10 Ways Your Freezer Can Be Your BFF

Your freezer wants to be your best friend. Let it. Who else will make your food taste better than before? Check out this list of items better when consumed frozen as well as those that are better for having been frozen. You’ll find new life for many of your favorites just by giving them a chance to chill out.

Some things are pretty tasty with a chill still on them. They tend to lean toward the sweeter side, which means a cool dessert is always close at hand.

Brownies, like these two-ingredient Nutella brownies, tend to taste best when really cold. This makes snacking from the freezer the officially approved method!

Get a recipe: How To Make 2-Ingredient Nutella Brownies

Using frozen smoothie ingredients gives your smoothie a better texture. It also reduces your need to add ice to the smoothie, which helps you avoid diluting the flavor.

Learn more: How I Freeze Smoothie Ingredients in Individual Serving Bags

Yogurt tubes have a weird texture when served cold from the refrigerator. But frozen? Frozen turns regular yogurt into dessert!

Learn more: 10 Sandwich-Free Lunch Box Ideas

Any kid will tell you that grapes taste better frozen than not. Crisp and cool, they are super refreshing.

Learn more: Here’s What 1 Pound of Grapes Looks Like

Frozen applesauce is like the slushy of your dreams — without any work or nuclear food coloring.

Get a recipe: How To Make Applesauce in the Slow Cooker

Just one more reason to keep your freezer stacked! When the foods listed below are reheated after freezing, you’ll find further developed flavor with an added bonus of ease.

Sauces like bolognese and marinara tend to improve in flavor after having been frozen. The herbs and spices increase in intensity and have a chance to meld.

Get a recipe: How To Make Marinara Pasta Sauce

You might notice that the chili you cooked and froze last week tastes spicier after its stint in the freezer. This is because chipotle, cayenne, and other chiles increase in flavor during freezing.

Get a recipe: Pumpkin Chili

Likewise, lasagna tends to improve with some time chilling out. The flavors blend and the textures of the sauces settle down. No wonder it’s a number-one favorite in the frozen food aisle.

Get a recipe: Ina Garten’s Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Freezing proteins in marinade is one of the easiest freezer meals I’ve encountered. An added bonus is that the meats marinate as they thaw, allowing a longer marinating time than they might when made fresh.

Get a recipe: Slow Cooker Cranberry Pork Chops

Pot pie benefits from being baked from frozen. The pastry gets nice and flaky, thanks to this chill time.

Get a recipe: Savory Tomato Peach and Tarragon Pot Pie