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There’s no denying that fresh ingredients are the best. That being said, there’s a difference between what’s actually fresh and what’s just being marketed that way. Unless you grew or caught the ingredients yourself or live near a farm, ranch, or body of water, it’s often difficult to determine the origins of items sold at the grocery store.
Fortunately, your supermarket stocks fresh ingredients in the last place many think to look: the freezer aisle. In addition to costing less and lasting longer, many frozen foods are fresher than what’s on display at the supermarket.
“Given the days and weeks [some foods travel] between the farm and supermarket, frozen can be a better choice in many cases,” says registered dietician Dana Nahai. Depending on what you’re using the ingredients for, there are plenty of occasions when it’s best to buy frozen. Here are three types of foods to stock in your ice box.
Fruits
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While it’s true that freezing produce often impacts its texture, frozen fruit is suitable for a lot of recipes, such as smoothies, punches, and baked goods like muffins and cakes. Many people prefer eating grapes and berries frozen, and adding frozen fruit to a blender negates the need for ice in a smoothie or shake. Frozen berries are an especially good buy year-round because they’ll last much longer and retain their nutritional value better than their fresh counterparts.
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Vegetables
Like fruits, vegetables are frozen soon after they’re harvested. While we don’t recommend using thawed veggies for salads, dishes where a compromised texture doesn’t matter—think: soups and casseroles—are a perfect vessel for frozen peas, corn, okra, and other bagged ice-box staples. As long as your veggies don’t need to be crisp, there’s no reason you can’t use frozen ones instead. For example, a bag of frozen spinach can be sautéed, cooked into a quiche or frittata, or utilized in our top-rated spinach dip.
Seafood
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Do you live in a landlocked area? Then the seafood counter at your grocery store could be an illusion. Those fish fillets may look fresh, but they have likely been sitting on ice for hours and potentially days, depending on where you shop. Frozen fish and shellfish, on the other hand, is usually chilled on the boat or dock, so it retains flavor and nutritional value better. So unless you live near water, the frozen seafood options at your grocery store are your best bet (you can also look for frozen, sustainably sourced alternatives online). For best results, defrost your fish overnight in the fridge—a slow thaw creates a more pleasant texture.
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