Freeze food before it goes bad

When you realize you will not eat something in time, freeze it immediately. Almost everything freezes well: bread, cooked rice, broth, sauces, chopped vegetables, grated cheese, herbs in oil, and ripe bananas. Freeze in portion sizes for easy future use.

Why It Works

Freezing pauses food deterioration completely. A banana that would be thrown away tomorrow becomes next month's smoothie ingredient. Freezing is the simplest and most effective last-resort measure against food waste.

Tips

• Freeze overripe bananas peeled for smoothies and banana bread
• Freeze vegetable scraps (onion ends, carrot peels, celery leaves) for homemade broth
• Flatten soups and sauces in zip-lock bags for space-efficient freezer storage
• Label everything with contents and date — unlabeled frozen mystery blocks are common waste