Good foods for freezing?

[tammylc]

A couple of my good friends are expecting their second baby in the middle of September. We're planning to cook up a bunch of food for them to freeze and pull out after the baby is born.

I'm looking for suggestions on foods that would freeze and thaw well, or could just go straight from the freezer to the oven. Suggestions?

Also, wrapped well and stored in a deep freeze, what's the shelf life of frozen items like this?

Thanks!

[chantal]

A couple of my good friends are expecting their second baby in the middle of September.  We're planning to cook up a bunch of food for them to freeze and pull out after the baby is born. 

I'm looking for suggestions on foods that would freeze and thaw well, or could just go straight from the freezer to the oven.  Suggestions?

Also, wrapped well and stored in a deep freeze, what's the shelf life of frozen items like this?

Thanks!

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I did this for my sister when she had her baby. She asked for chocolate chip cookies--you can preform the dough and bake them off as you want them. I did some scones--also unbaked, just throw them in the oven strait from the freezer.

For real food I made chicken pot pie, and the chicken and olives from the Silver Palate book. I also made quiche--ricotta,feta, sun-dried tomato, and spinach. Baked them off first then froze them. Reheat strait from freezer covered with foil in the beginning.

Also made bolonese sauce, and gnocci. Freeze raw gnocci seperatly (by that I also mean make them and then freeze them on a cookie sheet till they get hard. Then you just put them in a ziploc after that. They won't stick together). Throw them into boiling water strait from the freezer to cook and top with hot bolonese sauce. I have an excellent recipe for butternut squash gnocci that freezes well. I usually make those for myself. Let me know if you need any recipes. Lasagna freezes well too.

Edited July 25, 2005 by chantal (log)

[Marlene]

I've never actually frozen lasagna. Do you freeze it before or after you bake it?

[chantal]

I've never actually frozen lasagna.  Do you freeze it before or after you bake it?

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I freeze it before.

[MelissaH]

I've never actually frozen lasagna.  Do you freeze it before or after you bake it?

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I freeze it before.

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And I freeze it after.

MelissaH

[Carrot Top]

If you go to epicurious.com then go to "browse recipes by preparation" then clicky clicky on chill/freeze you'll find a good selection.

Tried to copy the link but msn always gives me problems trying to do this. Aargh.

Karen

[scott123]

Chili freezes well. Just make sure you make it a little thicker than normal as freezing releases a little extra moisture from the veggies/meat.

[tammylc]

Thanks for the suggestions! Please keep them coming!

Any commentary on shelf life?

[kdl1221]

I bake my lasagna first, then freeze, and heat in the oven again within a month. It might keep longer...but it has never be given the chance

Also, spring rolls freeze well, and last longer.. either cooked first (if needed in a hurry can microwave to heat, then fry to bring back the crisp) or frozen with the raw meats... then thaw and cook through

I also always have frozen cookie dough of some sort. I make the base, and freeze that so I can go back later and change my mind about what to put in it.. chocolate chips, pecans, etc

My sister goes to a type of food workshop.. not sure what to call it. They make all kinds of meals that are meant to be frozen, so you can just throw them in the oven and save time.

Here is a link to their menu.

Oh! and biscuits... unbaked, frozen.. then to oven from frozen state.

[rooftop1000]

If you use a baking dish around the same size as the big Zipper bags you can freeze in the dish....pop out the frozen food and put it in the bag, then reverse the process...back into the pan for reheating

just a thought

tracey