Freezers have a bit of a bad reputation for being the place where we store all of our ready-meals, frozen fries and ice creams. But there are plenty of other ways we can use them to keep food fresher for longer, store things we didn’t know we could freeze, and make our lives just that little bit easier. We round-up some of the freezer hacks you’ll probably want to start trying now.

Cooking rice can be a bit of a nightmare, especially if we're looking to make a quick dinner. Instead, make a big batch of your favorite grains and then freeze individual portions in baggies. One evening when you know you’ll need some grains, place the bag in the fridge and it’ll be ready to heat up when you get home!

Once you’ve cooked some tasty bacon, save the grease for cooking another time. Let it cool slightly, then use a fine-mesh strainer to pour it into an ice cube tray and place in the freezer. Once ready to use, add one or two frozen bacon cubes into a hot pan to thaw. Let them sizzle away to add bacon flavoring to the likes of chicken stews, caramelized onions, sautéed greens and so much more.

That’s probably a silly statement, because who really has any wine leftover? But if you’ve opened a bottle and haven't had chance to finish it, just fill up an ice tray with the remainder. Once frozen, the wine cubes are perfect for throwing into your cooking. Don’t wait until the wine is after its prime for freezing though, it won’t be revived in the freezer, it will still taste just as bad.

Sometimes that juicy cut of meat can be too tough to cut into the paper-thin strips that we'd like. To make it a little easier, pop your cuts of meat in the freezer for about 30 minutes – enough to partially freeze them – and it’ll be a whole lot easier to slice into thin strips.

Frozen bags of summer berries are available at most supermarkets, but in those you’ll often just find blackberries, strawberries and raspberries. Try freezing some of the more seasonal berries such as boysenberries and tayberries to keep them for longer. It’s also incredibly handy to freeze cranberries, just in time for a homemade batch of Christmas cranberry sauce (cheaper too).

Similarly, if you’re a smoothie fan or a NutriBullet addict, bagging up your smoothie/juice ingredients can save you a lot of time. Whatever fruit and/or herbs you like in your drink, just pop it in a freezer bag so it’s ready to whizz up with some water – it stays so much colder too.

Removing chewing gum from clothes is a nightmare. There don’t seem like any solutions when you’re trying to scour it off the back pocket of your jeans or pick it off the bottom of your coat. Instead of fretting, just pop your sticky garment in the freezer and it will solidify so you can just pick it off. Yep, it’s that easy.

We all know those extra 10 minutes in bed are much more appealing than slaving over the hob and making breakfast. To save you some time, make some breakfast burritos on a Sunday night (fill them with whatever you like), wrap them in cling film and just pop them in the freezer ready for the week. Try to remember to get one out the night before you want to eat it, otherwise you’ll need to allow more time to defrost it in the morning.

If you haven’t tried frozen grapes, you really should. They’re a perfect snack in the heat – really healthy too – and they’re also great for popping in your drink as a replacement for ice. Just put them into a freezer bag overnight and they’ll be good to go.

Surprisingly, you can put your bedding in the freezer for 24 hours to kill mites and keep it fresh – you might want to fold it quite small though, freezers can be pretty jam packed!

Cooked pasta can turn to mush (unless it’s frozen after being cooked al dente) but tightly-wrapped fresh pasta freezes well for up to two months, so it's certainly worth keeping some in the freezer for nights when you have a little less time.

This one is essential for coffee lovers in the summer. Brew some fresh coffee (as strong as you like it) and just pour it into an ice tray. Once the coffee cubes are frozen, you can blend them with some milk to make an iced latte, mix them with vodka and coffee liqueur for an espresso martini (yum), or simply just make yourself a nice cold black coffee for the summer.

If you like making your own pesto (just whisk up some pine nuts, basil, garlic and parmesan cheese), then pour it into an ice tray so you’ve always got some on hand to add to your pasta. Jars of pesto don’t usually last long in the fridge once opened, so these cubes are a quick and easy addition to a simple pasta dish.

If you’ve got a chest freezer, the chances are, it’s pretty difficult to find things under the giant rubble of frozen food. Separating food types into carrier bags can be a great way of keeping everything that bit more organised (and accessible).

Ice lollies are great in the summer, but if you’re bored of the ones in your local store, just make your own. Providing you’ve got an ice lolly container, just pour juice, alcohol or any other liquid you like into the moulds and drop in a bit of fresh fruit for added texture.

You can also turn your lollies into breakfast for busy workdays in the summer. Just fill the moulds with a bit of granola, yogurt and fruit, and you’re all set – perfect for a warm commute into work.

Here’s a handy hack for freezing fresh herbs and chill – chop then pop into ice cube trays with olive oil or melted butter. Freeze overnight, remove the cubes and put in a sealed plastic bag ready for cooking when required. Hardier herbs can withstand being plucked from the stem and kept in jars in the freezer.

If your freezer looks like it’s about to explode, this is another nifty organisation trick to keep it looking tidy. Use a couple of magazine holders to create extra shelves for storing some of your smaller goodies. These are particularly handy for keeping all those ice trays upright.

Use a muffin tin to make giant ice cubes with slices of lemon/lime. These are great for adding to your drinks in the summer, especially for parties when you don’t want to spend time chopping up fruit all night.

Jeans can be pretty expensive, and it’s extremely annoying when they lose shape. But apparently, putting them in the freezer will sort that out for you. According to Levi’s, it really is a worthwhile tip. You just need to pop them in overnight to get rid of the bacteria without losing color, remove them and then allow them to warm up.

During winter, soup is the go-to option for lunches. If you enjoy making your own soup, try making a big batch over the weekend, serving it up into smaller, lunch-size portions so they’re ready to take out on a daily basis.

Fed up of your frozen veg falling out of their bags and making their way into other food bags? Try binder clips or pegs to hang your open bags from the freezer shelf. It should free up a little bit of space too (depending on the style of your freezer of course). If you just have drawers, simply peg your bags closed to prevent everything from falling out.

Yep – you can actually freeze potato chips. You won’t have to worry about them getting stale again as you can just put the remaining ones from an open bag into a separate freezer bag and keep it in there for as long as you like. It should keep the chips as fresh and tasty as ever.

Made too much batter? Don’t discard it – it can be kept in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months.

Dough and raw pastry can be frozen too, as long as it's wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. It’s best to do this soon after preparation so it doesn’t dry out. This also applies to dough that contains yeast and has risen (proven) and to fresh yeast. Thaw overnight in the fridge.