a meal full of almost-raw potatoes, which might be just as bad as mushy ones.

Rice - Like potatoes, this ingredient can be par-boiled prior to freezing, but if it's underdone it will be chewy, and if it's overdone it will be mushy. Unless you're fond of experimentation, it's best to avoid freezing rice. Instead, you can cook fresh rice and add it on serving day.

What foods have you had surprising success -- or lack of success -- trying to store in the freezer?



Shawn Vestal
Shawn Vestal joined The Spokesman-Review in 1999. He currently is a columnist for the City Desk.

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