We put a call out to all the Fresh from the Freezer fans out there to share their top tips for using frozen food and you didn’t disappoint! From frozen veg to prawn rings to pre-prepared pastry, you love your frozen and you gave us a huge range of top tips and quick recipes to share with the rest of the Cool Cooks out there.

We’ll be using those tips week by week to show you how to make the most of frozen and maybe offer some frozen facts you didn’t know before!

This week it’s frozen must-haves – the top three products nearly all of our fans always keep in their freezer for that quick-to-prepare midweek meal or a ready-to-go breakfast.

Frozen peas

An oldie but goodie – you’d be hard pressed to find a freezer in the UK that didn’t have a bag of trusty frozen peas in it and our Fresh from the Freezer friends can’t get enough of them. Used as a side dish, added to soups, stews, pies, bakes, risottos or frittatas, frozen peas keep their fresh flavour all year round and add a boost of sweetness to any recipe – plus they’re an easy way of getting one of your five a day!

One of our favourite tips came from Lynda Karpen who uses her frozen peas to create a tasty pea soup with a kick of heat! “Put a little garlic oil and chilli oil in a saucepan, fry an onion but don’t brown it, pour in a small bag of frozen peas, top with vegetable stock, season and simmer until cooked. Blitz in a food processor or blender and you’ve got yourself a tasty pea soup!”

Frozen berries

Berries came out on top with our fans, mainly because they’re so easy to prepare and are available all year round. Frozen berries are also much better for your wallet compared to berries bought in season – win win!

Frozen fruit in porridge or mixed in a blender with milk or yogurt to make a ready-chilled smoothie were the most popular ways of using frozen berries. But we like Ali Clegg’s easy breakfast idea that can be prepared the night before so it’s ready to go first thing in the morning!

“I use frozen mixed fruits/berries on my overnight oats for breakfast, they’re cheaper than using fresh fruits and so easy, I just pop some oats and yoghurt in a pot, top with frozen berries, leave in the fridge overnight and I have a quick healthy tasty breakfast ready for the morning.”

Here’s the Fresh from the Freezer raspberry and white chocolate smoothie recipe: https://frozenfoodrevolution.co.uk/recipe/white-chocolate-raspberry-smoothie/

Frozen pastry

Frozen pastry was very popular in the top tips we received, mainly for its convenience in offering an easy-to-prep and versatile last minute meal option if needed.

Whether it’s a mid-week tea or last minute dessert, frozen pastry is a great back up to keep in the freezer all year round.

Lexy Law has a great tip to feed the whole family in no time at all with her savoury pastry recipe; “I use a sheet of frozen puff pastry, spread with tomato purée, top with frozen chopped onions, peppers, sliced chicken (the one you can cook from frozen) and frozen herbs. Dinner is in the oven in less than 4 mins (I’ve timed it 😂) – cook for around 12 mins until the pastry is golden brown and enjoy!”

If you have a top tip for using frozen food, simply post it on our Facebook wall and it might be featured in our next blog! Head here: https://www.facebook.com/CoolCookery/