Do you buy in bulk and stock up on sales to get the best prices and save money? Knowing how to properly store your stuff will keep it from spoiling, and that is very frugal.
With our move, I am low on the basics and must begin stockpiling again. Staples are important to have on hand; those items such as flour, eggs, bread, milk, etc. In an earlier article, Storing Staples: Flour, I covered the ways to store your flour to keep it safe and bug free, and to keep it from spoiling (yes flour does have a limited shelf life and can spoil).
Today, I’ll talk about another basic food, the incredible edible egg. This food is used so often in my house for all sorts of recipes and meals. Contrary to popular belief, eggs can be given long-term storage, if you know the proper ways to do it.
Freezing is the best way to store eggs to keep them when stockpiling. You can, of course, go ahead and cook some of them into omelets or scrambled eggs and freeze them as part of your freezer cooking. People often think of freezer cooking as just for dinners, but there is nothing wrong with making breakfasts, too. Nicole has written a great wealth of freezer cooking articles, from meal planning to storage. So go ahead and check them out, then incorporate eggs into your freezer meals.
Now to eggs raw, you’ll need to know a few things.
Never freeze an egg in its shell.
To freeze whole eggs, just beat them with a mixer until just blended. Store them in a freezer container, noting the date and the number of eggs. As a guide, 3 tablespoons of thawed blended egg equals one large fresh egg.
Egg whites can be frozen without blending.
Egg yolks don’t like to be frozen alone. So, you’ll have to add something to them to prevent them from gelling up. Beat in either 1/8 teaspoon of salt or 1-1/2 teaspoons of sugar (or corn syrup) for each four egg yolks. You can use the salt eggs for main dishes and the sugar eggs for deserts. Just make sure your freezer container is clearly labeled.
Frozen eggs should generally be used within four months.
An easy way to store the eggs in by freezing them in ice cube trays. This way, you can take out and thaw. only what you need to use.
Related Articles:
Frugal Storage: Finding Creative (and Cheap) Ways to Store Your Stuff
Frugal Lessons from The Amish: Cooling Food