When it comes to saving money, reducing waste and maximising convenience, the freezer is every cook's best friend. But are you making the most of this marvellous appliance? We've delved into the myths and misconceptions around the freezer to discover the chef secrets and storage hacks that can make all the difference in your kitchen.

It should be the perfect fridge staple, but this punchy purée (and other flavour-packed pastes) doesn't always store long-term in the metal cans or squeezy tubes it's sold in. The answer is easy: use an ice cube tray to freeze portions of paste and you have ready-to-use umami bombs every time you cook. To get maximum storage life, pop the cubes out of the tray once they've frozen and seal them in an airtight bag.

Do you always seem to have random chunks of cheese in your fridge? Save them from the moulds that thrive in this damp environment by freezing leftovers in airtight bags. Grating is the perfect prep for the ice box: thin strands freeze and defrost quickly, and it's easy to take just what you need. Remember to label your cheeses so the different varieties can be easily identified – that way you'll have a clear idea which bag is better for cheese scones, and which will be great to top toast.

If your freezer isn't already full of sliced cake, you need to get baking. Airy sponge, buttery frosting, whipped cream... all these components keep well in the freezer and are so often wasted along with other excess food after big celebrations. They're also easily frozen ahead of use to make cake prep simpler. The secret is to double wrap the cake in cling film – whether sponge or fruit – to keep air and moisture away.

Whole frozen basil leaves are a sad proposition indeed: those on pizzas can shatter in the freeze and turn to mush on defrosting. Pesto, however, is the perfect solution to preserving the amazing aromatic flavours. Blitzed soft herbs (try parsley pesto, or even wild garlic, as well as basil) retain their taste profiles well, just make sure to keep the icy air from reaching them. The best way is to pour a good layer of oil over the top of small tubs or cube trays of pesto.

Here's a secret for anyone sick of running to the shops for butter: your freezer can store blocks for up to 12 months. Some pastry recipes even call for butter grated straight from the freezer – the chilled dairy being the perfect way to reduce the impact of over-handling (or a warm kitchen) on the delicate lamination we all love to crunch through. Just remember to keep frozen butter in airtight containers for maximum lifespan.

Baking from scratch may be magical, but it's never easy to fit the lengthy sequence of kneading, proving and rising into daily life. This is where your freezer comes in: once a yeasted dough has had its first rise it can be shaped and frozen, pressing pause on the process. Whether you want a ball of pizza dough ready to whip up speedy bases during the week, or oven-ready bread rolls and loaves, the freezer is your secret weapon.

Not just for ice cream lovers, frozen cookie dough is a serious kitchen hack. Want to whip a warm tray of biscuits from the oven when guests visit? Prep ahead by chilling fresh dough into a fat cylinder shape and cutting off round slices, or portioning balls with an ice cream scoop. This dough can be stored in an airtight container, or even on baking sheets lined with cling film, ready for action.

The secret ally of many a fine cook, an aromatic base of finely diced onion, carrot and celery is the perfect start to many recipes – from soups and stews to pasta sauces and braises. This eminently freezable component is the perfect quick cheat: finely chop (or blitz) your veg on a slow Sunday afternoon and press into airtight bags ready to dip into for hasty weeknight dinners.

This slightly sour dairy brings an essential tang to pancake batters, chicken coatings and baked muffins, but it's not always easy to source. The answer? Freeze it! Portioning a carton into useful usable measures will mean it's always on hand for your favourite recipes. Like many forms of dairy, you may experience some fat separation on thawing. Simply shake, then go ahead and bake.

Gorgeously gooey when baked in sauce, charred over a barbecue or marinated and fried, this versatile veg is a great one to keep on standby. Chopped and cooked aubergines will be fine frozen within a dish – moussaka maybe, or a veggie lasagne – but if you have a surplus couple in a veg box, or find some cheap at the market, simple prep will make them freezer ready. Grilling slices will reduce the water content, keeping your aubergine drier as it defrosts.

If you regularly shop for this chickpea mezze your fridge is likely to harbour a host of open tubs that have passed their two-day consumption window. But fear not, because hummus freezes really well. Portion it into air-tight tubs, top with a slick of olive oil to give extra protection against oxidation and consign to the depths of your freezer. The dip is best defrosted slowly in the fridge and mixed well before enjoying.

It adds an essential silkiness to so many dishes, but cream (fresh or soured) doesn't keep too well in the fridge, where it quickly deteriorates and pulls in strong flavours from other foods. To keep a convenient store of spoonfuls to add to your cooking, portion whipped double cream or clotted cream (which has a higher fat content) onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. Once solid the dollops can be bagged for later use whenever a recipe requires a little extra creaminess.

If you've ever baked meringues, whipped up a mousse or tried your hand at macarons, you'll understand the dilemma of what to do with surplus yolks. While they're great for enriching doughs, batters and sauces, they don't keep well in the fridge. Here's the fix: decide if your current batch will be sweet or savoury and beat in a pinch of salt or sugar accordingly to each yolk, then freeze in an airtight container. This ensures a good texture after defrosting – just remember to label whether they're sweet or savoury!

OK, these frilly white flowers aren't a regular on anyone's table, but food lovers know the fleeting blooms bring incredible seasonal flavour to cordials, syrups and desserts. Use your freezer to grab the elderflower harvest at its best, then use it at your leisure. Look for clean, bug-free heads of blooms (washing elderflowers rinses off the flavourful yellow pollen) and press into zip-lock bags for airtight storage in the freezer. Drop the frozen flowers straight into hot sugar syrup to avoid the browning that happens during defrosting.

Bananas blacken so easily you'd think the thawing process would ruin their creamy texture. In fact, overripe bananas freeze well in their skins, or can be peeled and cut into discs or mashed into easy-to-use portions. Besides the classic banana bread, the frozen fruit are also great for smoothies and cheat's ice cream: just peel and blitz big chunks for a dairy-free scoop.

OK, if you like a long drink of the white stuff, freezing it first won't give you the best experience as emulsified fats and fluids split at sub-zero temperatures. But with milk being a significant source of food waste, it's worth pressing pause on ends of cartons to use in hot drinks, baking and other mixtures where a slight change in texture isn't discernible. Pour leftovers into ice cube trays or plastic bottles and seal tightly, allowing plenty of headroom as the high water content means milk expands a lot in the freezer.

A sprinkle of blue cheese is the perfect garnish to a crisp salad or flavouring for a rich sauce. The bad news is it won't store indefinitely in your fridge, so this is another job for your freezer. Crumble cheeseboard leftovers or bargains from your supermarket's reduced aisle into even-sized crumbs; these will store happily in an airtight box for up to nine months and defrost well at room temperature.

We love the creamy textures and delicate flavours of nuts, which do the heavy lifting in cookies, muesli bowls, protein bars and nut loaves. But finding your pricey stash of Brazil nuts or pecans has gone stale as their precious natural oils turn rancid? Not good! So pop whole almonds, pistachios, macadamias and any other nuts into airtight tubs for freezing. They'll be ready to use straight from the freezer, and you'll never need to store nuts in the cupboard again.

Freshly cooked pancakes are such a treat, so why wait until the weekend to enjoy them? Whether you like fluffy American pancakes or lacy crepes, the batter you need can be made ahead and stored ready for when you need it. The secret is to spoon small portions of batter into airtight bags and freeze them flat to make sheets that will defrost quickly. Snip a corner from a bag thawed at room temperature and you've got a speedy stack of delicious pancakes.

The fruity flavours of Scotch bonnet or habanero chillies are essential to capture the authentic taste of some dishes – and your trusty freezer can help you make a fresh pack last for months. Chillies freeze very well, their capsaicin (the active compound that holds the heat) is generally unaffected by sub-zero temperatures. Try freezing the washed fruit whole, and 'cut and come again' when small portions of fresh chilli are required. Keeping half or quarter chillies in your freezer until needed is a great way to keep the heat flowing.

The gelatinous white of an egg is a little weird at the best of times, so it stands to reason it won't freeze, right? Wrong! Portion spare whites into ice cube trays and they'll store brilliantly for up to a year. The trick is to let your defrosted whites reach room temperature before you use them. Once that's done, they're ready to sneak air into any recipe you like, perfect for making light sponges, meringues, crisp batters and fluffy omelettes.

Unless you've mastered the tricky art of portion control you may find yourself binning excess rice every time you cook it. That's because we all know leftover rice needs careful handling to avoid the build-up of dangerous bacteria. But here's the answer: chill down and freeze leftover rice quickly and you can keep this aromatic and fluffy carb on standby. For best results, spread freshly cooked rice out on a baking sheet to cool, then freeze before breaking the lumps up into baggable portions.

The very low water content within sealed bags of crisps creates the perfect conditions for freezing, which can prolong the freshness and crunch of fried potato or maize. Opened sharing bags can also be preserved for later munching – just make sure to squeeze excess air from the bag, seal it well with clips, and store somewhere the brittle crisps won't be reduced to crumbs.

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