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Ice cubes

Leftover utilization

You can turn these leftovers into ice cubes

Do you have leftover food, ice cube trays and a freezer at home? Excellent! We'll tell you what you can freeze in portions and then use at a later date.

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Edita Dizdar
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Tip

Herbs

You only need a few sprigs of fresh herbs but have bought a whole bunch? No problem. Chop the remaining herbs, fill them into an ice cube mould and pour an oil of your choice over them. Alternatively, you can mix it with butter and spices and freeze it too. This way you have a herb butter immediately to hand and can add a fresh touch to any dish.

Curry paste

Do you have leftover homemade curry paste? After all that work it would be a shame if it were to go mouldy in a far corner of the fridge. It's better to freeze it in portions and enjoy it another time.

Egg white or egg yolk

Do you need egg yolks or egg whites for your recipe, but not both? Put the other half into an ice cube tray. This means you have the egg to hand for your next baking project.

Aquafaba

Chickpea cooking water can of course be thrown away - but you could also freeze it instead. It is a wonderful vegan egg white alternative that can also be whipped into a stiff foam.

Sauces and pesto

You've eaten half the sauce or pesto and don't know when you'll get around to using up the rest? Frozen in portions and defrosted later, they make for a quick meal.

Bouillon

Cooked too much stock? Your future self will thank you if you quickly conjure up the ice cubes from the freezer and add them to the pan while cooking.

Hummus

Made too many chickpeas into hummus again? It can be easy to do, but it's really not a problem. If you freeze it and defrost it later, you'll have your aperitif or snack dip ready in no time.

Baby food

Hardly anyone has time to prepare fresh baby food every day. It is therefore worth pre-cooking a large portion and freezing it in ice cube trays. On hectic days, a healthy lunch for the little ones is quickly defrosted. When moving over to solids, babies often only eat small portions of pureed food.Tip: Only add the oil after defrosting.

Jams

Have you deliberately made or bought a low-sugar jam? As this type of jam goes off more quickly, you can freeze portions and defrost one for your next brunch.

Berries

They are extremely sensitive and go mouldy very quickly. Before that happens, put them in an ice cube tray with water or fruit juice and enjoy a fancy drink with pretty cubes later.

Fruit

Before it goes bad, you can either cut the fruit into small pieces or puree it and freeze it. Fruit ice cubes can be used to refine your porridge, for example, or be a welcome ingredient in your next smoothie.

Coffee

You don't want to finish your coffee, but you don't want to throw it away either? Pour the rest into an ice cube tray and take it out when you fancy an iced coffee.

Yogurt

Half of the yogurt is still in the pot, but your child is long gone? No need to get angry. Ice cube yogurt is the perfect snack for young and old on warm days.

Orange and lemon juice

You can squeeze unused lemon or orange halves and freeze the juice. After all, there's nothing wrong with spiced-up soft drinks, is there?

Wine

Before you pour the rest of the wine away or it goes bad, freeze it. You can use it in portions for sauces and risottos or simply add the white wine ice cubes to your next summer drink.

Coconut milk

Do you love the creamy taste of coconut milk in your meals, but don't need the whole carton? The rest is easy to freeze. The next time you're cooking Asian food or mixing a smoothie, you'll quickly have a few ice cubes to hand.


Good to know:

Frozen food can be kept for 3 to 6 months. After that, quality and taste can suffer.

Your ice cube tray may turn red, green or yellow, depending on what you put in it, and may still smell of the (sauce) contents later. It is therefore best to use separate trays for savoury and sweet contents.

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With simple tips, you too can reduce food waste. Join now and let’s save food together.

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