Did you know that May is barbecue month? The mercury in the thermometer is rising and people are rolling out the grills for the first time this year. To help you reduce food waste – and to save some cash too – we have put together the ultimate guide for a frozen summer barbecue.

Have you ever had a barbecue and found yourself eating sausage sandwiches for the next week and desperately trying to use up all the onion you bought? With frozen barbecue ingredients there’s less waste and you could save £3.71 for a family of four.

Here is Fresh from the Freezer’s guide to frozen food items that work brilliantly on the barbecue and just how to handle them.

Burgers

The great thing about frozen burgers is you can take them from the freezer and whack them straight on the barbecue. Be sure to turn over on the grill and use the eyes to gauge how well done you like your burger. And remember, once cooked, don’t freeze again!
Recommended dish: Gourmet beef burger

Cost of frozen – £6.18 per kg
Cost of fresh – £7.36 per kg and stores for 3-5 days
Storage time for frozen – 3 months
Storage time for fresh – 3-5 days

Sausages

Sausages are a little different to burgers. Care and caution is required. Be sure to grill for longer than you would fresh, cooking frozen sausages for six minutes may make your sausage look cooked but it will still need longer. Follow the recommendations on the packaging of the frozen sausages, they can often take 10-15 minutes on the grill.

Cost of frozen – £4.18 p/kg
Cost of fresh – £5.40 p/kg
Storage time for frozen – 2 months
Storage time for fresh – 3-5 days

Caramelised onions

Caramelised onions are a particular favourite at a summer barbecue, opting for the frozen variety saves prep time and allows you to store them for up to six months. Head to the frozen aisle of your local supermarket and pick up a bag of frozen chopped onions – this saves on the fiddly business of removing the skin and chopping, allowing you to spend less time worrying about the food and more time socializing.
Now there are two options for this.

Option 1) Cook the onion indoors – For this, heat a pan on a medium heat for 90 seconds and add the desired amount of onions for five minutes or until charred just the way you want them.
Option 2) Stay in the garden and socialize – This option takes a little longer but means you don’t have to be in two places at once. Wrap the frozen onion in tin foil with some lightly drizzled olive oil. Place on the barbecue for 20-25 minutes.

Cost of frozen – £2.00 p/kg
Cost of fresh – £1.87 p/kg
Storage time for frozen – 3-6 months
Storage time for fresh – 7 – 10 days

Tuna steaks

Looking for a little surf and turf? Tuna steaks are excellent from frozen (most frozen products recommend not defrosting before cooking) and go great on the barbecue too. Glaze both sides of the tuna steak with olive oil and turn halfway through cooking.

Cost of frozen – £8.75 p/kg
Cost of fresh – £18.98 p/kg
Storage time for frozen – 6 months
Storage time for fresh – 1-2 days

We’ve created guides on how to defrost chicken, fish, sausages, turkey and mince.

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