This 2-Minute Meal Prep Hack Will Save You Money And Cut Down On Food Waste

For many people, the crisper serves as their good intentions drawer. At the beginning of the week, it’s filled to the brim with produce. You are going to make so many nutritious meals with the rainbow of veggies it holds! But then, life gets in the way. And slowly, that fresh produce starts to die, along with those good intentions.

Want to make 2025 the year you actually use up the produce you buy before it goes bad? Registered dietitian (RD) Steph Grassoposted a cooking hack on TikTok that can help make it a reality. It only takes a few minutes and helps eliminate some of the stress of putting healthy meals together throughout the week.

In the video, Grasso shares that taking a couple of minutes to blanch vegetables (done by putting them in a bowl of ice-cold water) makes them last months longer than they would otherwise, allowing for a much longer chance to use them.

How blanching veggies will save you money and cut down on food waste

Grasso shared with HuffPost that the reason why she, as a dietitian, is such a fan of blanching produce is that it serves as a way to preserve nutrient density.

“Blanching helps keep veggies nutrient-rich by stopping enzymes that cause nutrient loss and breakdown over time,” she said. “It works by quickly boiling the veggies and then cooling them in ice water. This process puts a pause on those enzymes, ‘locking in’ the nutrients while keeping the veggies’ color, texture and quality intact,” she explained.

Katherine Metzelaar, RD and Bravespace Nutrition CEO, is a fan of blanching vegetables too, and says it’s a way to get more nutrients out of your produce than if you just stick them directly in the freezer. She explained that if you skip blanching before putting them in the freezer, the enzymes in the produce can keep working, which can lead to nutrient loss.

According to both dietitians, blanching vegetables at home is a similar process used by frozen food companies — and just like frozen vegetables you can buy in the freezer aisle, blanching your vegetables at home and putting them in the freezer will keep them ready-to-use for months.

“Frozen vegetables can last in the freezer for about eight months unless you notice freezer burn, then toss them out,” RD Shana Spence told HuffPost. This is exactly why, all three dietitians shared, blanching vegetables saves money and cuts down on food waste.

“It helps your produce last longer and lets you use up veggies that would otherwise go bad,” Grasso said. “Instead of wilting in your fridge after a few days, they can stay fresh for months in the freezer. Plus, you can freeze them in portions so you only use what you need, which helps prevent cooking too much and wasting leftovers.”

How to do it

Now that you know why blanching vegetables is a way to set yourself up for making healthy meals a reality throughout the week, it’s important to know how to do it. According to Metzelaar, blanching times depend on the type of vegetable. “Delicate greens, like spinach, might only need one to two minutes while denser ones, like carrots or broccoli, take three to four minutes,” she said. She shared that you don’t want to leave your produce in longer than this. “Over-blanching can make veggies mushy, while under-blanching won’t stop the enzymes from doing their thing,” she said.

Metzelaar recommends blanching in small batches. “If you add too many veggies at once, the water temperature can drop, which makes blanching less effective,” she said. And don’t skimp on the ice, either. “Make sure your ice bath is really cold so the cooking stops completely — lukewarm water won’t cut it,” Metzelaar said.

Here are the steps to blanching produce, according to Grasso:

1. Prep your veggies by washing and cutting them.
2. Put them in boiling water for three to four minutes.
3. Fill a bowl with ice water.
4. Put your veggies into the bowl of ice water for between one and four minutes, depending on the type of vegetable.
5. Take them out of their ice bath and put them in a freezer bag to store in the freezer.

Unlike meat, Metzelaar told HuffPost that there is no need to thaw your frozen vegetables when you’re ready to use them in your meals. “They can go straight into a pan, pot or oven. Just remember that they’ve already been partially cooked during blanching, so you’ll want to avoid overcooking them. Also, frozen veggies release a little water as they heat up, so you may need to adjust your recipe if too much moisture would mess with the dish,” she said.

By incorporating this simple cooking hack into your meal prepping, adding vegetables brimming with nutrient density into your meals is easier than ever and you won’t find your produce decaying in your crisper anymore. And if you change your mind about what you’re in the mood to eat, it’s not a big deal. Your veggies will be hanging out in the freezer ready to eat for whenever you’re ready for them.