In my humble opinion, freezer ziplock bags are one of the most useful items you can keep in your kitchen. They’re not overly expensive, and there are so many different ways you can use them! I’ve included tips and tricks about them in several of my past blog posts, but it recently occurred to me that I’d never written a post specifically about freezer bags!
But before we begin, you might be wondering why I would choose to focus on freezer bags specifically, rather than standard ziplock bags. Freezer bags are thicker than standard ziplock bags, and are usually better at sealing out air and moisture. They’re better suited for the super-cold environment of your freezer, and they’re also quite useful in other applications as well! So without further ado, here are 11 great ways to use freezer bags. 🙂
11 Brilliant Uses For Freezer Bags
1. Softer Ice Cream
Put your cartons of ice cream into freezer bags before storing them. The freezer bag shields the ice cream from oxygen, preventing the ice cream from getting too hard or forming crystals on the surface. When you pull your ice cream out of the bag, it’ll be creamy and scoop-able every time!
2. Minimize Messes
When you need to crush candy, cookies, or crackers for a favorite recipe, do it inside a freezer bag. The thick-walled bags will stand up to the abuse, and the mess will stay inside the bag and off your countertops.
3. Breakfast In Minutes
Use freezer bags to store a quick and delicious homemade breakfast! The next time you make pancakes, be sure to make some extras. Put the extra pancakes in a freezer bag, then toss them in your freezer. When you’re ready to eat your pancakes, just toss them in your toaster or microwave to warm them through!
4. Kitchen Glove
If you find yourself in need of a kitchen glove for a messy task, use a freezer bag. It works great if you’re in a bind!
5. Homemade “Canned” Soup
For perfectly portioned soups, pour your favorite homemade soup into paper/plastic cups and place them in the freezer. Once the soup is frozen, peel away the cup and store the soup in a freezer bag. You’ll have delicious homemade soup that’ll be ready to heat and eat anytime!
Related: “Why Didn’t I Think Of That?” – Part Four
6. Mixing Bowl
Use a freezer bag as “mixing bowl.” Just put your ingredients inside, seal it up tightly, and smush the ingredients around with your hands. (This is especially useful when you’re camping, because a freezer bag is much easier to pack along than a big bowl.)
7. Freeze Food Flat
Yes, you can obviously use freezer bags to freeze food. 🙂 But you can make things even more convenient by freezing your foods flat! Once the contents in the bag are frozen solid, you can stand them upright and really maximize the storage space in your freezer.
Related: 20 Ways To Use Your Freezer To Save Time And Money
8. Ready-To-Cook Recipes
One of my favorite ways to use freezer bags is to store assembled and ready-to-cook meals, like Dump Chicken! I keep a few of them stocked in my freezer so I can pull one out in case of dinner-related emergencies (such as when I forget to plan something for dinner.) 😉
Related: Lemon-Garlic Dump Chicken – The Ultimate Make-Ahead Meal
9. Marinate Meat
Use a freezer bag to marinate your favorite cuts of meat! Freezer bags are great for marinating, because you can squeeze out a lot of the extra air. This ensures that your meat and marinade are making as much contact as possible, resulting in more flavorful meat!
Related: Everything You Need To Make 5 Easy Freezer Meals In An Hour
10. Piping Bag
A freezer bag makes a great piping bag for frosting your favorite desserts! Just fill a corner of the bag with frosting, snip off the corner with scissors, and pipe away! We also like to use it for sour cream to put on our tacos too!
11. Easy Omelets
You can make a delicious and healthy omelet right inside a freezer bag! Just toss your favorite omelet ingredients into a freezer bag and seal it tightly. (Be sure to beat the eggs before adding them!) Drop the sealed bag into a pot of boiling water, and allow it to cook for 6-7 minutes per egg.
Special Bonus Tip! – Wash & Reuse
Since freezer bags are thicker than normal ziplock bags, they are usually more expensive too. But you can get the most for your money by reusing your freezer bags! Just turn the bag inside out, and hand wash it with warm soapy water. Let it air dry over a wooden spoon in a drinking cup. (However, if your freezer bag held raw meat or something really oily, I would not recommend attempting to wash and reuse it!)
