Can we talk about freezing food? - Page 2

froggy · ‎03-10-2010

I freeze almost everything. Any casseroles with pasta or rice freeze well either before or after baking.

When I make meatloaf (just for the two of us) I make 2 lbs then slip half into a foodsaver bag, remove air and freeze until I want it. After reheating it tastes just like new. Almost any meat - steak chicken, roast - will be perfectly fresh tasting if it is frozen airless immediately.

Baked goods do extremely well in the freezer. I am making several dozen yeast rolls and cinnamon rolls today and I will freeze them as soon as they cool.

I agree with @chickenbutt - the foodsaver is essential to keep frozen food tasting fresh.

Mj12 · ‎03-09-2010

I vacuum seal all leftovers that go in the freezer. Admittedly I do not cook much, but when I do, there are always too many leftovers.

fthunt · ‎12-24-2010

I just finished 3 dozen meatballs - (whew). Foodsaved them uncooked b/c I prefer to cook fresh rather than just warm up.

Daysdee · ‎03-09-2010

I freeze meatloaf before cooking--freeze portion size for one or two meals. I always use Food Saver for freezing. A few years ago mine broke and I tried using some of the plastic bags or freezer paper. Doesn't work well at all. Food Saver is the best to keep the air out and nothing goes bad. I always make extra spaghetti sauce to freeze too.

Mom2Dogs · ‎03-09-2010

@chickenbutt....I freeze a lot as well but can you clarify for me...are you saying you cut up and freeze in lock n lock containers then remove from the lock n locks and then vacuum seal? thanks.

chickenbutt · ‎03-09-2010

@Mom2Dogs wrote:
@chickenbutt....I freeze a lot as well but can you clarify for me...are you saying you cut up and freeze in lock n lock containers then remove from the lock n locks and then vacuum seal? thanks.

Hi! That's what I do with something like lasagne because if I just took the cooled lasagne out of the pan and vac-sealed it, that would smash it to smithereens.

Soft stuff that you want to stay in shape needs to be frozen first. I put it in the L&L containers to freeze for a day or less, to keep it from breaking down and get right to vac-sealing it. HTH

If you leave the food in any container that allows exposure from air, it will begin to break it down fairly quickly. Even an airtight container does contain air, although it doesn't allow air to circulate in and out of the container.

The ONLY way to preclude this is to vacuum seal it, which removes ALL the air and then seals it up so that there will be no air breaking down the food item.

I do use L&L containers for freezer storage of items that con't contain the moisture that assists the oxygen in the air to break them down - such as nuts, grains, seeds, or even rice, that are not in constant use, although I do tend to vac-seal my rices in specific portions (1 or 2 cup, depending on the rice). That way it takes up less space and I can pull out a specific increment to cook without having to deal with all of it. It's already measured out. I buy my California brown rice and wild rice in large bags, so this is the way to go for storage, even though it doesn't need to be vac-sealed.

I forgot that I also vac-seal my almonds in a volume specific to the L&L container that I keep some in, in the refrigerator. That way it's all stored well and I have my 1.5 cup L&L for current use. When it's about empty I can just pull one bag out of the refrigerator to re-fill the L&L and the rest stays pristine in the freezer until I'm ready for more.

(Sorry so long)

Sweetbay magnolia · ‎04-14-2013

I do it both ways, just depends on circumstance.

My my, though, I must get a food saver now! That thing sounds impressive!

My stuff doesn't stay in the freezer for long, though. We generally cycle through it pretty quickly.

Cogito ergo sum

shoptilyadropagain · ‎03-19-2014

I freeze just about everything. I'm a household of 1 but I'll make a full stockpot of soup, spaghetti sauce, full casserole, whole 2 lb. meatloaf, etc. I divide up everything individually and then put them in plastic containers or wrap items in foil, etc. It would probably taste a bit more fresh if I did the vacuum seal, but I want things put away quickly and that, to me, just adds an extra step and expense.

The only thing I've found that doesn't freeze well is something with cooked potatoes like vegetable soup, beef stew, etc. They get too mushy for me.

I made a chicken/rice casserole over the weekend, divided it up and then froze it. I pulled a container out last night for my dinner tonight and I'll have a small salad to go with it.

Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, but Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.
- Author Unknown

chickenbutt · ‎03-09-2010

@shoptilyadropagain wrote:

I freeze just about everything. I'm a household of 1 but I'll make a full stockpot of soup, spaghetti sauce, full casserole, whole 2 lb. meatloaf, etc. I divide up everything individually and then put them in plastic containers or wrap items in foil, etc. It would probably taste a bit more fresh if I did the vacuum seal, but I want things put away quickly and that, to me, just adds an extra step and expense.

The only thing I've found that doesn't freeze well is something with cooked potatoes like vegetable soup, beef stew, etc. They get too mushy for me.

I made a chicken/rice casserole over the weekend, divided it up and then froze it. I pulled a container out last night for my dinner tonight and I'll have a small salad to go with it.

That's a thing I sometimes mention - if you're going to make a sauce, stew, soup, or whatever that can be done in bulk, make a HUGE pot of it and freeze portions. You have to do all the work anyway, and it's really little to no additional work to make a lot, than to just make a little and you have one to two dinners.

Even with a one-person, or two-person (as is mine), household why just make one serving? Make a bunch, store it properly, and you can have it many times with one time of effort.

This is why, even with my beloved mashed potatoes, I make a huge stockpot full. Then I portion it out to freeze and vacuum seal. I have about 8 servings of mashers that I made a while back and I can just pull out either a one-portion bag or a two-portion bag and have mashers without all the work.

Plus, I like variety so for most things (except probably Mexican food), I can't eat the same thing day after day. But I can go to the freezer and choose one of a number of things that I have made myself, so I know they are good!

froggy · ‎03-10-2010

@chickenbutt wrote:

I forgot that I also vac-seal my almonds in a volume specific to the L&L container that I keep some in, in the refrigerator. That way it's all stored well and I have my 1.5 cup L&L for current use. When it's about empty I can just pull one bag out of the refrigerator to re-fill the L&L and the rest stays pristine in the freezer until I'm ready for more.

I freeze all my nuts I use for baking - almonds, walnuts, pecans. But I use the Foodsaver Freshsaver bags. That way I can open the bag, take out what I need, then close it and reseal. Even though my big Foodsaver sealer has a separate hose for sealing the bags I bought the separate small unit to keep on the countertop. We use it daily for cheese, lunchmeat, etc.

The Freshsaver bags are more expensive but I stocked up on the Foodsaver website when they had a two for one sale. A lot of reviews say that these bags don't reseal well but that has not been my experience. If you make sure they are closed well they reseal just fine.