Freezing odd items ?

I have used the microwave with timber many times, you don't leave it in very long, bugs will fry long before the wood gets hot. I also use the microwave to dry green wood quickly, this has too be done in short bursts so that it drives the moisture out without drying it too quickly, I weigh it frequently and when the weight reduction stops, it's dry. This is a well documented method.

If you put timber in the microwave you will split it - OH has the t-shirt!

I have used the freezer to kill woodworm in timber that I am going to use for woodturning. The microwave also works. The little blighters don't like it up them. I'm sure the microwave would work for any unwanted bugs, but make sure what you put in will take it.

Brilliant tips

Recently two people, who are good cooks, recommended freezing chip shop chips. When you use them reheat them in the oven. I have been assured that they actually taste better after the second cook than they did first time around.

Like many we have found that when we get fish and chips we always end up with far more chips than we can possibly eat. We haven't yet tried this technique, but next time we go the chip shop we certainly will.

I freeze cheese grated as if it is frozen in a block it is inclined to be very crumbly. Freeze fresh Parmesan grated. Do a large amount, it lasts for ages and just get the right amount out as and when needed.

1) Freeze sliced bananas then pop them into a liquidizer & hey presto, ice cream.

2) If on a slimming diet freeze grapes and dried fruit, taste yummy, don't eat too many though because both are full of sugar.

3) Double thick cream freezes well if whipped until thick, separates though if not whipped.

4) When mushrooms are on special, I pop them into a plastic bag then add a tablespoon or so of flour, shake them up & pop them in the freezer.

Cheese, once defrosted, has a crumbly texture - similar to Cheshire. I prefer it, especially for dishes where it has to be crumbled (toppings, sauces etc.) and it saves time grating it. Not a great look on a cheeseboard though.

Apart from the woodworm post nobody has mentioned soft toys. Never had to do it for my kids but if you have little ones with allergies it helps to freeze soft toys. A friend had two of everything (teddies etc) so that she could rotate them without daughter being aware.

Nelliemoser, my brother murdered my toy bunny when I was about 6yo! He flushed Bunny down the toilet. My mum rescued Bunny and hung him on the line to dry, but his head was made of sawdust and went all mouldy. He had to be disposed of. I've yet to come to terms with it all even though it happened circa 1960.

I don't think I can beat the mice in the freezer but another useful thing to have on hand is crumble mix. We don't have many puddings nowadays but I used to make a big batch of the flour/butter/sugar mix in the food processor then freeze it. It was v handy for a quick pudding.

If there's a prize for most unusual use of freezer, amberdog, I think you just won it!! Recycling gifts extreme!

I used to freeze dead (whole) mice our cats brought in as gifts. The local Owl Sanctuary were very grateful as when thawed they are perfect ready meals for a recuperating owl. Otherwise they had to have pieces of liver wrapped in dog hair. Not as yummy.
I hasten to say they were kept separately in an old freezer in the garage.

A variant on MammaN's wine cubes - we freeze an entire bottle of cheap red wine for cooking and partially thaw in cold water in the sink when needed. Rest of the bottle goes back in the freezer. Doesn't seem to affect the flavour. (We largely don't drink red as it sets off DH's appalling migraines, so don't tend to have a bottle open for drinking.)

I once tried leftover wallpaper paste...not a good idea.

Whenever I have chicken on the bone, I freeze the bones until I have enough to make a soup or stock. As I live alone it can sometimes take a while to save enough. hugs

I thought my freezer was just for a few fish fingers or maybe a container of soup. Thank you all I will be sorting my freezer out tomorrow to see what Ive got room for.

Thanks Greymary, a great thread to start and such good tips. When we have a suitable meal, I freeze a portion for our four year old granddaughter for when she comes to stay so that there is always something handy for her.

I now look after her father's (in his forties) old teddy. Have realised that I can't bear (sorry) the thought of him in the freezer (the bear that is, not ds).

Have I missed someone mentioning milk? I always have a carton of milk in the freezer in case I run short between shopping trips. It's best to leave it to defrost naturally but I have defrosted in the microwave with no ill effect on taste or texture. I agree with others about how good it is to freeze fresh ginger and just grate off what one wants to use straight from the freezer.

I freeze basically everything. But there's only so much my freezer can store!

Before my DD had her new baby I found a site for slow cooker recipes to freeze. You just put all the meal ingredients into a strong gallon freezer bag. She takes a meal out the night before to defrost for the morning. Then she just puts ingredients in slow cooker & hey presto a meal to enjoy when her little one comes home from school. Thanks everyone for the freezing tips.

Nellie, my teddy is just a few months younger than me, so is 66! so is probably the same!
MO thanks for making me 10 hrs younger ?

I freeze stock (made up from stock cubes) in ice cube trays. Some recipes call for a small volume of, say, chicken stock and I found I was throwing out unused portions of stock cubes. Now, in our favourite curry recipe we just need three frozen cubes. When they're frozen hard, they don't stick together so it's easy to count out the right number.

I also freeze lemon and orange zest and stick them in a pot in the freezer.

I regulary freeze fresh herbs once washed and chopped. Curly parsley does really well. I never really use dried herbs.
The flavour of the fresh frozen is so much better. I look out for the short dated bunches. I never buy the stuff growing in pots it's a waste of money.

Parsley Coriander and Dill I use quite regularly.

Grannylyn65 I am sure my late teddy bear had woodshavings in his head.

He was early post war austerity model.