3 Weeknight-Friendly Ingredients That Should Always Be in Your Freezer

As with a lot of seafood, most people are better off buying frozen shrimp than taking their chances with fresh (don’t @ me, Gulf Coast). That’s because most of the shrimp that’s caught is quick-frozen right on the boat, shipped to your market, and thawed there. So you never know how long those “fresh” shrimp you see in the case have been hanging out. (And if they go on sale, you know the stinky end is near.)

Thaw frozen shrimp by placing them—right in their package if they are sealed in an airtight bag—in a bowl of cold tap water. Change the water every 5 minutes or so, and the shrimp should be ready to season and cook in less than 20 minutes. 

Dinner ideas for thawed frozen shrimp: Stir-fry, add to fried rice, grill or broil (and glaze), use in scampi, poach for shrimp cocktail or to perch atop a salad, make soup or bisque. 

Peaches make this list because they swing sweet and savory. You’ll want to thaw them first; submerging the sealed peaches in cold water works well, as does a short stint or two in the microwave (you can also move the bag to the fridge before your workday starts). On the sweet side, peaches love ice cream and any kind of pastry dough; leaning savory, this stone fruit goes well with pork and poultry. 

Dessert ideas for thawed frozen peaches: Toss with sugar, a pinch of salt, and warm spice before spooning over ice cream. Fold inside store-bought pie dough or puff pastry for hand pies or turnovers. Combine with vanilla ice cream and a little milk in the blender for milkshakes. 

Dinner ideas for thawed frozen peaches: Add to pan sauces for seared pork chops or chicken parts. Chop and add to rice pilaf, couscous, or quinoa. Make a salsa to top fish or tofu with shallot, fresh mint or basil, salt, and lime juice. 

Unless you are growing your own peas or have a source within golf-drive distance of your kitchen, you are usually better off using frozen peas over fresh. That’s because as soon as peas are picked, the peas’ sugar starts converting to starch, meaning they won’t be as sweet. 

While many of our recipes call for thawing frozen peas before adding them to dishes, you can sometimes skip this step as long as the peas will be exposed to heat for 5 minutes or so.

Dinner ideas for frozen peas: Enjoy their emerald color and sweet flavor in beef stew, chicken soup, fried rice, pastas, and saucy braises such as chana masala.