If you cook a lot, you'll know that buying everything fresh means scheduling your meals around what's going off next! And some of us just don't have time - or money - for that. So over time, I've welcomed more and more frozen ingredients into my regular rotation. And I've learned that knowing what ingredients are worth buying frozen gives you much more time and freedom in the kitchen!
(Frozen ingredients are a brilliant addition to instant ramen! Here's some I made with frozen ginger, quorn pieces, peas, broccoli and cauliflower.)
1. Ginger
Frozen ginger comes in the form of little uniform cubes of crushed and compacted ginger. Considering the price of fresh ginger, this frozen ingredient is extremely cost effective. I use it all the time for curries and ramen dishes and find that just one cube provides enough ginger for a large pot of food.
I was tempted to add garlic to this list too, as it's sold in little frozen cubes much like ginger. I prefer fresh garlic and find it does lose potency when frozen, but if you're strapped for cash, it's worth trying it frozen as it's almost as good as frozen ginger.
2. Mixed vegetables
Many people have trouble with the consistency of frozen vegetables. However, if you defrost your veg in a container in the fridge first, even for half a day, they'll lose their moisture slower and retain more texture and taste.
I often use mixed frozen veg to complement a roast dinner or to add some nutrition to instant ramen. They're also great in katsu curry, where the flavourfulness of the sauce makes up for any gripes you might have with the flavour of the veg.
Fresh veg is still preferable if you're going to be roasting, in my opinion. However, if I'm going to be throwing my veg into a flavourful broth or sauce or smother it in gravy, I always use frozen.
3. Sliced cooked chicken
This could be a controversial one, as frozen chicken can't be marinated like fresh chicken, and it contains some added sugar and water. However, it earns a spot here because the cost to convenience ratio is extremely good.
As the chicken is already cooked, it only needs to be heated very briefly in a sauce and can be used from frozen. I find it a tasty and cost effective option when making something rich and spicy like fajita pasta.
4. Quorn
If frozen cooked chicken doesn't quite entice you, I highly recommend trying frozen quorn pieces or mince. They can be fried from frozen and don't take long to cook at all. I also find that it absorbs flavour from sauces on top of having a sunctious umami taste of their own.
Quorn is made of micoprotein (mushroom, essentially) and is a healthy source of protein. I love using the pieces in things like fried rice and curries. You can make a smashing vegi chilli with quorn mince too.
5. Corn
Corn is one of those ingredients which remain almost entirely unchanged in the freezing process. Frozen corn has a great texture and sweetness to it. I went through a phase of always having a bag of it around so I could throw a handful into my egg-fried rice and chilli con carne.
Frozen corn is tastier in a warm dish. However, it is actually pre-cooked which means you can thaw it in the fridge and use it in a salad or sandwich without prepping it at all.
6. Cooked Shrimp / Prawns
Fresh shrimp and prawns have become somewhat of a luxury item over the years. Buying them frozen is a great way to save money while also getting the heal benefits these little creatures provide. I love them in tomato-based mediterranean sauces and also curries.
Because of their size and water content, they defrost super quickly. This makes them very convenient but also easy to overcook, so keep an eye on them!
7. Spinach
Spinach is another ingredient worth buying frozen simply because of how versatile it is. Frozen spinach comes in a bag of handily sized portions which are easy to throw into pasta sauces, curries and stews. The spinach is finely chopped, making it great ingredient to have on hand when feeding veg-averse kids.
There are some things I would always use fresh spinach for, like saag aloo or my supercharged spinach and mushroom toast. Nevertheless, I love having a bag of the frozen stuff to add nutrition to my food as it goes with almost anything.
So there you have it: my 7 most used frozen ingredients! Hopefully you now know more about what ingredients are worth buying frozen and will feel confident in incorporating them in your own cooking. There is still some stigma surrounding frozen food, but like many stigmas in the culinary world this one is definitely unfounded. I'd be lost without my freezer! And I intend to keep it that way.
