Use Clip Lock Bags for Freezing Leftovers

I really think that the introduction of Clip Lock bags (Freezer Use) are the next best invention since sliced bread! I usually go over the top and make too much of a particular meal/soup sauce. All the kids have now left home and sadly I still cook for 6 rather than 2!

For instance, I use Clip Lock bags for the following food that rather than be thrown away can be frozen: soups, casseroles, spaghetti bolonaise, cooked spaghetti sauces, chopped uncooked onions, tomato based sauces - the list is endless. I fill the bags with whatever needs freezing and make sure all the air is pressed out of the bag (I use a drinking straw).

Make sure the food is dated and labeled, lay the bag/bags flat, and place onto a baking tray in the freezer. Use express freeze on your freezer. Once frozen, remove the baking tray, then stack bags in categories into the freezer. It is amazing how much more room you will have in your freezer; no need for bulky containers anymore.

The beauty of Clip Lock bags is they come in a variety of sizes - lunch size, medium, extra medium, large, and extra large. The Plus is, of course, that you that you have a nice neat, easily accessible freezer every time you need an item - no more standing and wondering where that frozen bolonaise is!

Source: My husband and I are aged Pensioners, and I have always hated waste. What I didn't give to friends and family, I used to throw away. I was browsing the Supermarket aisles, and noticed a new line (a few years back now). I was not thinking of the freezing aspect at that time. I thought they would be handy for packing up picnic items, making sandwiches to be eaten later in the day, storing Cornflakes, oats, cereals (no more great big cardboard boxes in my cupboards), and I suddenly thought how useful they would be for freezing items.

By Carolyn from Kapunda, South Australia

Editor's Note: ClipLock is a plastic closure clips onto a regular plastic bag. If you are unfamiliar with the product, here is a link to the manufacturer's website:

• http://www.evriholder.com/Clip-Lock-Bag-Clips.asp