5 Must-Have Kitchen Tools for Freezing Produce

Did you know you can freeze tomatoes whole?

The Freezer Challenge has exceeded all my expectations.

In case you haven’t been following me this January, I’ve been trying to use ONE freezer item every day in my kitchen prep, with the goal of trying to empty my “stuffed-to-the-gills” freezer.

I can’t tell you how empowered I have felt as a result.

There is this kind of crazy (sick?) satisfaction every time I take something out of the freezer. Every time I pull out some frozen onions for the skillet, it’s like this little voice whispers: “You’re so smart, Corinna…”

Not to mention all the money I’m saving because I don’t have to load up on produce staples every time I visit the grocery store.

So what’s the secret to getting to this place?

Well, there’s a lot to be said on that topic, but if you want to get serious next season (or even if you just want to dabble) in freezing your farm produce so you can enjoy it in the winter months like I have, here are a few of the kitchen tools you’ll need to be successful.

Lucky for you, it’s a short list. Ready?

1. Silicone ice cube trays.

I’ve put away veggie broth, pureed sweet potato, or blanched kale into these. You can also just use plain old plastic ones (which are probably cheaper). I just like the silicone ones because they make the “perfect size” cube — a little big bigger than the ones from the normal ice cube trays.

2. Ziploc Freezer Bags — quart and/or gallon size

Once you freeze your pureed squash or blanched greens, you’ll want to pop them into a container. I also like to put my pesto into Zilocks and freeze them nice and flat

3. Immersion blender or food processor

This is used for mashing your potatoes and winter squash into a nice consistency. You could use a blender too.

But I LOVE the immersion blender, because it’s so much easier to just “zzzz zzzz” a giant pot of winter squash or potatoes, instead of having to worry about transferring things in and out of a blender or food processor (and then clean a bunch more dishes).

4. Sheet pan with a lip around the edge

I recommend putting your strawberries, onions, peppers, and other fruit onto a sheet pan like this one to freeze first. Once they’ve frozen, THEN you stick them in a Ziplock. This keeps things from getting clumped together (as opposed to just stuffing them into a bag right away).

5. Big bowl.

You’ll need a bowl to hold your super-cold water to quickly cool down your veggies as part of the blanching process with greens. To watch how easy it is to prepare/blanch greens for freezing, watch my YouTube video.

BONUS ITEM: A freezer

Okay, that last one is obvious. But I’m just warning you… once you start getting into this freezing thing, you JUST might end up wanting to buy a chest freezer. Your refrigerator freezer will run out of space real quick.

Go join Costco and buy a REALLY BIG one there. My CSA members seem to prefer the uprights over the chest freezers, because it’s easier to find things. But I personally inherited a chest freezer, so I make it work.

And THAT’S IT!

I’m betting you have all these things in your kitchen already.

But in case you don’t, I’ve linked up these items to Amazon so you can check them out. If you buy through my link, I do get a small commission (another way to support your farmer!)

I have every one of these items in my kitchen. And I use them… A LOT.

Having the right kitchen tools ready to freeze your produce isn’t the ONLY thing you need to be successful at this.

But it is a start.

Are you ready to take the challenge next year?… (Good).