So, my questions are these:
--What can I freeze after cooking it? I'm assuming pretty much anything, but I need to know the huge no-no's.
--How do I go about thawing it when we are ready for it? Every time I've frozen leftovers (in single portions sizes), when we go to thaw them out in the microwave, it takes almost as long as cooking because the middle is always still frozen, and then it tastes nasty because the outside is over cooked. I've mostly tried this with a rotini lasagna thing that I think SHOULD freeze well, and therefore taste good, if I could just get it to thaw.
--What about breakfast foods, like pancakes, waffles, or french toast? I'm assuming you can just pop those in the toaster like you would the store-bought counterparts. I'm really interested in the frozen breakfast stuff because sometimes you just don't want cereal. They also make for good snacks at 2 AM.
So, if any of the 5 people who read this blog have tips, I would love them. Recipes would be nice too, but we don't have a lot of freezer space (I am no longer a fan of freezers with baskets instead of shelves) because I am not organized, so no recipes that require large portions of something to be frozen all together, please.
Here's to saving money and my sanity!
Well, I've been playing with frozen food lately. And this is what I've found:
ReplyDeletePancakes and waffles freeze very well. I know someone who makes a huge batch once a month and freezes most of it for breakfast for her kids.
I have a couple meals that I've had good luck freezing. Chicken Enchiladas and I have a Beef Noodle Dish that freezes well. I usually put them in foil dishes so I can still use my regular stuff. And later, clean up is a breeze. There are other meals that freeze well, but I don't do it because Matt hates them. And what's the use of that?
I also buy bulk cheese, grate it and bag it and freeze that.
If you need recipes, I've got tons. I just don't cook them all.
Oh and my cousin makes cookie dough, forms them into balls and freezes that. So my general rule of thumb is if I can find it in the freezer section, it must freeze well.
I know some people that buy a huge thing of hamburger, brown and season it, then portion it out in quart bags to later just reheat for whatever you need ground beef for, like to put in casseroles or spaghetti sauce or sloppy joes. Spaghetti sauce is another thing that freezes well, if you make your own.
ReplyDeleteI also do the chicken enchiladas, sometimes just freeze the extra filling and use fresh tortillas. You can make soup and freeze that in disposable bags or gladware or something like that. I liked using the gladware because it's stackable.
Sometimes when I make the kids homemade chicken nuggets I make a double batch and freeze the extra.
One thing that I have heard does NOT freeze well is tomatoes, like if you do your own sauces or something. I've heard they defrost mushy. Anyway, if you need any other ideas, let me know. Good luck. And freezer meals are nice when you don't want to do anything after the baby comes and the meals from others stop. :) I still use them and Tate's almost 5 months. hehehe
Sweet! Thanks guys. I will probably be contacting you both soon. When I'm not so tired. And hot. And lazy.
ReplyDelete