Keep These 18 Ingredients in the Freezer — Your Future Self Will Thank You

From ginger to caramelized onions, these flavor boosters are your shortcut to from-scratch meals any time of the week.

The freezer is a magical place — it preserves the freshness and flavor of some of our favorite ingredients for up to a year, which comes in handy when we’re making soups and curries from scratch.

Whether you store them in ice cube trays, Souper Cubes, or airtight containers, portioning out grated ginger, caramelized onions, or homemade stock in advance cuts down on prep time considerably on busy weeknights. We also like to toss lesser-used ingredients like simple syrup or buttermilk in the freezer so we can make quality cocktails or fluffy pancakes whenever the craving arises. Here are the ingredients our staff always stocks in the freezer.

Related: The Best Freezer Containers to Keep Food Fresh

Bacon and other cured pork

“I’ve been known to batch up bacon into ziplock sandwich bags and freeze it to be parsed out in various sautés and soups,” says executive editor Karen Shimizu. Editor in chief Hunter Lewis likes adding bits of cured pork like tasso ham to a pot of beans or greens.

Bananas

Shimizu also likes to stock bananas for extra-cold smoothies; allow sliced bananas to freeze on a baking sheet, then transfer them to a ziplock bag in the freezer and keep them on hand for No-Churn Dairy-Free Banana Ice Cream.

Buttermilk

Tangy buttermilk lasts about two weeks in the fridge once opened; senior food editor Breana Killeen extends its life by storing in one or two-tablespoon cube portions (or ice cube trays) in the freezer for use in pancakes or brining poultry. Be sure to leave a little room on top since liquid expands in the freezer.

Caramelized onions

Caramelizing onions notoriously takes a long time (up to an hour — really!); that’s why it’s a great idea to make and freeze caramelized onions ahead of time to have on hand for dishes like French Onion Soup or French Onion Pasta. Let cool to room temperature, then freeze them in ice cube trays or small containers.

Chipotles in adobo

Smoky chipotles in adobo boast big flavor, and a relatively short shelf life — about a month — once opened. Keep in one or two-tablespoon cubes for use in dishes like Weeknight Skillet Chili, Adobo Pork Chops, or Pork Tenderloin with Chipotle Marinade.

Duck fat

Food editor Paige Grandjean likes to reserve the flavorful fat from cooking a whole duck in the freezer, then uses it instead of oil or butter for cooking potatoes or for brushing onto crostini. Allow to cool before transferring to an airtight container for up to a year.

Ginger

Fresh ginger adds spicy depth to countless dishes, but it can be time-consuming to grate to order. That’s why associate editorial director of food Chandra Ram likes to puree ginger, then freeze it in ice cube trays for quick use in curries and other dishes.

Herb butter

Add herbs like dill or parsley to softened salted butter, then store them in ice cube trays. You can let thaw to serve with bread, or as a compound butter for proteins. You can also add right to a skillet if using to baste proteins like rib eye.

Pesto

Homemade pesto comes together in minutes in a food processor or blender, and is an easy addition to pasta, sandwiches, and dishes like seared salmon. But you might not always need the amount a recipe calls for immediately. Enter the freezer: Killen and Shimizu both like to keep pesto in one- to two-tablespoon portions to extend the life of fresh herbs.

Related: 28 Ways to Boost Flavor With Bright Pesto, From Breakfast to Dinner and Dessert

Bread

Assistant editor Lucy Simon says she stores her bread in the freezer to keep it from getting moldy. Slices of frozen bread can go right into the toaster or oven; you can also tear it into croutons, freeze in ziplock bags, and toast croutons for an easy salad topping.

Cookie dough

Sure, it’s not an ingredient, but keeping homemade cookie dough in the freezer is the ultimate host flex. Place cookie dough scoops on a lined baking sheet until they freeze, then transfer to an airtight container so you can bake homemade cookies whenever company arrives.

Chopped greens

Killeen freezes kale and collard greens to use in soups, stews, pasta, and stir-fries. Wash and dry thoroughly (you can also blanch them if you want), then chop into four-cup portions, roll into tight balls, and freeze on a baking sheet before transferring to ziplock bags.

Flour

Not everyone has room to store flour in the freezer, but if you’re able to find space, it’s an ace move that can keep it fresh for up to one year, according to senior food editor Cheryl Slocum. Keep in a ziplock bag or airtight container; you can generally use frozen flour without altering recipes, but allow it to come to room temperature if making yeasted breads.

Also keep in mind that nut flours like almond flour belong in the freezer as a storage best practice since their oils can become rancid (as with nuts themselves — more on that below).

Hatch green chiles

The season for Hatch chiles is woefully short. That’s why food editor Paige Grandjean visits her relatives in Hatch, New Mexico, in late summer or early fall, to roast and freeze green Hatch chiles (and red chiles for enchilada sauce) for use throughout the year.

“I use chopped roasted green chiles in scrambled eggs, on cheeseburgers, salsas, mac and cheese, white chicken chili...basically everything,” says Grandjean. “They’re also oddly delicious stirred into lemonade.”

Related: What Makes Hatch Chiles So Special?

Nuts

All types of nuts have delicate oils that can go rancid over time, and the freezer slows this deterioration. What’s more, they’re low in moisture, so they’re less susceptible to freezer burn than meats or vegetables. Keep whole raw nuts in an airtight container in your freezer for up to a year. There’s no need to thaw them before using them in salads, muffins, and cookies.

Related: Why You Should Store Nuts in the Freezer

Simple syrup

Associate editorial director of drinks Dylan Garret prefers to keep simple syrup and other cocktail syrups on hand in the freezer for at-home cocktails.

“You’re always stuck making a whole pint at minimum, even if you only need half an ounce, and then it just sits in the fridge until you knock it over by accident two weeks later and the lid pops off and spills all over your takeout leftovers,” he says. “Folks always forget you can just throw it in the freezer, too.” Make sure to let syrup thaw before using it in cocktails.

Stock

Stock is worth making from scratch, but you might not always have time for all that stovetop simmering on a weeknight. Killeen likes to store beef and chicken stock or ramen broth in four-cup Souper Cubes (ziplock bags also work). She also freezes “ramen packs” with leftover meat and veggies for homemade ramen.

Tomato paste

Whether store-bought or homemade, tomato paste is often called for in spare quantities in recipes like soup and Shakshuka to add concentrated tomato flavor. Anna Theokisto, who manages recipe development and testing in the Food & Wine Test Kitchen, likes to roll up one-tablespoon increments in parchment paper and use them as needed.

Related: 16 Ways to Use Tomato Paste, From Tomato Bisque to Shakshuka

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