Meet the woman who reckons she saves more than 1,000 pounds (US$1,200) a year—by freezing ingredients individually.
Kate Hall, 37, says realizing you could freeze ingredients on their own was a “lightbulb moment.”
She'd previously been freezing entire meals that, when reheated, could only be used once.
But Ms. Hall, from Orpington, UK, now has a constant “stash” of ingredients in her freezer—meaning she can always use the right amount and reduce waste.
This has also allowed her to limit her trips to the supermarket and save money, as her frozen produce can be used time and time again, she says.
Ms. Hall’s freezer trick has enabled her to start her own business sharing her top tips with others.
“When you add it all together it’s easily north of 1,000 pounds (US$1,200) saved a year, as things just aren’t going in the bin,” Ms. Hall, a full-time business owner, said.
“The way that I have [my] freezer set up is to have a stash of ingredients. This reduces that temptation to buy things when you’re in the shop.
“I always buy the multipack of vegetables or big pack of chicken so I can freeze those leftover bits.”
She finds the beauty of her method is that you don’t need to defrost everything, as all of her veggies can be cooked straight from frozen.
If she’s not using everything, Ms. Hall will spend a couple of minutes prepping the excess ingredients to go in the freezer.
“One of the best things about this is the beauty of being able to stretch things out,” she said.
“Rather than thinking I have to use the whole pack of chicken, I can separate and freeze.
“I’ve had students on my course thinking they have to use that up and make a bigger portion, but we teach them to be able to organize and save food for future meals.”
She finds this method helps to pull a meal together based on various ingredients that she already has. There is flexibility in what goods she uses.
Ms. Hall says it has reduced her prep time as she can add things to the freezer while she’s cooking.
“I know if I put something in the fridge it’s just going to end up in the bin,” she said.
“But I use the approach of going, ‘Well, I’ve made my meal and whilst that’s cooking, I’m just going to chop up these peppers’—and get them in the freezer.
“If you haven’t got that time to chop up food, why do you buy it?”
She holds no judgment about people being busy, she said; she is, too. It’s about stealing a minute here and there to consider what can go in the freezer rather than the bin.
Ms. Hall began sharing her freezer and food waste tips during COVID as a means of showing people how to get the best out of food.
“When the pandemic hit, I was put on furlough, and I worked with one of my colleagues to put together an e-book about how to self-isolate with food,” she said.
“I was then made redundant from the day job, and I thought I'd make a go of it and found that what I was sharing was really helpful for people.
“More and more people were having these little moments that they could relate to, and I made the decision to try and make it into a business.”
She has seen, in the last year or so, people looking at food in a “very different way.”
Ms. Hall says her business is about “reassuring and feeling confident.”
“When I first started doing this, I had no idea how bad food waste was for the planet, and I soon learned about the environmental impact as well, and I thought if I can share something that helps people to save money then that solidifies it for me,” she said.
“Every time I spoke to another person and found out how helpful it was to them, I realized I wanted to do this all day, every day.
“It’s about using your freezer in a safe way, and it’s about how you look after food before and after that makes the difference.”
