76 replies to this topic

[rlibkind]

How about some shrimp. I buy bags of the frozen tiny northern pre-cooked/cleaned shrimp at Whole Foods (other stores have them, too), and they are wonderfully versatile. Although they aren't quite in the "put in the microwave and fuhgedaboudit" category, they are quick and easy. Just three examples:

Do a quick thaw (very low power) in the microwave, then toss with mayo/remoulade, etc., and stuff a tomato. Or chop up celery, sweet pepper, dill and/or sweet pickle and mix with shrimp and mayo for a shrimp salad on a baguette.

Bring water to bil for your favorite pasta. Just a few minutes before it's ready, add olive oll to hot pan, then garlic; before garlic browns, toss frozen shrimp into pan. Finish with capers or whatever herbs you fancy and toss over pasta.

Fill flour tortillas with still-frozen shrimp, Jack or other Southwest/Mexican cheese, a little chopped scallion, maybe a touch of fresh diced jalapeno or other peppers of your choosing, then fold and cook in a non-stick skillet, no oil necesssary, til cheese melts.

Beans are another possibility. In particular I like garbanzos. I cook them from dried beans, then put them in the freezer in portions (making sure to have them covered in the cooking liquid). You can take out a serving, nuke to thaw, add to chicken in a pan and season to taste. Lots of other ways you can use frozen beans.

For a an easily nukable meal, there's this Indian chicken braise with garbanzos. Lightly brown some chicken thighs and/or drumsticks (in both cases, do not use boneless, but they can be either skinless or not, to your preference) in a neutral oil. Remove chicken, add onions/garlic cooking until transparent, then add curry powder/garam masala or any other South Asian style spices, quickily tossing with onions, then returning chicken to pan and adding broth or water to partially cover, stirring and cooking until chicken is cooked, adding more broth if necessary. The finished dish should have enough liquid to still look like a stew/braise. When done, add cooked chickpeas, then freeze into portions. Remove from freezer and nuke for an easy dinner. If you have fresh cilantro leaves on eating day, it's a perfect garnish. Serve as is or, to stretch it even further (and it's a delicious as well as nutritious combination) with Basmati or other fine rice.

Edited to complete messge

Edited by rlibkind, 28 July 2005 - 11:47 AM.

[Terrasanct]

Here's what I did--it's easy. Use a slow cooker to make roasts or chicken or whatever, then divide and freeze. You can put the meat in at night so it won't heat up the house during the day. That way you'll have the (seasoned) meat so you can just make a quick salad or veggie with it. I made shredded beef for enchiladas...I can't remember what else just now but I'll look it up on my other computer.

I do recall that I even browned ground beef with onions and garlic and froze it in serving-sized dishes. Makes it easy to make quick spaghetti or nachos. If the meat is cooked, the rest of dinner is usually easy. Also, you might stock up on good curry sauces or spinach sauce, etc. in a jar. Trader Joe's sells them.

Make a huge pot of soup and freeze. You've probably already done that. I'm always glad to look in the freezer at lunch time and find a nice single-serving of chicken soup. This is another thing that does well in the slow cooker. Honestly, I can see why these things have become popular again. Here's a real shortcut--I get a rotisserie chicken at Costco (for about what it would cost me to get a raw one), use it for a few meals, then make a soup in the slow cooker. It's surprising how good the broth is.

Tortillas are a good thing to have around, and they freeze well, too. Take some meat out of the freezer, defrost some tortillas, and you're already halfway to dinner.

Edited by Terrasanct, 28 July 2005 - 11:40 AM.

[Terrasanct]

Oh, I just found my list of things I froze last year.

Ham--can get the cheapest cut and it still tastes good. Cook in slow cooker, when defrosted I used for ham and bean soup, scalloped potatoes with ham, ham and broccoli and cheese, etc.

Ground beef--cooked with Mexican spices. Cooked with onions and garlic for spaghetti, soup, chili, nachos.

Baked meatballs and froze. Good for spaghetti, sandwiches, stroganoff, Swedish meatballs.

Cooked a big batch of barbecue pork. Lucky to have any left to freeze! Oh, I also made a big batch of chile verde.

Most of these things use inexpensive cuts of meat, so they also save money.

Another thing that worked out well was freezing pizza. Here's the recipe I used for that:

http://organizedhome.../recipe169.html

[Curlz]

One suggestion I'll toss in the mix: freeze whatever you make in batches appropriate to the # of mouths it will feed! I quickly learned that freezing a huge amount of anything wasn't working well b/c after the 3rd meal of ____, I was sick of it! So I started using smaller containers, and voila! Two meals of anything is fine, and then I can move on to something else. Simple solution, but it took a headsmack.

[bavila]

thank you, thank you

Forgot to mention that I tried a couple of ideas from CaliPoutine -- turkey tacos (I used a Cooking Light version with a chiptole sauce that was YUMMY), of which there were no leftovers to freeze, and pork over cheese grits (only one serving made it to the freezer -- which I plan to eat soon to test the idea of freezing grits).

I like the slow cooker overnight idea. Will look deeper into that.

[CanadianBakin']

There's tons of books on this subject. Once a month, once a week, frozen assets, etc. I haven't checked it out yet but I heard there's a 30 day gourmet website that has lots of ideas as well.
Aside from that, just double whatever you make for dinner and freeze it if it's suitable. Less work at one time since you're cooking anyways and over a couple weeks you'll have lots in your freezer.
Something I found helpful after my twins were born was having good quick breads sliced and individually wrapped in the freezer for eating during the day when I didn't have the energy to even pour a bowl of cereal. Banana, fruit & nut, carrot, zucchini or whatever you like. Use at least some whole wheat and pack it full of good things.

Edited by CanadianBakin', 28 July 2005 - 12:45 PM.

[Malawry]

bump

So now I'm in Bavila's position--almost 34 weeks pregnant, and about to start stocking the freezer for the baby's arrival. We've agreed to bump up our food budget in March to support the frozen-food project, so I'm probably going to hit Costco soon and get ready to start working.

My husband is doing a basic low-carb diet, so the best dishes are those that contain little to no carb content. I can always boil some pasta or rice to go alongside for myself. We already have some things in the freezer--stuffed cabbage, gumbo-rama, some cooked chicken picked off whole stockmaking chickens for things like chicken salad or soup. And other things are no-brainers for me as they are dietary staples for us--turkey chili, meatballs, corned beef, seasoned cooked chicken wings.

I have a huge supply of chicken thighs that I'd particularly welcome ideas for, plus two whole chickens and tons of chicken stock. I'd also like suggestions for some braised type dishes, particularly using beef or pork cuts that I can source from Costco. Are there fish dishes that freeze well? Some good soup ideas would also be welcome, especially main-course type soups that don't rely on beans or grains.

[snowangel]

I have a huge supply of chicken thighs that I'd particularly welcome ideas for, plus two whole chickens and tons of chicken stock. I'd also like suggestions for some braised type dishes, particularly using beef or pork cuts that I can source from Costco. Are there fish dishes that freeze well? Some good soup ideas would also be welcome, especially main-course type soups that don't rely on beans or grains.

Rochelle, can you get to the library and check out a copy of Molly Steven's All About Braising book? Tons of ideas in that book that would work very well.

There a whole topic on Braising with Molly!

[nacho]

<snip>
Some good soup ideas would also be welcome, especially main-course type soups that don't rely on beans or grains.

My friends are always asking me to make Paul Prudhomme's French Market Soup for them (it's from the Louisiana Tastes cookbook...one of my favorite cookbooks). It's basically ground beef, cabbage, onions, bell pepper, celery, diced tomatoes, tomato puree, stock, garlic, etc. There is 1/4 cup of flour used as a thickener...don't know if that's too much carbs for you. But it's a great one course meal, especially served with cornbread.

Also, I love spicey dishes, but I usually use half the amount of red pepper called for by Mr. Prudhomme the first time I make a dish.

[kutsu]

Hi folks

Kind of inspired by a thread in the general cooking topics forum, I'm looking for recipies that I can throw into a lockbox and throw in the freezer for quick mid-week meals.

At the moment, my partner and I both work 9-5 and then pick our child up, meaning that some times it can be a pain in the backside to cook, although I DO cook fresh every night (no bottled sauces past my lips in over 5 years!)

I want the best for my child and ourselves, hence I will never buy a frozen ready meal - NEVER.

But it does mean that freezing fresh food to reheat is something I consider quite handy. I normally make double batches of pizza dough (from American Pie cookbook), double batches of ragu or bolognese sauce. Other than these though, I'm at a loss as to WHAT I can actually freeze that wont turn to mush when I reheat.

What are you favourite foods to freeze double batches of, and what if any special reheating conditions are needed?

Cheers all

John

[Lori in PA]

One thing I often make in big quantities for freezer meals is stuffed peppers, done one of two ways:

1. Traditional -- I like to add an italian tomato sauce to the top -- more moisture if being frozen to protect from dry rice. Just before serving, I usually add more grated cheese to the top.
2. "Unstuffed Peppers" -- Make favorite filling and add bell peppers cut into big-ish strips. Freeze in gallon ziploc, pour thawed mixture into baking dish to bake and serve.

[jgm]

Hi folks

Kind of inspired by a thread in the general cooking topics forum, I'm looking for recipies that I can throw into a lockbox and throw in the freezer for quick mid-week meals.

At the moment, my partner and I both work 9-5 and then pick our child up, meaning that some times it can be a pain in the backside to cook, although I DO cook fresh every night (no bottled sauces past my lips in over 5 years!)

I want the best for my child and ourselves, hence I will never buy a frozen ready meal - NEVER.

But it does mean that freezing fresh food to reheat is something I consider quite handy. I normally make double batches of pizza dough (from American Pie cookbook), double batches of ragu or bolognese sauce. Other than these though, I'm at a loss as to WHAT I can actually freeze that wont turn to mush when I reheat.

What are you favourite foods to freeze double batches of, and what if any special reheating conditions are needed?

Cheers all

John

This probably isn't exactly what you had in mind, but do give it some consideration:

Season chicken quarters (wing/breast or leg/thigh) with whatever you like; herbs, a spice rub, etc., wrap, and freeze. The night before, remove from freezer and place in a baking pan, and return it to the fridge to thaw. Upon arriving home, put chicken in the oven and begin whatever sides you want to eat.

This may not sound like a freeze-ahead meal; but consider that you don't have to remove the packaging, rinse the chicken, dry it, season it, put it in a pan, (and most importantly) clean all that up. Under good conditions, all that can take 10 minutes or so; after a stressful day at work, when you're tired and frazzled, it can stretch to 20.

You can do the same thing with fish and other meats. With fish, don't freeze it for longer than 6 weeks. Again, thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Then you can cook it as you usually would.

Also, it can be helpful --if you aren't pulling something out of the freezer-- to do as much prep as you can for your meal, the night before. You can at least portion things out. Sometimes you can peel vegetables and put them back into the refrigerator in a plastic bag, or put all of the vegetables you'll need, portioned out and together in the fridge. You can measure spices or herbs, rice, or any other dry ingredients, and leave them ready to go in a prep bowl covered with plastic wrap. If you do this, the important thing to remember is that when your prep is done, the cleanup for the prep is done, too, and that streamlines things immensely. The more you do ahead, the faster the meal will come together. And when I'm working ahead like this, I just run soapy water in the sink, and put measuring cups, spoons, etc. in it as I go. Most of the time all I have to do is rinse them, set aside to dry, and put them away.

[jayt90]

A lot of the excellent suggestions above can be preserved in a Food Saver or sous vide bag, and reheated by boiling in bag, rather than microwaving.

I recently made four hailbut entrees, by stuffing each bag with cooked rice, raw halibut steak, and a mornay sauce on top. They were shrink wrapped and reheated when needed in boiling water for about ten minutes. The low pressure boiling produced great results.
One portion done one a microwave was not nearly as good.

[Sararwelch]

My work schedule is about to become very hectic, and this weekend I'm planning to do a lot of cooking to get the freezer stocked with meals or components that I can put together to create meals. Here's what I'm planning so far:

Pureed vegetable soups (carrot ginger and maybe one more)
Manicotti
Marinara sauce
Homemade ravioli
Homemade bread
Pizza dough
Meatballs
Turkey burgers

Any other ideas?

[Dasha]

These are a few things that I always like to freeze, basic as they are:

Chili
Spicy black beans (serve with rice)
Beef stew
Hungarian goulash
Lasagne
Chicken soup (make it without noodles or rice and add those when you make it)

Ah, winter is such a good time to make meals that freeze well!

[Mottmott]

I’m not a fan of frozen meals and have the luxury of avoiding them. But I do keep some frequently used elements of recipes on hand in the freezer to speed up cooking a meal.

For me, one of the principle difficulties of frozen foods is retrieval! Mystery foods - so keep a sharpy marker in easy reach. And just as bad, the "I know it's got to be in there somewhere." So, for quick and easy retrieval, I freeze soups and sauces flat in ziplock bags in 1-4, etc. cup quantities. This makes it possible to group these together in a larger ziplock or filed upright in a plastic box container. There’s a good chance you can do this with any favorite basic sauce. I’ve seen people suggest doing this with white sauce/bechamel, though I’ve not yet tried it. I addition, if you freeze something really thin in a ziplock, you can break off a couple Tbs of stock or sauce when you need it, returning the rest to the freezer.

To your list, I'd add other basics such as chicken/beef stock, tomato sauce, some soups. I routinely keep such things as mirapoix/soffrito, caramelized onions, duxelles, etc. on hand, parceled out in usable amounts. This allows you to start with, say, fresh fish or chicken, and put together an interesting dish, that tastes freshly made, quickly. (For me, most food that’s been totally prepared and frozen tastes like something from the freezer, but dishes incorporating frozen elements can taste like something freshly made.) You could also make ahead and freeze crepes to fill and heat at the last minute. (Just be sure to separate them with parchment/plastic/wax paper.)

I find some baked goods freeze well. Pound cake works really well and allows you to slice off a few servings without defrosting first. Scones, rugelach, sables and other cookies work well frozen before baking, then baked just before serving. (note these tend to be high butter content goodies). Key here is to freeze them on a sheet pan, then bag or box them up. As I live alone, this allows me to have home made, freshly baked treats when they taste like something worth eating.

I keep frozen dough on hand. You can roll it out, seal it well, then store it flat or shaped ready to bake (in something like a pizza box to protect it from being broken up). Otherwise, you need to remember to take it out the night before. You can, for example, put together quiche filling the night before and simply take it out when you get home and assemble it while the oven preheats.

As a completed dish, Lasagna works well for me, too, when I bake it partially, then finish baking it from the freezer.

[Fat Guy]

Kugel aka noodle pudding freezes quite well.

We make a chicken stew, similar to beef stew, that freezes well.

[JohnRov]

So I'm going to have a baby in a week or so. I'll be taking about a week off and was planning on cooking some dishes that I can freeze and then my wife can thaw and reheat them when I go back to work. Any suggestions on what dishes would freeze well? I think soups might be a candidate but would appreciate any other suggestions.

[cooleen]

So I'm going to have a baby in a week or so.  I'll be taking about a week off and was planning on cooking some dishes that I can freeze and then my wife can thaw and reheat them when I go back to work.  Any suggestions on what dishes would freeze well?  I think soups might be a candidate but would appreciate any other suggestions.

Lasagna (veggie, meat or cheese), stews, pulled pork for sandwiches or burritos, marinaded grilled chicken breasts for salads, meatloaf, sauce with meatballs: these are some things I have in my freezer right now, to get us through until BBQ season starts! In addition to many quart containers of leftover homemade soups, which can always be bulked up with rice and/or beans after thawing.

Edited by cooleen, 24 January 2007 - 09:19 AM.

[Cleo]

Brisket freezes really well. In September I had my second child and right before he was born, I make a big brisket and then froze it in smaller portions.

Edited by Cleo, 24 January 2007 - 10:25 AM.

[Toliver]

eGullet member SethG started a similar topic. Though he did want to try and cook things he'd never cooked before because he had the time to do so, there were some posts pertaining dishes that could be frozen.
"Home for a couple months, How should I get my cooking fix?"

I am sure there have been other similar topics and, hopefully, someone will provides links to help you out.

[dividend]

So after a few blissfull months of unemployment, in which time constraints have not even been a blip on the radar when it comes to dinner plans, I'm faced with the prospect of going back to work. Full time with a 40 minute commute on either end. Goodbye to Wednesday night braised lamb shanks and lazy Thursdays spent coddling a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread. Hello to coming home hungry, tired, and needing dinner quickly.

Part of the solution will be freezer cooking and good planning. I think I'm a decent freezer cook already. I have a chest freezer, and the list on the side indicates it's stocked right now with things like macaroni and cheese, meatloaf, lasagna, meatballs, individual pot pies, cabbage rolls, various soups/stews/chilis (all homemade), as well as the expected broth, butter, and various kinds of meats. I know the proper procedures for freezing, and I have a foodsaver.

What I want is to eat well a few nights a week just by pulling something out of the freezer (and rounding it out with a salad/veg of some sort), and I feel like this is an area where my usual kitchen creativity fails me somewhat. I really just need new ideas. So tell me what's in your freezer arsenal, your secret stash of frozen goodness, your very best tried and true recipes that freeze well. I'm cooking for myself (and occasionally for the boyfriend), so individual servings are a plus. The OAMC forums I check out from time to time tend a little more towards cream of _______ casseroles than I'd really like. I want delicious, high quality freezer friendly ideas.

I couldn't find a topic specifically devoted to this, so forgive me if it's been done before.

[John DePaula]

During the holiday season I am just not going to be making chocolate for 10-12 hours, and then come home and make a nice dinner.

This year I planned ahead and now my freezer to stocked with some wonderful items that I just have to take out and reheat:

• Moussaka (not really moussaka but very similar lamb and eggplant casserole)
• Pork Daube (from The Cook's Book - a very nice Pork stew; frozen in FoodSaver bags and boiled to reheat. Just add some rice and maybe a green salad).
• Meatballs (just open a quality jar of pasta sauce and simmer; add pasta; very simple)
• Vietnamese Chicken Thighs (by Kerry Beal, see elsewhere on eGullet)
• Spanish Chicken
• Lentils with Caramelized Onions
• Squash Soup

Really, any kind of soup or stew should work well.

HTH

[moosnsqrl]

Jen,

Congratulations, belatedly! I didn't know you had been a "lady who lunches" or I would've rung you up. Condolences on rejoining the workforce, but all good things must come to an end.

You *are* the freezer queen (as we got a glimpse of in your blog week) but a couple of things I love finding in my freezer that aren't on your list:

tamales
stuffed pasta (ravioli, tortellini and the like)
bierochs
pizza crust

All of the above can result in what, in my world, passes as a great dinner (not just, ugh, it's easy) and all can be done on a semi-energetic Sunday afternoon.

I've been thinking of having a "tamal fest" for the season. Many hands make light work and putting a few gross of them in the freezer would make winter less daunting. PM me if you have the time/inclination.

[Peter the eater]

Well, I was in the middle of typing a mediocre response to the "KC sunflower lady" ( there she is: dividend) when the thread vanished! A merging of topics occurred behind my back right under my nose.

Now I'm reading about many expecting parents who are wondering what to stock in the freezer prior to B-day. Although some of your kids are probably in school by now, congrats and mazal tov to JohnRov, Malawry, bavila, daniellewiley and 22tango.

Back to freezer food . . .

I like to get one of these:


and then chop, fillet, season and vacuum bag:


Its true frozen seafood is rarely as good as fresh. I find this way to be cost-effective and I can control portion sizes, bonelessness, seasoning, etc. I have tried freezing cooked salmon - not so good. The more I cook, the more I realize its almost always preferable to get your groceries as unprocessed as possible.

edit to add: dividend Jen, I really enjoyed your blog this past summer.

Edited by Peter the eater, 29 November 2007 - 06:44 AM.

[CaliPoutine]

Eg member Pookie is having a baby in January. We got together a couple weeks ago and made Ina Garten's Turkey sausage lasagna, Italian wedding soup, Chicken tetrazzini and Spinach pie( aka spanikopita).

I'm not a fan of frozen food, but the spinach pie was great and I couldnt tell it had been previously frozen. The tetrazzi didnt do it for me, the soup froze wonderfully and we ate the lasagna on the night we made it. I did freeze a few pieces though that I'm sure will defrost fine.

[helenjp]

I find it's difficult to get enough freezer space to store entire ready-to-eat dishes, so I freeze things like meat/chicken/fish in a marinade, or very tiny meatballs that can be quickly tossed into soup or pasta.

If you eat miso soup, you can mix the miso with cut vegetables and freeze them in appropriate sizes, reheat in Japanese stock and you're done! Vegetables like negi and cabbage actually taste better that way than freshly prepared. Mix some fine shaved bonito into your miso/vegetable wad and you can even make your soup with hot water instead of dashi.

Consider things like frozen sandwiches that will be easy to grill and eat with one hand in desperate moments...and go easy on ketchup...I'm embarrassed to recall how my first baby's bald head looked after I'd finished yet another meal trying to eat with him always wide awake and on my lap! laugh:

[Chris Amirault]

I have been on a freezer frenzy, making lots of stuff ahead of time, vacuum-packing it, and sticking it in the freezer for later consumption. I can attest to the high quality of blended soups, tomato sauces, chili, meatballs, macaroni & cheese, among other things. I can tell you that stuffed cabbage is an unmitigated disaster, that vegetables in soup, tofu sticks in braising liquid, and other high moisture items lose their texture upon being defrosted, and that beans must be undercooked slightly if you want them to retain any shape.

There's a ton of good ideas in here, but I'm also looking for guidance on what else I should NOT freeze.

[maggiethecat]

Chris, I've had good luck freezing cabbage rolls,But I can see that a large vegetal item like a whole stuffed cabbage could be a problem. In fact, when freezing items I think that size matters: keep the items and the portions small, to prevent overcooking at warmup.

[snowangel]

Chris:

Do not freeze a frittata. Big yuck.

But, in the success department, I have frozen pre-cooked components. For example, I happened on a large (very large) bunch of leeks at the farmer's market. I had the time and inclination to clean and saute them, but not the inclination (nor the potatoes) to make potato leek soup, so I simply froze the sauteed "mise." Works like a charm if frozen in one-batch amounts. I've also done this with sauteed celery, carrots and onions. They take but a moment to thaw, and often make the difference between a home-cooked meal or take-out on a chock-full evening.