Aside from an occasional foray to buy ice cream, we don't often find ourselves in the frozen foods aisle. And yet buying frozen vegetables, fruit, and even proteins like fish can be a really smart choice, especially when the fresh item is very expensive or out of season. What foods do you buy frozen?
Frozen foods have come a long way since the watery and flavorless frozen vegetables many of us remember from childhood. New technologies like flash freezing mean that vegetables stay crisp and colorful once thawed while retaining much of their original taste and nutritional value. Fruits have always frozen well, and they're a great choice for baking - not to mention breakfast smoothies!
One frozen food that we've been thinking of buying more of is frozen fish and other seafood. This is definitely more affordable than buying it fresh, and often of better quality. Buying frozen also gives us the opportunity to try new kinds of fish that might not be available at the fresh fish counter, particularly if you live in a part of the country where fresh fish isn't readily available.
Buying frozen foods can definitely bring up issues of eating out of season, environmental costs of constant refrigeration and transportation, and some health concerns of frozen verses fresh. Still, if buying a lot of fresh foods puts a strain on your budget or you're craving strawberry pie, we think frozen foods are the way to go.
What do you think? Are there foods that you always buy frozen?
Related: Food Science: What is Freezer Burn and Hot to Prevent It
(Image: Flickr member paulidin licensed under Creative Commons)
We always have frozen chopped spinach, peas, corn, and broccoli. Even in the summer, when we have a good deal of fresh, seasonal produce available, we will still have some standbys in the freezer. And nowadays, there are so many organic brands of frozen vegetables. Trader Joes has a great selection.
I also like to have some frozen fruit stashed, good for a quick dessert or for smoothies.
And we usually have some meatless ground and veggie burgers. Our new favorite brand is Quorn, worth searching out!
Oh, and some ice cream. :) TJ's has a non-fat frozen yogurt that *actually* tastes like yogurt. What a concept, right?
view thesamanthafiles 's profile
I buy frozen peas & corn; freeze my own fresh berries and bananas
view VeryDelishVeg's profile
I buy very little frozen veggies -- I grew up on mushy frozen veggies, so pretty much only buy fresh veggies.
In the freezer section, I buy:
veggie burgers (Amy's Organic and Dr. Praeger's are my faves)
frozen peas
frozen blueberries
TJ's frozen meatballs
Pretty much everything else in my freezer is frozen soups that I make - I stick the extras in the freezer for another day.
view cheriey's profile
We have been buying a LOT of frozen fruit for smoothies, though next summer I will definitely be freezing my own fresh fruit. Also frozen peas and corn...
view minji's profile
Peas & carrots, peas on their own, waffles, chicken sausages, ground turkey, boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped spinach, Morningstar products like the tomato basil pizzaburger which is DELICIOUS, and Steamfresh rice which I have about 10 packages of in my freezer currently. They are great for last minute meals on nights where I have no time and would normally order in.
view Wendy Starr's profile
I buy frozen peas and corn because have the advantage of being delicious and fresh-tasting when the real thing is out of season. But I always have frozen chopped spinach in the freezer as a basic staple--there's no easier way to add some green to an emergency pantry-based meal. I feel somewhat guilty about it, since fresh spinach is almost always available, but I think frozen is one of the best convenience foods there is.
view mhirsch's profile
Frozen strawberries and rasberries for the winter, TJ's turkey meatballs, chopped broccoli, spinach, and peas, and some of the TJ's vegetable mixes. Lately some of Amy's vegetable Lasagnas for when we're too tired to cook.
view edava72's profile
Frozen Veggies are so cheap and convenient I have a full stock of Lima Beans, Peas, Carrots, Spinach and corn because it's easy to pull out, dump a cup or so into my Stirfry/Soup/Casserole and put the rest back in the freezer.
view Rolen the Great's profile
I freeze my own fruit from the summer but I buy frozen spinach (whole leaf only), broccoli, and cauliflower from Whole Foods. I hate frozen vegetables from other stores. Whole Foods stuff is never mushy when I cook it somehow and they seem to taste very close to fresh. We always buy fresh carrots so I can make juice (I blend carrot and apple) and I only buy fresh peas. When I was a kid my mom always bought the frozen mixed peas and carrots-yuck. I'm also not a big fan of corn, frozen or otherwise.
view djheathermarie's profile
peas and corn, always. usually some chopped spinach. i usually keep some diced onions and peppers in the freezer for quick meals--usually i freeze them myself but sometimes buy them.
we buy frozen berries and peaches for cobblers and smoothies--anything that doesn't need a perfectly textured fruit.
we freeze all our meat, although usually we buy it fresh.
view thinkingwoman's profile
Veg:
peas, corn, snap peas, edamame
Fruit:
blueberries, bananas (i don't buy them frozen, I freeze them when they are getting too ripe)
Meat:
turkey breakfast sausages, ground beef, turkey burgers
Grains:
TJs rice
Other:
Pizza (its always a life saver to throw a frozen pizza in the oven on nights I don't want to cook)
view mally313's profile
Peas, Corn, spinach, and plantains. For anyone who loves these as much as I do and doesn't like leaving the ones from the grocery store to sit on the counter to ripen for 2 weeks, frozen is great.
Also, I buy a lot of cranberries to make desserts with.
view fib's profile
Oh and edamame! which is fantastic out of the freezer!
view fib's profile
I buy frozen peas, corn, and occasionally broccoli florets and spinach.
view goodLife{eats}'s profile
Anything Amy's.
view sleggo's profile
Lean Pockets. They are great when you haven't made lunch and don't want to spend money. They're always on sale too. I like Amy's - don't know why I don't buy them more often.
view chusmabilly's profile
Trader Joe's has definitely changed my attitude towards the frozen food isle. I actually buy what I call "meal helpers" and always keep them stashed in my freezer. Items like TJ's frozen polenta or gnocchi in sauce make a great quick meal with some fresh veggies and meat thrown in without too much time and effort. Also a must are potstickers.
As far as veggies, I stick to a reserve of frozen spinach and edamame, but mostly used fresh and in season stuff. Berries however are always there - you never know when you need an emergency berry reserve to the emergency berry cobbler. I've actually found that freezing my own berries does not create as good of a result as modern flash frozen berries I can buy at the store -- I really don't recommend it. Eat them fresh if you have them fresh.
I also always have ground turkey and a couple of chickens.
view thisisnina's profile
I only buy frozen fruit during the winter and usually have peas, edamame, and green beans in my freezer at all times. Oh, and frozen shrimp.
view sarahlani's profile
I'm buying frozen fruit for smoothies, because I apparently didn't freeze enough of my own. Also frozen spinach and broccolli...and green beans.
And obviously ice cream.
view Hanna's profile
peas and tj's pizza.
view art's profile
Frozen peas from TJ's, always. And Ling Ling chicken and veg potstickers from Whole Foods/Costco.
view belmontmedina's profile
Edamame, frozen TJ's food, "california style" vegetables (for my mom's minestrone soup recipe) and ice cream. Occaisionally I'll also buy brussels sprouts frozen, but I haven't quite gotten the method for cooking them down as well as I have it for fresh ones. Frozen corn and frozen green beans are great, too.
Also, I feel I should point out that all or nearly all fish is frozen on the boat. It lets the fishermen stay out longer without worries about spoiling, which helps with their profit margins, I think. So frozen vs. not frozen isn't a very meaningful comparison in my opinion.
view Tiamat_the_Red's profile
Frozen veggies. Stir fry mix, snow peas, spinach, broccoli, green beans, green peas (also a good icepack, though I'm not sure we'll be eating that bag). Depends what I feel like buying in the store, but I'd be stopping for groceries every day if I didn't have a freezer full of frozen veggies. Fresh is generally better texture-wise, but if I buy for more than a day or two at a time, something comes up and food goes unused way too often.
Veggie burgers. Amy's All-American, Boca Original, GardenVegan, Mushroom Smart Patties... there's usually at least 3-4 kinds in our freezer, plus Whole Kitchen veggie sausage patties. Sometimes an Amy's entree or two. We used to get these Health is Wealth chicken-free patties back in New York, but I haven't found them since moving to the Bay Area (only the nuggets seem to be stocked around here).
I buy frozen fruit in the summer for smoothies, though I have been known to snack on a couple of frozen cherries... man those things are good.
view Tangledgray's profile
Hell no... NEVER buy anything that my grandmother wouldn't have also bought. Everything should be fresh.
view Kimberlita Paternosky's profile
frozen edamame in pods is like $1.50 a pound from whole foods.
view pedalpowered's profile
Frozen berries (to put into homemade yogurt), frozen spinach and brocolli to add to breakfast (easy to drop a little into an omlette) or last minute lunch or dinners. Edamame (healthy snack). Tons of frozen entrees (hey - I live alone!).
view caw261's profile
Peas to toss in pasta/etc.
Frozen fruit for smoothies.
Also sometimes keep frozen herbs/garlic (from trader joes) around.
view maggie (p/c)'s profile
I always have frozen blueberries in the freezer and love to eat them for a healthy dessert.
Also corn and spinach.
We have tons of frozen pizza and veggie burgers in the freezer right now but I am trying to wean myself..
view emily7's profile
peas and corn and spinach, also fish and ground turkey, and I have a weakness for the Trader Joe's frozen aisle, love their flatbread pesto pizza and the chicken chili lime burgers.
view acushla's profile
i'm partial to frozen peas and edamame. i don't think there's anything wrong with frozen vegetables, anything flash frozen the day it was picked is much more nutritious than something that was shipped for a week and then sat on a shelf for a while. I always mean to freeze fresh berries when they're in season, but i get so wrapped up in eating them. frozen cranberries are a good thing to have around if you live in the northeast, they are a cheap choice that actually comes from this region and they freeze really well.
view shlowzi's profile
There are always frozen peas in my freezer and usually some Gardenburgers, too. Other than that, our freezer stays pretty well stocked by what we freeze ourselves.
(Oh, and we always have ice cream. Always).
view popcorn.for.dinner's profile
sweet corn niblets for the picky child, vegetarian quick meals, like Amy's burritos and garden burgers, kasha pizzas ,for the always hungry one, berries for waffle toppings & smoothies. spinach for an egg thing for weekend brunch. I like adding little peas to mac & cheese. always ice cream. and frozen stock, from shrimp shells and mangoes for my curry. Frozen mangoes are easier to cut
view Kate (NC)'s profile
Frozen spinach, squash (for soups), and edamame. Often fresh spinach doesn't work so well in soups/stews because it makes the soup/stew all watery. The frozen I can squeeze all the extra water out of. It's also easy to add a little bit of spinach to whatever I'm cooking for dinner such as pasta sauce. The edamame is for snacks. :)
I also will buy frozen strawberries, blueberries or cranberries when I don't manage to freeze enough of my own.
When it comes to fish, I do buy frozen more often than fresh. I buy them in individually flash frozen vacuum sealed packs. It doesn't get freezer burn, and it's easy for me to pull out one fillet for a dinner (it's just me, so cooking for one is crucial).
I also like frozen puff pastry. I can make my own pie crust quickly and easily, but puff pastry is difficult. The frozen puff pastry works great!
I'll also buy the occasional frozen pizza. Or box of veggie burgers.
view Shana Lee's profile
I've become a total convert to the steamfresh (and similar) veggies over the winter. They're often a bit cheaper than buying fresh and taste really good. I also am a huge fan of TJ's frozen roasted corn, because roasting corn is too much of a hassle to do with any regularity... but it is SO delicious.
view anninva's profile
I buy frozen vegetables occasionally during the winter for stir-fries and soups, and buy frozen berries almost year-round because they're so much cheaper.
Almost all of our seafood is frozen, so are cornish game hens, duck, lamb ... basically any meat that's not beef, poultry or pork.
I also love Amy's for a quick & easy lunch.
view Pearvana's profile
Unless I see something seasonal and yummy, I buy all my vegetables frozen. Since I cook for just myself, it's easier than buying fresh, which might turn before I get a chance to eat all of them! Broccoli, carrots, peas, etc... all frozen.
I also get Trader Joe's frozen chicken breasts, and I am obsessed with Trader Joe's Meatless Meatballs. Just a minute in the microwave, and they're a great accompaniment to brown rice! My usual supper consists of brown rice (or quinoa or some other tasty carb), frozen veggies, and some sort of protein.
view Geno B.'s profile
Costco's Spinach ravioli (I could live on the stuff!), TJ's Orange Chicken (10 minutes in the oven, and as good as Panda Express)... and the occasional ice cream. Other than that, I usually freeze my own stuff.
On the other hand, I did discover frozen girl scout cookies there the other day... impressed that I hid them from myself for this long!
view cptnruthless's profile
I pretty much always have frozen peas, corn, tri-color peppers (WAY cheaper than buying them fresh) for fajita nights, stir-fry vegetables, and gumbo vegetable mix. I've recently begun buying frozen berries, particularly blueberries for blueberry pancakes, muffins, and to put in my oatmeal.
I also recently became pescatarian so I'm stocking up on frozen shrimp and catfish.
view kmays's profile
I don't think I've ever had peas that weren't frozen...
I usually keep a small stock of frozen veggies so there's always something healthy to eat when I haven't had a chance to make a grocery store trip yet. always some spinach (great to add to soups, stir fries, pastas, etc.) usually some corn or succotash, peas, etc. tj's has great frozen green beans, mango chunks, blueberries, chicken breasts, and shrimp, (and peppermint joe-joe's are heaven in the freezer!). watch out for their frozen prepared meals, though-- they're usually incredibly bad for you!
view foodefafa's profile
let's see:
peas, limas, corn, edamame, one or two fruits depending on my craving.
Frozen ground spices and tamarind pulp.
And miso.
view gayatri's profile
Frozen peas, corn, and TJ's mized pepper blend, salmon patties from Costco, Vans waffles, blueberries, cheese tortellini, shrimp and the occassional fish (my husband isn't a big fan of the texture of frozen fish).
view rosebud's profile
I buy corn and peas, and sometimes other veggies.
I always have blueberries, peaches, strawberries, bell peppers, carrots, and green beans stocked in my freezer. I don't usually buy them (except sometimes in the early spring/summer if I run out) from the grocery store, I get them from my garden or the farmers market and freeze them. So much tastier in the winter than mass produces frozen fruit/veggies.
view tarasana's profile
Berries and cherries when not in season, and peas (I hate shelling them!). For the most part, I buy fresh food. My freezer is occupied primarily by flours/grains (they last much longer in the freezer), leftovers, and the bowls for my ice cream maker.
view Stiletto's profile
frozen peas, edamame, frozen fruits and berries for smoothies (strawberries, blueberries, peaches, etc.), and tons of amy's for lunches and their broccoli and cheese pot pies for dinners when I just can't bring myself to cook.
view lcg's profile
I'll occasionally buy frozen pizzas or fries when I'm craving junk food, though I'm more likely to just buy the frozen pizza dough to store. I do have some frozen peas in the freezer (doesn't everyone?), some raspberries, some juice from concentrate, ice cream. That's it for store-bought frozen. Mostly I use my freezer to preserve things I make myself or things I buy when it's cheap and want to save for later (e.g. bananas, meat).
view angorian's profile
I live in Maine, I'd probably end up with scurvy if I didn't buy frozen fruits and veggies in the winter. "Fresh" produce in the winter here is anything but fresh and usually totally tasteless except potatoes, onions, and other veggies that keep for long periods of time.
Frozen meat is a wonderful thing though I rarely buy it already frozen. I actually have a big deep freezer in the basement for storing frozen food, some veggies and lots of meat either raised by my immediate or extended family. Freezing is a very efficient way of storing food.
view Noadi's profile
We have access to good seasonal produce year round. We don't eat a lot of frozen vegetables because most them taste like it. The only thing I buy is peas.
I do some some frozen fruit but it is hard to find organic and I won't buy pesticides to feed to the toddler.
But, we do make great us of our freezer with freezer meals we make in advance. I try to make double or triple batches of anything that takes time or effort like stews, pot pie filling, etc. We always have a ton of meals at the (almost) ready. Our foodsaver is awesome.
We also buy 1/4 beef, 1/2 pig, and an entire lamb every year and work our way through them. This allows us to buy very high quality meat at very good price. It is also an interesting experiment as a cook to work your way through the beast.
view JudiAU's profile
there was a report this week which revealed that frozen fruits and veg are fresher and more nutritious than the fresh stuff because of the distances it has to be shipped, etc. The message was -- local or frozen is best.
view mschatelaine's profile
I also buy peas, corn, and broccoli often. I like the Trader Joe's brands as I find they taste much fresher and cook up firmer. The corn is particularly sweet too. They also have a vegetable mix called Harvest Hodgepodge that I use all of the time for stir-frys. We get the big bags of chicken breasts too.
view footballfoodie's profile
Frozen peas- I eat them frozen for a snack.
view bkk's profile
Like a lot of other people, the only thing I buy exclusively frozen is peas. I love peas, so this is a pretty frequent trip to the freezer aisle.
I also like frozen raw shrimp--I use them in quick soups, and they're so fast I don't have to thaw them first.
I have also been known to pick up a stir-fry mix for lazy dinners.
view mandarinmarie's profile
Corn, shrimp, spinach (as an ingredient not a side dish), peas, puff pastry and phyllo dough!
http://whatsonmyplate.wordpress.com
view Tonya @ What's On My Plate's profile
I buy my fish frozen, especially shrimp since it tends to be fresher than the "fresh" shrimp at the counter at my local supermarket. I stock up at Costco.. they have great salmon burgers and good deals on shrimp. I also buy frozen fruit for smoothies, and frozen veggies in the winter when there's nothing local available.
I also keep Dr. Prager's stuff on hand for the kiddo, on those days when I don't feel like cooking food or don't have leftovers to give her.
(The commenter who said she always buys fresh must be very lucky to live in a place where good, local produce is available year round!)
view NCavillones's profile
peas only.
view appleton's profile
As a single person whose schedule jumps around quite a bit, frozen food is definitely a staple for me.
As far as veggies, I usually have peas, corn, green beans, chopped spinach, edamame and a stir fry mix of tri color peppers and onion.
I almost always buy frozen seafood - living in landlocked Oklahoma, frozen seems like a better bet!
As far as meat, I always have boneless skinless chicken breasts and ground turkey or turkey sausage. My family raises beef cattle so I always have a lot of different cuts of beef also.
Of course there's usually some ice cream and sorbet in there also!
view Nikki_OK's profile
Hi All,
I am the producer of Asian Frozen Foods!!!
Would like to get advice from you all...
What is the Asian dish that you wish to have available at Costco???
Do you prefer it to be "microwavable ready to eat" or "ready to cook component for easy cooking step like stir fry or etc"???
Thanks all for sharing your valuable comment.
view EasternChef's profile