Can you freeze ricotta cheese? Submerge the bag in cold water and change the water out every 30 minutes. A 1-pound package can thaw in 1 hour or less where a 3 to 4-pound package may take several hours. Food thawed with this method should be cooked immediately and not refrozen. Microwave thawing: Cook food immediately after being thawed in the microwave. Keeping food partially cooked after using the microwave to thaw can pose as a food safety hazard. If you have more questions about freezing and food safety, check out the USDA website. For other tips on staying healthy and well, visit bannerhealth.com.

Sign, seal and deliver (to the freezer): Jot down the item name and date on every meal-prep item you freeze. Depending on what’s inside, I like to scribble other details as well, to help me out when I pull meals from the freezer. You might want to make a note of the recipe name, freeze date, number of servings or portions and reheating/cooking directions. Use good quality freezer bags to freeze soups, beans and sauces. They save space because you can lay them flat to freeze. Once frozen, you can stack them up on top of each other or keep them in bins upright.

We’re about to blow your mind with all the things you can freeze!! Be prepared to look at your freezer in awe. But first, let us give you three crazy simple reasons you should use your freezer with purpose and intention… Go ahead and just become BFFs with your freezer already! Because when we’re done with you, you’ll never want to part ways with it again. And you may just find that you’re using it more than you used to Saves You Money – The number one reason to freeze food is the fact that it saves you buckets of money. You can buy food in bulk and freeze whatever you won’t use right away, which means you can take advantage of allllll the sales. (As long as it fits within your grocery budget, of course!) Find even more information at How to freeze.

The reason ground meats have a shorter time frame than the other types of foods listed above is they stand a relatively higher chance of bacteria exposure due to the way they’re processed and handled, says Cambridge, Massachusetts–based William Li, MD, cancer expert and author of Eat to Beat Disease. Also, even if you’re thawing within the recommended time frame, he suggests smelling any meat once it’s thawed, because if the aroma is off, that’s a sign it’s no longer safe to eat. Usually the scent is pungent and unpleasant, and may smell like ammonia due to the breakdown in proteins and fats, adds Wu. Do: Consider How Your Fish Is Handled Seafood is highly perishable, which is why it’s great to have some in the freezer rather than hanging around for too long in the fridge, but how it’s handled and packaged can make a big difference, says Dr. Li.