Foods you didn't know could be frozen

Avocado, like most fruits, tends to freeze well. Photo / Getty

Want to save your cash and cut back on food waste? Read on.

It turns out the list of foods that can be frozen is a lot longer than you think, and many of us have been binning food that could have been be saved if it was popped in the freezer while still fresh.

A spokeswoman for the campaign Love Food Hate Waste in the UK, Helen White, says that when it comes to freezing, almost anything goes.

"You can freeze pretty much everything. There are a couple of exceptions such as soft cheese, as the texture goes very strange."

Try these top tips for saving your fresh produce:

Eggs

Don't try and freeze eggs in their shell, as they will explode. But there are ways to prepare them for the freezer.

"Crack the egg into a plastic tub and beat it before freezing", says Helen White. "It's great for omelettes and scrambled eggs. Put them in an airtight container and label with the date and the number of eggs you've used."

If you're a baking enthusiast, White says it's perfectly ok to crack the eggs, separate yolks and whites, and pop them into separate plastic containers or food bags before freezing.
Just remember to beat a pinch of salt or sugar into the yolks to stop them from thickening too much.

Cheese

Hard cheese can be frozen, just grate it first and freeze in a plastic bag. Avoid freezing it in block form as it can be a nightmare to cut.

Stilton cheese can be crumbled and stored in a sealed container, but steer clear of freezing cream cheese - it will go watery.

Avocado

There's nothing worse than missing out on the short window when an avo is at perfect ripeness. But, like most fruits, they can be successfully frozen.

Either chop it in half and remove the stone, or mash it up and pop it in to a bag with a dash of lemon juice to stop it from going brown.

Don't throw out your hummus dip, try freezing it instead. Photo / Getty

Hummus

Stop wasting your delicious dip, it will generally fare well in the freezer.

Just spoon the hummus into a freezer-safe container, and pour a little olive oil on top before freezing to prevent it from drying out.

Potatoes

Fresh spuds hate the fridge, but if you boil then first, then leave to cool, they will freeze well. When you need them for your roast or salad, simply thaw overnight before cooking.

Leftover mashed spud can also be frozen.

Freeze boiled spuds, then use in your next roast. Photo / Getty

Butter

Cut it into cubes before freezing, or throw the whole block in to freeze and grate it when you want to use it.

Wine and coffee

If you find yourself in the rare situation of having leftover wine, you can freeze it into ice cube trays and use it for cooking.

The same goes for leftover coffee, simply freeze into ice cube trays and pop a cube into your iced coffee or smoothies.

- nzherald.co.nz