Best Frozen Foods

[Dianabanana]

You said you keep lemongrass in the freezer. What's your climate like? Around here I have a couple friends who planted one stalk in their backyard and it took off like, well, grass.. If you have the space, it might be something to try..

I also have a question about the galangal. I rarely see it fresh in my neck of the woods, so I ended up getting a small jar of powdered. Do you know how the flavours compare? I use it pretty much exclusively for Thai soups, and haven't noticed a huge difference from what I get from my local take-out place.

My climate is Frozen North. I'm pretty darn sure lemongrass would not survive. As to the galangal, I've never used powdered, but since fresh galangal is very similar to fresh ginger, I would imagine that the difference is like the difference between fresh ginger and powdered ginger. It does keep very nicely in the freezer if you ever happen across it.

[KarenDW]

Useful to have: peas, tater tots, chopped onions/bell peppers/celery (ie, chop a bunch and freeze), puff pastry sheets/blocks/vol au vent, pizza dough, flaky pastry tart shells. I also like to have room for various types of stock, frozen flat in ziplock bags, and to keep a bag or two of ice cubes, separate from the icemaker bin. Oh, and whole wheat flour and brown rice flour. And nuts.

[qrn]

make a big batch of pizza dough usually ,and freeze in suitable size chunksfor single pizza, cubes of basil/pesto in vac bags,bake 6 loavesof bread per session,so they are there until use,

[Pierogi]

Natasha, what kind of yeast are you freezing, and how do you package it? I'm assuming it's cake yeast or something like that and not the dry?

Not Natasha, but I can pipe in on the yeast. I bought a pound of the King Arthur SAF Instant Yeast (they also refer to it as "red label") and the yeast keeper from their catalog. The yeast keeper is a round, acrylic jar with an air-tight gasket seal. The set can be had for less than 20 bucks. The jar fits in the door shelf of the freezer, and I don't even bother to thaw it before I use it, just dump it in straight from the freezer. Works like a charm, and will keep the yeast well beyond it's expiration date

I also have a question about the galangal. I rarely see it fresh in my neck of the woods, so I ended up getting a small jar of powdered. Do you know how the flavours compare? I use it pretty much exclusively for Thai soups, and haven't noticed a huge difference from what I get from my local take-out place.

Fresh galangal can be found around these parts at 99 Ranch Markets. I got a knob, wrapped it well, then stuck it in a zippy bag in the freezer. Like ginger, it doesn't freeze totally solid, so it's easy to whack off a chunk, or grate directly into your dish. I have kaffir lime leaves and curry leaves stashed in the freezer, too. I do think the "fresh frozen" galangal has a brighter flavor than the powdered....

[natasha1270]

Natasha, what kind of yeast are you freezing, and how do you package it? I'm assuming it's cake yeast or something like that and not the dry?

SAF Instant Dried Yeast. I don't know the specific terminology but its kept in a clamp lock style tin in the freezer door. This package must be years old but when I recently used it for Parker House Rolls & Cinnamon Buns and it still seemed to have plenty of life to it.

I'm told the best place to store freeze-dried coffee or espresso powder is in the freezer. True? When my friend told me that I had a real 'huh'-type moment, not sure if its just a mental thing but it kinda makes sense to me.

Also, thanks for this thread - reminded me I need to replenish my edamame supply from Trader Joes.

[Pierogi]

Natasha, what kind of yeast are you freezing, and how do you package it? I'm assuming it's cake yeast or something like that and not the dry?

SAF Instant Dried Yeast. I don't know the specific terminology but its kept in a clamp lock style tin in the freezer door. This package must be years old but when I recently used it for Parker House Rolls & Cinnamon Buns and it still seemed to have plenty of life to it.

I'm told the best place to store freeze-dried coffee or espresso powder is in the freezer. True? When my friend told me that I had a real 'huh'-type moment, not sure if its just a mental thing but it kinda makes sense to me.

Also, thanks for this thread - reminded me I need to replenish my edamame supply from Trader Joes.

Heh...great minds cross post !

I have a jar of freeze-dried Folger's crystals that's been in the freezer door for probably 10 years, I use it for baking about once a year. Still fine, although I did line the top with some plastic wrap, under the lid, to keep out moisture. Have NOT tried it with espresso powder, but the next time I buy some I will, since my last jar absorbed so much moisture sitting in a warmish pantry that when I went to use it less than 6 months after I opened it, it was so hard I couldn't even get it out of the jar to shave it with a microplane ! I would do the plastic wrap under the lid action for it from now on, no matter where I stored it.

[natasha1270]

I keep my freeze dried bottle of kona (also used for baking) in a little ziploc.

[Shamanjoe]

I also have a question about the galangal. I rarely see it fresh in my neck of the woods, so I ended up getting a small jar of powdered. Do you know how the flavours compare? I use it pretty much exclusively for Thai soups, and haven't noticed a huge difference from what I get from my local take-out place.

Fresh galangal can be found around these parts at 99 Ranch Markets. I got a knob, wrapped it well, then stuck it in a zippy bag in the freezer. Like ginger, it doesn't freeze totally solid, so it's easy to whack off a chunk, or grate directly into your dish. I have kaffir lime leaves and curry leaves stashed in the freezer, too. I do think the "fresh frozen" galangal has a brighter flavor than the powdered....

Thanks Pierogi, I'll have to take a closer look in my local 99 Ranch. Like I said earlier, I don't use it often, so this method would be great for me. Do you find the kaffir lime leaves there as well? I have a small tree in my back yard, but no matter how hard I try to keep it healthy, it looks anemic and the leaves are very small..

Natasha, what kind of yeast are you freezing, and how do you package it? I'm assuming it's cake yeast or something like that and not the dry?

SAF Instant Dried Yeast. I don't know the specific terminology but its kept in a clamp lock style tin in the freezer door. This package must be years old but when I recently used it for Parker House Rolls & Cinnamon Buns and it still seemed to have plenty of life to it.

I think this would work well for me too. I don't use yeast that often, and when I do, what I have on hand is usually months (if not more) past the expiration date, so I tend to just not use it at all. Do you use the same contraption that Pierogi was talking about or is it just a generic clamping tin?

edited to fix some formatting issues.

Edited December 17, 2011 by Shamanjoe (log)

[baroness]

I leave my SAF yeast in the packaging, roll down the top and secure it with a binder clip. I keep a petite former jelly jar of yeast in the refrigerator, and restock from the freezer as needed.

[Pierogi]

Fresh galangal can be found around these parts at 99 Ranch Markets. I got a knob, wrapped it well, then stuck it in a zippy bag in the freezer. Like ginger, it doesn't freeze totally solid, so it's easy to whack off a chunk, or grate directly into your dish. I have kaffir lime leaves and curry leaves stashed in the freezer, too. I do think the "fresh frozen" galangal has a brighter flavor than the powdered....

Thanks Pierogi, I'll have to take a closer look in my local 99 Ranch. Like I said earlier, I don't use it often, so this method would be great for me. Do you find the kaffir lime leaves there as well? I have a small tree in my back yard, but no matter how hard I try to keep it healthy, it looks anemic and the leaves are very small..

Yes, the kaffir lime leaves came from 99 Ranch as well. The one on Pioneer in Artesia. It's huge, I think one of the larger ones in the chain. They had a spectacular selection of fresh Asian produce. I just whack the leaves a bit with the back of my chef's knife, the way I do to fresh bay leaves, when I was ready to use them. Bruises them just a touch, so they oils come out more readily.