Absurdly, stupidly basic cooking questions (Part 2)

[rotuts]

@ElsieD

 

Nice .  very nice .

 

did you keep the Jus ?

 

those big hunks , after their first hour , and bone removal might need 30 min more 

 

probabbly not the necks .  but its 30 min unattended.

 

cheers

 

 

[ElsieD]

18 minutes ago, rotuts said:

did you keep the Jus ?

You bet I did.  There was quite a bit so it is in the fridge and I'll add it once the fat has solidified and I've removed it.

[ElsieD]

@rotuts  This is my yield.  the first cup has a lot of fat, once the fat has solidified I'll remove it and test the end product.  I'm hoping for good things.

[rotuts]

@ElsieD

 

very nice.

 

is each unit from a separate iPot-ing ?

[ElsieD]

No, i followed your directions.  The carcasses for 1 hour, large bones taken out, meat cooked another 30, next batch into the same water.  Repeat.  Oh, the meat was pressed through a food mill and the liquid added back to the pot after each batch.  I strained the works through cheesecloth into a large bowl and filled those cups up from left to right.  I had 6 batches all told as we had a capon for Thanksgiving and the carcass from that was added as well.  I did start last night which turned out to be a good thing or I might still be at it.

[ElsieD]

I took the reduced stock that I had made  (my first post) using the stock pot method and the result using @rotuts's IP method, put the two of them in a pot and reduced it to just under 4 cups.  To say it's powerful stuff would be an understatement.  This I put in ice cube trays in 1 tablespoon amounts and put the trays in the fridge to set.  Once set (consistency is like hard rubber)  I took them out of the trays, put them on a sheet pan and froze them.  They are now bagged and in the freezer.

[rotuts]

@ElsieD

 

did you find the iPot repeat method ' interesting ? '

[ElsieD]

3 hours ago, rotuts said:

@ElsieD

 

did you find the iPot repeat method ' interesting ? '

I'm sorry to tell you this as I know you are very fond of the IP method, but for me, using the stove top method is much more efficient.  It's sort of set it and forget it type of thing.  Now, I had 6 batches so it was picking the bones out 6 times, putting the meat through a food mill 6 times and IPing 12 times versus picking the bones out once and putting the meat through a food mill to extract any remaining stock once.  So yes, it was interesting but for me, I'll be sticking with the stove top method.  I will say that the stock produced by your method was excellent and I'd give the same score to that produced by both methods.  

[rotuts]

@ElsieD

 

good points.  Im  pleased you tried.

[TdeV]

I've also found a recipe for a cheese and sausage quiche which seems to suggest pouring the mixture into a still-frozen commercial pie shell. Can that be right?

 

Source: Southern Living

 

 

Host's note: the "also" in the opening line is because an earlier post, and its responses, were moved to this topic and the "also" has lost its context.

Edited October 27, 2025 by Smithy
Added host's note (log)

[TdeV]

Can mashed potatoes be frozen?

 

Can @Chufi's stamppot be frozen?

 

I read somewhere on eGullet folks mentioning that they avoided potatoes for food destined for freezer.

What happens to potato? Sweet potato too?

[MaryIsobel]

O often make mashed potatoes ahead of time and freeze. I use sour cream and or cream cheese instead of mik and they freeze aqnd reheat just fine.

[Bernie]

2 hours ago, TdeV said:

Can mashed potatoes be frozen?

 

Can @Chufi's stamppot be frozen?

 

I read somewhere on eGullet folks mentioning that they avoided potatoes for food destined for freezer.

What happens to potato? Sweet potato too?

They freeze fine... but when thawed they will be a little more soft and runny. I think the water crystalizes and when thawed needs to be stirred in. I just heat and mix  them for a little longer and they are fine. It does tend to break up any lumps though so that's a bonus (I am a bit lazy mashing them)

[ElsieD]

I have ordered rice from a company called Floating Leaf and am wondering after cooking, how well the cooked versions would freeze.  None of them contain white rice, and with the exception of riceberry, they are all blends.  For example, one is a Jasmine Thai blend which contains riceberry (purple jasmine), red jasmine and brown jasmine.  Another is a Wild Rice Blend containing red jasmine, brown caltrose, riceberry and long grain brown rice.  There are also a few other varieties.  I'm thinking that when I want rice for dinner I would cook up a double batch and freeze one of them.  The question is:  how well would they freeze?  I have a chamber vacuum sealer which I would use to seal the bags.  If it is okay to freeze, would I just zap them them in the microwave to re-heat?

[rotuts]

@ElsieD

 

interesting questions

 

if the rice blends ' cook up ' to your satisfaction , by your usual method   ( being slightly different )

 

I they should freeze in the same manner , by the same method you have used for  single grain rice.

 

reheating ?   if the bag is sealed , shy not heat up in a pan of hot water ?  you thermapen the water

 

when its lose to service time , and that's the temp of your rice .   add more heat if the water cools dow,

 

Ive microwaved ' refrigerator rice ' successfully , but id open the bag and put the contents in a dish ( covered )

 

if you want to micro from Fz.  so the bag doesnt explode

Edited November 22, 2025 by rotuts (log)

[TdeV]

On 10/25/2025 at 2:39 PM, TdeV said:

I've also found a recipe for a cheese and sausage quiche which seems to suggest pouring the mixture into a still-frozen commercial pie shell. Can that be right?

 

Source: Southern Living

 

 

Host's note: the "also" in the opening line is because an earlier post, and its responses, were moved to this topic and the "also" has lost its context.

 

This is old, but no one answered me. Advice please?

 

[TdeV]

On 11/22/2025 at 10:01 AM, ElsieD said:

I have ordered rice from a company called Floating Leaf and am wondering after cooking, how well the cooked versions would freeze.  None of them contain white rice, and with the exception of riceberry, they are all blends.  For example, one is a Jasmine Thai blend which contains riceberry (purple jasmine), red jasmine and brown jasmine.  Another is a Wild Rice Blend containing red jasmine, brown caltrose, riceberry and long grain brown rice.  There are also a few other varieties.  I'm thinking that when I want rice for dinner I would cook up a double batch and freeze one of them.  The question is:  how well would they freeze?  I have a chamber vacuum sealer which I would use to seal the bags.  If it is okay to freeze, would I just zap them them in the microwave to re-heat?

 

Did you try this, @ElsieD ?

[TdeV]

I have some dried mushrooms. What happened is that I forgot them in the fridge, but they were packaged properly so no mould.

 

Can I just blitz them in the food processor and add to any old casserole?

[weinoo]

1 hour ago, TdeV said:

I have some dried mushrooms. What happened is that I forgot them in the fridge, but they were packaged properly so no mould.

 

Can I just blitz them in the food processor and add to any old casserole?

 

I would soak them first, to rehydrate and remove any dirt/dust, then chop them to add to your dish.  The soaking liquid can be strained and used as well.

[Smithy]

4 hours ago, TdeV said:

 

This is old, but no one answered me. Advice please?

 

 

I've read and reread the recipe, and the 6 comments, and I agree: it seems to suggest baking from frozen crust. I guess I'd go ahead and try it, unless the crust package's instructions say to thaw it first. 

[blue_dolphin]

4 hours ago, TdeV said:

 

This is old, but no one answered me. Advice please?

 

Sounds like a recipe for a soggy bottom, but there are plenty of people who don’t mind that. 

[TdeV]

56 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

Sounds like a recipe for a soggy bottom, but there are plenty of people who don’t mind that. 

 

Aah. Perfect answer, thank you.

 

(I mind).

[JeanneCake]

On a somewhat related note, RLB in the Pie and Pastry Bible suggests putting a frozen pie directly on the oven floor to help the bottom crust  cook/crisp (she is also baking at a higher temp for 20 minutes then turning the oven down; her pies are fully frozen in this example).  I am not that brave, I would heat a half sheet pan in the  oven first, put the unfilled frozen crust on it to par-bake for 10-15 mins then pour the filling in and continue baking the whole thing.  I would probably par bake the crust at a higher temp and turn the oven down once the filled crust is in the oven.

[TdeV]

@JeanneCake, is the reason RLB is putting the frozen pie on the oven floor is because the oven floor is especially hot?

 

I have a ceramic pizza stone which sits permanently in my gas oven. I think it helps the oven have a more reliable temperature (range is 50ºF at least). It's up about 6 or 8" from the broiler, but I put the pans for items I'm baking directly on the stone. Because I had to look up what the stone is actually called, I learned it's oven and grill-safe to 2000ºF. Of course, my oven only goes to 550ºF.

 

Would you expect this would suffice for a frozen pie shell?

 

 

 

Edited 19 hours ago by TdeV
Oops (log)

[JeanneCake]

3 minutes ago, TdeV said:

@JeanneCake, is the reason RLB is putting the frozen pie on the oven floor is because the oven floor is especially hot?

 

I have a ceramic pizza stone which sits permanently in my gas oven. I think it helps the oven have a more reliable temperature (range is 50ºF at least). It's up about 6 or 8" from the broiler, but I put the pans for items I'm baking directly on the stone. Because I had to look up what the stone is actually called, I learned it's oven and grill-safe to 2000ºF. Of course, my oven only goes to 550ºF.

 

Would you expect this would suffice for a frozen pie shell?

 

 

 

yes, I'd put it on the pizza stone - it does the same thing as the warmed up pan.

 

and yes, she puts it on the oven floor so the heat is directly on the bottom crust and it helps to crisp it