Meal prep becomes super important if you’re a busy person but have resolved to eat in. One Redditor got caught up on an odd day in the middle of the week when they ran out of food and hadn't defrosted any proteins, forcing them to eat out.
This, however, would not have been the case if they had done adequate meal preparation and, more importantly, knew how to store them to make them last longer.
One redditor emphasized the importance of maximizing surface area of whatever you're freezing, so it'll defrost faster and more evenly. They explained that, “if you have some fresh minced meat, loosely flatten it into portion-sized pancakes."
"When defrosting, I usually put whatever meat it is into a jug of room-temp water (in an airless, water-proof bag) to speed things up, and the extra surface area helps with this too.”
The same Redditor noted that it’s a good idea to buy fresh herbs, remove any stems and cut them, then freeze them that way. Then when you're cooking you can just use them teaspoons at a time, as long as you're quick to not let them defrost and go mushy.
One user said, “Although a vacuum sealer is a big chunk of change up front, it saves money in the long run as it does a ton of work in helping to prevent freezer burn.”