1. What is freezer cooking?
Freezer cooking, bulk cooking,
batch cooking, Once A Month Cooking (OAMC).
No matter what you call it, freezer cooking helps save you time and
money as you seek to feed your family.
Freezer cooking not only adapts to any family, budget, and space, but
also to individual tastes, preferences, and dietary needs. Adaptability may be the best thing about
freezer cooking. Nearly every recipe can
be adapted in some way for the freezer so your family can continue to enjoy the
foods they love. No matter what your
individual or family needs are, freezer cooking will work you.
2. What are the
benefits of freezer cooking?
Cost – Freezer cooking provides a great way to save
money for your family. When you cook in
bulk, you are able to take advantage of large sizes and deals which previously
you may have passed by not knowing how you would use it all before it went
bad. By having meals ready to go in your
freezer, you also save money by not needing to make a run out for fast food or
to the grocery store because there’s nothing in the kitchen ready for
dinner.
Convenience – Everyone is busy. Between church meetings, games, school, and
other commitments, there isn’t always an hour in the evening to make dinner or
time in the morning to make a hot breakfast.
Freezer cooking gives you convenient meals with most of the work done,
so that dinner or breakfast is just minutes away.
Time – It actually takes less time per meal to cook
in bulk than to make each meal individually.
It only takes a few minutes longer to triple a meal, but it takes three
times longer to make that meal on three different nights. The time for freezer cooking can be difficult
to find, especially when you have small children or a busy schedule. The time invested cooking, however, is more
than made up for in the time you’ll save at mealtime. Plus, you’ll only dirty those pots and pans
once instead of three times, saving you a ton of scrubbing.
Ingredients – Are there special dietary concerns in
your family? Are you looking for a way
to make your eating healthier and less dependent on chemical additives? Freezer cooking gives you the ability to
customize your eating to exactly what you need it to be for your family.
Deciding which benefit of freezer cooking is your top
priority may help you determine exactly how freezer cooking can work for you.
3. How much space
does freezer cooking take?
The answer: as much
space as you want it to. Although having
a large freezer is a nice bonus, it is definitely not a necessity to enjoy the
benefits of freezer cooking. A large
freezer will store more, but a small freezer easily holds meals and meal parts
that will help make your life easier. A
small freezer may not be able to hold everything you’d like to freeze, but it
will sure hold enough to save you some time and money. When considering what kind of space you have
to devote to freezer cooking, consider a mixture of make ahead meals and meal
components or ingredients (see question 6).
4. How do I package these foods that I’ve made?
Most packaging is pretty intuitive; you just have to
remember it's going in the freezer for a little while so you want to prevent
freezer burn. Also understand that if
you pack a lot of things in together, you'll want a little durability. There are many things available, so I'll try
to familiarize you with them and you can make your own selections.
Foil protects against freezer burn and molds to the
food you're freezing. This works well
for meats and breads, though if using for breads be sure to give the bread a
little room to breathe when defrosting to prevent sogginess. Foil used to wrap baked goods can be gently
opened, washed and reused. It is also
easy to label and help keep your freezer organized.
Freezer bags are very universal and can be used to
freeze almost anything. The problem with
bags is they're just “dump and go,” so you'll need to flash freeze anything
with small form, like fruits and vegetables, baked goods, meat patties,
etc. They work well for storing liquids
as you can freeze them flat and stack them, saving yourself precious freezer
space. When freezing anything in a bag,
be sure to remove as much air as possible (you can even use a straw to help get
some air out) thus prolonging the life of your food. You can also reuse freezer
bags if washed inside and out, though bags which stored meat (especially raw
meat) should not be resued.
Aluminum pans hold their form unless crushed, and are
nice for casseroles or things you want to just throw in the oven straight from
the freezer. Aluminum pie tins are also
great for this, and pies freeze well pre-baked or not. If they come with a plastic lid, don't forget
to remove it before putting it in the oven.
Do not microwave. Aluminum pans
can be difficult to reuse, so that is a cost to consider.
Plastic containers that are freezer-safe often work
for a short duration. I use mine for
sauces or soups, or for single-serving leftovers I don't feel like eating that
week. You can use them for most
anything, but they take up space, so if you're being conservative use the
containers.
Vacuum-sealed packages work well for things that can
stand a little crushing, like meat. This
form of preservation gives the item a longer freezer life, but can get
expensive.
Casserole dishes, glass or plastic, are perfect for
bake and go meals like lasagna, enchiladas, etc. They stack well and are durable because they
can be washed and reused for years. They
take up a lot of room in the freezer, though, and can get expensive if you
don't already have them. If they have
plastic lids or components, make sure they're microwave or oven safe before
heating them up! If you want to take a
little extra time, you can line your casserole dish with foil and then prepare
your casserole or meal inside the foil.
Freeze and then remove the frozen, foil covered casserole from the dish
into the freezer. When you are ready to
bake, simply put the casserole back in the original dish. This has its downsides as the dish needs to
be clean and ready to go, but it can serve if you need to freeze something and
cannot spare the dish. Do not defrost
without placing the meal in the dish as it will be well…messy.
Mason jars also work well for the freezer.
For those concerned about using glass in the freezer, consider special
freezer safe mason jars. However,
traditional mason jars are meant with withstand extremes of temperature, and do
work well in freezer. Mason jars work particularly well for liquids like soups
and sauces, and also for bulk storing things like pre-cooked beans and
chilis. Mason jars do a great job in
warding against freezer burn. Remember
to leave headspace when freezing as the liquids will expand.
LABEL EVERYTHING.
Even if you're sure you'll use it soon and remember exactly what it is,
you're bound to be surprised sooner or later.
Consider labeling casseroles and make ahead meals with cooking
directions so that you don’t have to look the recipe up when it comes time to
bake.
KEEP AN INVENTORY.
Nothing is worse than spending a bunch of time and resources freezer
cooking and then not knowing what you have.
An inventory will help keep your freezer meals rotating and let you know
what you have and what you need to buy.
5. How long will foods last in the freezer?
Technically, once the food is frozen, it’s not going to “go
bad” in the freezer and will last for an indefinite amount of time. What will happen, however, is that the food
may change texture and taste. To avoid this, keep a freezer inventory and
make sure to regularly rotate your freezer stock. For quality, the USDA provides the chart to
the right. All information assumes zero
degrees. Personally, I have frozen
foods far beyond the recommend guideline without problems, so you’ll need to play
a little and figure out what works best for you and your family.
Item
|
Months
|
Bacon and Sausage
|
1 to 2
|
Casseroles
|
2 to 3
|
Egg whites or egg substitutes
|
12
|
Frozen Dinners and Entrees
|
3 to 4
|
Gravy, meat or poultry
|
2 to 3
|
Ham, Hotdogs and Lunchmeats
|
1 to 2
|
Meat, uncooked roasts
|
4 to 12
|
Meat, uncooked steaks or
chops
|
4 to 12
|
Meat, uncooked ground
|
3 to 4
|
Meat, cooked
|
2 to 3
|
Poultry, uncooked whole
|
12
|
Poultry, uncooked parts
|
9
|
Poultry, uncooked giblets
|
3 to 4
|
Poultry, cooked
|
4
|
Soups and Stews
|
2 to 3
|
Wild game, uncooked
|
8 to 12
|
Freezer cooking can be as simple as freezing leftovers from
a meal to be eaten at a later date. You
can also enjoy freezer cooking by doubling or tripling the batches of meals you
are already preparing. Doing so takes
very little extra time and allows for greater convenience later. Where freezing leftovers may be on one end of
the spectrum of freezer cooking, Once A Month Cooking (OAMC) is on the
other. Those who use OAMC dedicate one
or two days a month to cooking meals that are to be eaten for the rest of that
month. You can decide to only use
freezer cooking to take advantage of fantastic sales on meat or veggies, cook
for 2 weeks instead of one month, only cook snacks, lunches, or
breakfasts. Whatever you need, there is
a type of freezer cooking for you.
Freezer Cooking with Make Ahead Meals
Consider walking down the frozen food section at the grocery
store. You see before you an array of
meals ready to be shoved in the oven for dinner. Freezer cooking can allow you the same
convenience of these ready-made meals, all made by your hands. Frozen meals that only need reheating or
baking are wonderfully convenient.
Having ready to go meals provides you with convenience. You no longer have to be faced with the clock
saying its 5pm and not knowing what to make for dinner. Dinner is ready to go in the oven. This convenience also extends to breakfast
and lunch. Waffles and pancakes ready to
pop in the toaster make a great alternative to cereal or toast. Hot-pocket-like sandwiches, burritos,
quesadillas and some sandwiches can be pre-made and ready for lunch.
Having ready to go meals saves you time. When the
meal is ready to throw in the oven or on the stove, you don’t need to spend an
hour making dinner. The meal can be
defrost the night before or cooked for double the time if frozen. The oven can do the work while you’re doing
other things.
Freezer Cooking with Meal Components or Ingredients
This method is different from other ways of freezer cooking
because when you pull the food out of the freezer, it's not a fully prepared
meal. There are a couple
exceptions to this rule, but it could be argued whether or not they qualify as
meal components or a finished product.
Examples will follow to illustrate my meaning.
Cooking with meal pieces gives you flexibility. With browned ground beef, onions and peppers, you can add tomato sauce and simmer down for tacos, tomato soup and add beans for chili, season with teriyaki sauce and serve over rice, or serve it all by itself sautéed and on the side of some potatoes, noodles, rice or other starch. Fold it inside some yeast dough and make steam buns. Or throw it on top of a pizza with your other favorite toppings. Three ingredients, LOTS of possibilities.
Cooking with components is easy. Look at your most loved cookbooks or think of
the meals you eat regularly anyway. Do
they require you to chop vegetables? Cook meat and then chop it, shred it, pull it,
slice it, etc, to then add it to your other ingredients and do more
work? What if, for chicken alfredo, all
you had to do was defrost the chicken, alfredo sauce and broccoli and cook some
fettuccini until al dente? Do the prep
work when you bring the ingredients home from the grocery store. Freeze it.
Then when you want a particular meal, pull out just enough for that
night's meal.
Cooking with prepped ingredients saves time. A meal that typically requires an hour or more of preparation comes together in 15 minutes. If you want rolls or bread with dinner and you don't think of it until 4:30, it's not too late! You don't have to wait for the yeast to rise. Hungry families can eat sooner if the time from “start” to finish is shorter.
Cooking with meal pieces saves you money. The draw of convenience foods available
in the freezer section at so many grocery stores today is that it's available
and ready. Make your own convenience
foods. Don't think of a quick trip to
the store for a frozen pizza or a trip to Little Caesar's for a “hot” one. You can make your own in less time and for
less money. Buy things on sale when
they're cheap and use your freezer to save you money. Quick example: the other day the grocer was going to throw
away bell pepper “seconds.” Instead
of allowing this atrocity, I bought them for 5 cents each, prepared them and
froze them.
Special Notes about Once a Month Cooking
OAMC can be
any combination of the previous two methods, but during your cooking you will
prepare enough to handle your meal needs for the entire month. Although upfront this takes quite a bit of
time and preparation, it will save you time every single night of the
month. For those of you interested in
OAMC, here a few thoughts to get you started.
1. Plan your
menu for the month.
2. Condense
your ingredients. Look at the
ingredients for each item you are serving and create a running tally of how
many pounds of ground beef, how many onions, or how much cheese you will need
to create your meals for the month.
3. Shop a
different day than you cook. Plan on
spending a different day shopping then cooking.
It can be done all in one day, but it will be a very exhausting
day. Save yourself and do the shopping
another day.
4. Do as much prep work as you can before you
cook. Try to do all your chopping,
grating, slicing, and such before you actually start cooking. Having all your
ingredients ready first will make the assembly process much faster.
5. Plan for an easy dinner the night you cook. You’ll be exhausted. OAMC is a lot of work in a short period of
time, but it is definitely be time well spent and you will definitely feel
accomplished and happy once you are done.
Foods and How They Freeze
In general, here's what to expect when you freezer certain
foods:
Breads, Baked Goods, and Other Grains
Bread will be almost exactly the same as if you baked
it that day. The difference is that it
will be cool (unless you warm it, of course) and crusts can get soggy if not
cooled, stored and defrosted correctly.
To avoid soft crusts, defrost in loose packaging (such as a freezer bag)
for a couple hours, then in open air for a few minutes. You can achieve similar results by baking to
defrost, but remember it's already been baked and you could dry it out. The same applies to muffins, biscuits,
etc. For fresh-from-the-oven dinner
rolls, bake 2/3 time required for recipe (do not brown), cool, and freeze. When ready to serve, bake in 300-degree oven
for 10 minutes or until lightly browned and warmed through.
Baked goods are great for the freezer. Cookies, cakes, muffins, bread, brownies, etc
all freeze quite well in simple form. If
cakes are frosted, freeze uncovered, then cover and freeze. Defrost lightly covered in refrigerator. Most other baked goods defrost at room
temperature and can be eaten as is.
Cookie dough works really well, too.
Don't freeze any dough with baking powder, as the addition of the liquid
ingredients causes an immediate reaction, and if baked on a future occasion
will cause the product to be flat.
Freeze dough in large container or freezer bag, defrost in fridge and
use. Or flash freeze cookie-sized balls,
then freeze in bag. Give dough balls a
few minutes to defrost on tray before baking.
Grains (most freeze and defrost quite well, without
much change in quality)
Biscuits-bake, cool, freeze, defrost at room temperature
Bread, yeast-bake, cool, freeze, defrost at room temperature
or wrapped in foil in 300 degree oven
Bread, quick-bake, cool, freeze, defrost at room temperature
Muffins-bake, cool, freeze, defrost at room temperature
Buns, hamburger/hotdog/hoagie-bake, cool, freeze, defrost at
room temperature
Pancakes-bake on griddle, cool,
freeze, defrost in toaster or microwave
Waffles-bake on waffle iron, cool, freeze, defrost in
toaster or microwave
Tortillas-bake on griddle, cool, freeze between layers of
wax paper for easy defrosting at room temperature or in the fridge
Pizza Dough
– freeze in dough form. Defrost and
allow to rise. Punch down and bake as
recipe directs
Oatmeal or other hot cereals-prepare as directed, cool,
freeze, defrost in microwave or on stove top
Rice-cook, cool, freeze, defrost in fridge, in microwave or
on stovetop. I've found this is best
used for fried rice, rice pudding, burritos, etc since it gets a little dry.
Fruits and Vegetables
In general, fruits and vegetables lose their crisp textures,
and for that reason do best added to recipes.
Some vegetables can be served well on their own if eaten lightly
steamed. Expect extra water when
freezing produce.
Fruit (freezing almost always creates mushy
fruit. It's best when frozen for use in
something, like a baked good, syrup, yogurt topping, ice cream, smoothies, baby
food, etc.)
Citrus-juice and freeze.
Occasionally, the result is bitter depending on the variety. Defrost in fridge.
Stone fruit (peaches, plums, mangoes, avocados)-slice and
freeze slices on wax paper on cookie tray for two hours. When frozen, transfer to freezer
container. Defrost in fridge or at room
temperature if serving immediately.
Berries-hull and slice strawberries. Lay all berries on wax paper on cookie tray
and place in freezer 1-2 hours. When
frozen, transfer to freezer container.
Defrost in fridge or at room temperature if serving immediately.
Melon-remove seeds, chop, spread on wax paper and flash
freeze as above. Transfer to freezer
container. Defrost in fridge or at room
temperature if serving immediately.
Apples and pears-peel and core. Slice or chop. Treat with lemon juice or other color keeper
to prevent browning and flash
freeze. Can also shred. Place in freezer container. Defrost in fridge or at room temperature if
using immediately.
Bananas-peel, slice into large sections, treat with color
keeper and flash freeze. Can also freeze
mashed or whole. Place in freezer
container. Defrost in fridge or at room
temperature if using immediately.
*If using in smoothies, ice cream or baked goods, often it's
best to leave fruit frozen until ready to use.
Can also be frozen in purees for use in appropriate applications.
Vegetables (some
veggies require blanching before freezing, and are best eaten after
cooking. Do not freeze lettuce or other
salad greens, green onions, cucumbers, raw potatoes or radishes.)
Broccoli, cauliflower, peas, green beans, carrots,
asparagus, corn, snap peas in pod-cut or chop into bite-sized pieces, blanch by
placing in pot of boiling water for 2-4 minutes (colors should stay bright) and
rinsing immediately in cold water. Flash
freeze on wax paper then transfer to freezer container. Defrost in microwave or on stove.
Green peppers, onions, celery, tomatoes-chop and freeze in
recipe portions (I use snack bags all tossed into a giant freezer bag) or flash
freeze so they can be measured later.
Use in recipes they'll be cooked in, e.g. pizza toppings or in
stir-fries.
Squash, yams, pumpkin or sweet potatoes-cook, chop and flash
freeze or cook and mash. Put in freezer
container. Defrost in oven, microwave or
refrigerator if using in recipe.
Spinach-chop, cook slightly, cool and freeze. Defrost on stovetop or in microwave or in
refrigerator if using in recipe.
Potatoes- do not freeze raw.
In order to freeze the potato must be in a cooked for, and then you can
still expect some change in texture. Use
cream cheese instead of milk and butter in freezer mashed potatoes. Homemade fries and hashbrowns should be flash
frozen after cooking for best results.
Meat, Fish and Poultry
Meat, fish and poultry can get freezer burn if not
packaged properly. Try wrapping in foil
and sealing in freezer bag. If seasoned
and already cooked, many seasonings lose their potency. Add more when you defrost or pair with
something else flavorful.
Meat (meat can be left raw or cooked. For the quick food prep, I like to cook in
large portions and then freeze. This
also keeps more expensive cuts like steak or roast more tender and flavorful.)
Beef, Pork, Ham-separate into family-sized portions and
freeze raw or cook entire cut of meat.
Cool and freeze in family-sized portions. Defrost in refrigerator, microwave, oven or
on stovetop.
Poultry-clean bird and disjoint and cut if desired, or leave
whole. Freeze raw, or cook entire
bird. Shred or chop and freeze in
family-sized portions.
Fish-prepare as for cooking, dip in salt water and
freeze. Defrost in refrigerator, oven,
or on stovetop.
Bacon, Sausage-freeze raw in family-sized portions or cooked
in family-sized portions. Defrost in
refrigerator, stove top, or use in recipe.
Meat Dishes (Including meatloaves, hamburger patties,
meatballs)
Freeze meatloaves and hamburgers premixed and shaped but
raw. Most meatloaves can be cooked from frozen with the addition of additional
ketchup/bbq sauce and double the time.
Hamburger patties should be flash frozen in a single layer on a lined
cookie sheet and then stored. Hamburger
patties can also be cooked from frozen, just assume a longer cook time. Meatballs to well frozen either raw or
cooked. For either, flash freeze and
store in a container. Removed desired
amount as needed.
Dairy Products
Most dairy changes in texture when frozen unless used in
something, like cream cheese in cheesecake.
For this reason, most are best used as ingredients rather than alone
after defrosting.
Cheese, bricks-leave whole, cut into cubes or shred. If cut or shredded, flash freeze then
transfer to freezer container. Defrost
whole brick in refrigerator. Defrosting
isn't necessary for pieces before using in recipe.
Cream cheese-freeze entire brick. Consistency will change, but can be used in
recipes.
Eggs, whole-break eggs into bowl. Stir to just break yolks, but do not
whip. For each cup of eggs, add 1 T
sugar or corn syrup or 1 tsp salt.
Freeze in family-sized or recipe portions, such as the amount of eggs
needed to scramble for breakfast for your family, or amount for one cake or
batch of cookies. Or, freeze
individually in ice cube trays. After
frozen, put all ice cube eggs in a baggie for easy access. Remember to omit
sugar or salt from recipe, if necessary.
2 ½ T=1 egg.
Butter-freeze as cubes.
Defrost in refrigerator or at room temperature. Can melt in microwave or on stovetop.
Milk-can freeze whole gallons. Remove ½ cup before freezing to allow room
for expansion. Defrost in
refrigerator. Use within 5 days of
defrosting.
Egg product-freeze new containers; defrost in
refrigerator. Use within 5 days of
defrosting.
Sour Cream-does not freeze well unless used in recipe.
Breakfasts
Breakfast items freeze very well—think Eggo Waffles, but
make your own that taste better.
Pancakes, waffles, biscuits, quiche, coffee cake, muffins, bagels,
doughnuts, French toast etc all work well.
Cook or bake, cool, and freeze.
Defrost pancakes and waffles in the toaster, biscuits, muffins, bagels,
doughnuts and coffee cake at room temperature, and bake the quiche or breakfast
bake. Don't forget to top with foil to
avoid over-browning. Breakfast pockets which contain bacon and egg and only
need to be defrosted and reheated in the microwave for easy and convenient
breakfasts on the go. When making
breakfast pockets, plan on greatly undercooking your egg as it will finish
cooking when pocket is baked and reheated.
Lunches
Lunch can be a quick fix if it comes from the freezer. Sandwiches freeze well and bread doesn't get
soggy if you put a layer of fat (like mayo, butter or peanut butter) on both
slices. Don't freeze sandwiches with
vegetables; the texture will be quite different. PBJ (or PB with honey or whatever you like)
works as long as you put peanut butter on both slices. Burritos are perfect freezer foods—just roll
and freeze individually and defrost in the microwave. You can also turn dinner foods into easy,
portable lunch foods, like making pizza rolls or homemade hot pockets. By the way, go light on the mayo—it changes
consistency just slightly in the freezer.
Frozen pizza is easy to recreate and store in your freezer for an easy
meal. Take your dough and add sauce,
cheese, and toppings appropriate or your family. Freeze before baking and then bake from frozen
for 5-10 min longer than the recipe states.
Dinners
Dinners come in various forms, all of which freeze
differently. Just remember if you're
going to precook and then freeze to cool completely before freezing. Main dish meat recipes, like meatloaf,
meatballs, hamburgers, fish or turkey burgers, marinated fish, chicken or
steak, etc can be frozen raw after being prepared, see Meat section.
Casseroles (In
this category we would also include lasagna, enchiladas and baked
spaghetti.)
Most casseroles freeze wonderfully. In my experience, some
even taste better frozen than they do just after being made. Some casseroles that are light on liquid may
need a bit extra so as to avoid drying.
Casseroles can be taken out the night before to defrost and then baked
according to the recipe instructions.
They can also be baked directly from frozen, but it is not the best
idea. If you do need to bake directly
from frozen, plan on doubling your baking time and covering the dish with foil
so that the top does not burn while the middle is cooking.
Soup and chili usually freeze very well. Liquid expands when frozen, so make sure you
leave about ¼” headspace before placing in the freezer. Cream soups may separate in the freezer, but
extra whisking during reheating should solve the problem. Potato soups may change texture in the
freezer. Pasta may be softer than
expected, so if planning to freeze, it is probably best to make sure pasta is
at least al dente before freezing or add the pasta after defrosting the
base. Defrost in the fridge and reheat
in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Other- Pies, Marinades and Sauces
Pies (Including both potpies and fruit pies)
Pies freeze beautifully.
Pies can be completely prepared and then frozen before baking. Flash freeze and then store in the freezer
covered. Pies can be baked directly from
frozen with an addition of 15 min or so to their cook time. Pies also
Marinades and Sauces
Tomato based-prepare according to recipe directions, cool if
necessary and freeze. Defrost in
refrigerator, microwave or on stovetop.
Cream or cheese based-these sauces can curdle slightly when
frozen. Use less fat and defrost gently
on stovetop to maintain proper consistency.
Vinegar based-blend ingredients cool if necessary and freeze. Defrost in refrigerator, then use. Or freeze meat or poultry in marinade
and defrost together.
Dessert sauces-many of these do quite well in the freezer
because of the sugar content. Defrost
gently on stove top to prevent scorching
The following recipes are freezer friendly. Some have instructions included in the recipe, but most don't. For the most part, though, you can reheat in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, in the microwave for 10 to 15, or pop things in the toaster. Most breads, desserts or snacks just grab out of the freezer and let them defrost for a bit.
Breakfast
Appetizers
Soups/Stews
Lentil Stew on Potatoes
Chicken & Broccoli Cheese Soup
Black Bean and Sweet Potato Stew
Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup
Zippy Corn Chowder
Chicken & Broccoli Cheese Soup
Black Bean and Sweet Potato Stew
Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup
Zippy Corn Chowder
Turkey
Fish
Beef
Vegetarian
Breads
Dessert
Tutorials
No comments:
Post a Comment