Jump to content

  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Challenge: Cook your way through your freezer (part 1)

Anna N

By Anna N
in Cooking

 Share

Recommended Posts

scubadoo97

scubadoo97

Posted
Posted

Pulled this out of the freezer yesterday.  Good thing it didn't fall on my toe.  Hit it with rub after it thawed and tossed on the smoker this morning

 

IMG_0206.JPG

  • Like 9
liamsaunt

liamsaunt

Posted
Posted

I will join in too.  I have THREE freezers that could use some thinning out.  Two on each of my refrigerators (my house has two full kitchens), and then a commercial freezer in the finished basement.  I just defrosted my commercial freezer today and discovered, among other things, that I have 10 packages of different flavors of sausages!  I took one out to thaw--it's a mango habanero chicken sausage.  Once I figure out what I am doing with it, I'll post the results here.  I also took out a capon, which I will cook next weekend.

  • Like 4
Anna N

Anna N

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

A commercial freezer, 2 kitchens AND 10 varieties of sausage!  My envy runneth over (but mostly for the sausages). xD

  • Like 5

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

scubadoo97

scubadoo97

Posted
Posted

Chuck off the smoker.  Unlike brisket there are several muscle groups.  Sliced some and pulled most of it and gave it a light coating of BBQ sauce

 

image.jpeg

image.jpeg

  • Like 8
Okanagancook

Okanagancook

Posted
Posted (edited)

That looks fantastic, nice and juicy!

great job.

still a little chilly here for outdoor cooking, but soon.

Edited by Okanagancook (log)
robirdstx

robirdstx

Posted
Posted (edited)

I kind of cheated on this one as I knew where the protein was in the meat drawer. I had five of them and they were all on the bottom. So...

 

IMG_0187.JPG

 

Magret Duck Breast and Mushrooms

 

IMG_0188.JPG

 

See the Dinner Topic for the resulting dish - I had been wanting to try this for some time now.

 

 

 

Edited by robirdstx (log)
  • Like 8
My eG Foodblog - My Spring Break: By The Bay And Through The Pass
Tri2Cook

Tri2Cook

Posted
Posted

So I blindly reached into the freezer yesterday, pretended I didn't know perfectly well that I was reaching into the end where the meat tends to congregate and pulled out a package of sirloin steak. Sirloin steak... both start with "s". So I made the pairing ingredient soy sauce... another double "s". Then, in a daring display of innovation and creativity, I decided to make fried rice as the dish. :P So I cooked some rice so that it could spend a night in the fridge because it seems to work much better for fried rice that way. It won't happen until this evening, gonna be dinner/game food for the late NFL playoff game tonight.

  • Like 4

It's kinda like wrestling a gorilla... you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is tired.

Anna N

Anna N

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Like Tri2Cook I cheated again and on a Sunday no less.   But the aim remains the same to use up food in the freezer so I can do some of the things I want to do including being able to fast freeze some cookies for baking next week!  

I knew in there somewhere was more ground beef and the tiniest piece of flank steak.  I managed to rescue both of them and they are currently thawing. I will report later on how I used them. 

  • Like 4

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

rotuts

rotuts

Posted
Posted (edited)

@Anna N  

 

has inspired me get to work and to deal w Freezer Uno.  I have a newer Freezer, Duo .  D does not need defrosting as its new. , but Uno does  Duo was bought to help with the Uno's defrosting  Noted UpTread :

 

Target TurkBr.jpg

 

two Target TuurkeyBreasts  ( about  8 - 9 lbs each ) from Uno.  today they will enjoy a slow thaw in the sink , and tomorrow they will be dealt with .

 

these were $ 0.49 / lbs at Target  around Christmas time.  I won't say what year   I got 8 and dealt with 6

 

which were delicious  .  now : 

 

4 TB's  w Benton's bacon on the top from the CSB  ( 2 x 2 )

 

the back etc will be given a 'darch in the iPot for stock. that's new to me and I look forward to it.

 

then re-baged and vacuum sealed  and Fz.

 

:huh:

 

you say .  that 47 % less volume that before !

 

BTW :  the Sirens have been singing their Sweet Song to me this week :

 

Ground lean turkey breast this week :   $ 1.99 / lbs     as good as it gets !

 

and Uno's deep Dish :  4.99 ( pepperoni no less ) !  50 % off

 

I eat few of these , but well , 50 % off  

 

so  sending   @Anna N  

 

Ive purchased none of these  

 

a Kudos or two for inspiring me to get off the duff.

 

BTW  4 days soon it will be in the 20's F at night so Ill do the basement's StormEntrance  thaw on all that lest in the F Uno

 

at least 3.5 of 4 shelves !

 

 

 

 

Edited by rotuts (log)
  • Like 6
Tri2Cook

Tri2Cook

Posted
Posted

In the interest of not semi-cheating again, I took another trip into the freezer and made sure it was completely random this time. One of my wife's favorite things to do was go out in the bush during season and pick the local wild blueberries. So it was no surprise to me that, even without cheating, that's what came out of the freezer. There are gallons of them in there. Even though there's a lot in there, I know they won't last forever so I'm kinda picky about when and what I use them for. But a challenge is a challenge and that's what I pulled out so use some I will. I was trying to decide what to do with them and remembered a recipe I'd been meaning to try so I paired the blueberries with butter and have a batch of blueberry crumb bars in the oven right now.

  • Like 8

It's kinda like wrestling a gorilla... you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is tired.

Anna N

Anna N

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted (edited)

 Well in my ideal world my little piece of flank steak was going to reappear looking at least as dapper as @ninagluck's "lamb sliver".  But let's face it. I am not ninagluck.  I am me and so lunch was:

 

image.jpeg

Edited by Anna N (log)
  • Like 14

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

Anna N

Anna N

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
8 minutes ago, ninagluck said:

@Anna N, I love your steak and hate myself that I have none in my freezer!

You inspire me to attempt to imitate your use of ingredients not to mention your amazing plating.  Did you make that dish all in one session? Or did you make some components ahead of time? I am thinking that I would need to do it over a number of sessions. 

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

ninagluck

ninagluck

Posted
Posted

I finished everything within half an hour (besides the jus) steam parsnip, mix with butter, season, keep warm in the oven, same with spinach, bacon in the microwave while frying the liver and make the crispy parsnip. plating 1 min. 

  • Like 5
Anna N

Anna N

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
1 hour ago, ninagluck said:

I finished everything within half an hour (besides the jus) steam parsnip, mix with butter, season, keep warm in the oven, same with spinach, bacon in the microwave while frying the liver and make the crispy parsnip. plating 1 min. 

 I may need to spend a week or five with you.

  • Like 2

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

Anna N

Anna N

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

image.jpeg

 

 I made and cooked meatballs with the ground beef I pulled out this morning.  I used a recipe I've never tried before for the meatballs and I am regretting that decision.   I was sucked in by the title of the recipe. At the moment they are back in the freezer being individually quick frozen.  Obviously that saved no room whatsoever and I am now wondering whether I should even keep the meatballs or sacrifice them.  Sometimes I am completely delusional. My freezer ends up filled with food that I am never going to eat but don't have the guts to bin.   I think I need a support group  but I am sure nobody else ever does this. xD

  • Like 8

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

Tri2Cook

Tri2Cook

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, rotuts said:

 

well Im not Liver-ish


Me neither but if it was set down in front of me looking like that picture ninagluck posted of her dish, I'd be mighty inclined to dig into it anyway.

  • Like 1

It's kinda like wrestling a gorilla... you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is tired.

Anna N

Anna N

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
46 minutes ago, Tri2Cook said:


Me neither but if it was set down in front of me looking like that picture ninagluck posted of her dish, I'd be mighty inclined to dig into it anyway.

 Now I am feeling very foolish. I read it as "lamb sliver"  but was too sheepish  to ask.  Had no clue why rotuts was discussing liverish. 

  • Like 1

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

BeeZee

BeeZee

Posted
Posted

I'm counting down the days (OK, it's more like 2 weeks) until hubby's son and his wife come for the weekend, can get the 8lb turkey breast out the freezer finally. And the mushroom stuffing that goes with it.

  • Like 3

"Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast" - Oscar Wilde

JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, Anna N said:

 Now I am feeling very foolish. I read it as "lamb sliver"  but was too sheepish  to ask.  Had no clue why rotuts was discussing liverish. 

 

Indeed -- I must retract my "like" and go gargle with rum.

 

  • Like 8

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...