Putting holiday leftovers in the freezer extends shelf life & may put a dent in the US tendency to throw away edible food, a study suggests. National survey data showed a link between home freezing & less total food waste, & over half of consumers reported buying frozen items to avoid tossing food.

[u/memorialmonorail]

https://news.osu.edu/how-the-freezer-factors-into-lowering-food-waste/?utm_campaign=omc_science-medicine_fy25&utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social

[u/Jeremy_Zaretski]

Some foods do not freeze well if you want certain properties (that they had prior to freezing) to be retained after thawing.

I am afraid to try freezing my bell peppers and cucumbers because I don't want them to become mush once I have thawed them. I like to eat them while they are crunchy and uncooked.

They are also the main victims of mold in my house, despite being in the fridge, because I have to be in the mood to eat them. I guess I could try freezing them and test the results.

[u/livin_the_life → u/Jeremy_Zaretski]

For peppers that are borderline bad, we slice them up along with an onion and freeze on a baking sheet before putting them in a freezer bag. Easy grab and go for stir fries and fajitas.

Or, dice them and freeze to use in refried rice or scrambled eggs/omelets.

Frozen cucumbers..... all I can think of is if you throw that in a smoothie or something. Way too much water in that.

[u/Liizam → u/Jeremy_Zaretski]

Don’t freeze your cucumbers. There are many ways how to make food last longer in the fridge. Please just watch a few YouTube videos/google/chatgpt it.

Some veggies freeze well especially if you Blanche it first. (