Freezer Cooking...are you a fan?

[AuntJamelle]

I was just curious what others on MHH think of the concept of freezer cooking. Are any of you doing it? Big time? Just some of the time?

I think I fall into the middle of the road. I do it, but usually it is here and there as opposed to a marathon session in the kitchen.

I also consider cooking/shredding meats and then freezing to jump start meals later part of my freezer cooking turf.

This weekend was the exception for my methods - I did a lot!! I cooked and shredded about 8 lbs of chicken, used some of it to make Mexican Shredded chicken, some to make Creamy Chicken Taquito filling and then just left the rest plain. All are in the freezer now - so happy!

Then I froze another 7 lbs of chicken raw, doing one bag of chicken strips in a fajita marinade.

I was a little crazy this weekend I guess because I also browned and froze 3 lbs of ground beef - browned 1 lb of pork sausage and used it to make 2 dozen egg "muffins" in silicone cupcake pans then froze those - and I made a 5 lb chuck roast in the crockpot - shredded that and used some for a Creamy Beef Taquito filling for the freezer and the rest my husband used in making a bunch Philly Cheese Steak Stuffed Green Peppers - which we also freeze.

And finally, I made a batch of Low Carb Choc Cheesecakes in those silicone cupcake pans again - those set up in fridge and then can be frozen. DH loves them.

I spent a lot of time in the kitchen this weekend, but I am happy when I think about all the time I won't have to spend other nights!

I was heavy into freezer cooking last fall and it SO paid off - for months! The only thing I'm looking at changing this year is getting away from using aluminum foil to line my baking dishes - I think parchment paper should work okay and I worry about the health concerns there with the foil.

I'm always open to tips, tricks and recipes known to freeze well. Or "freeze beautifully" for you Steel Magnolia fans

What do you freeze to make life easier? How do you do it? Share your wisdom - don't be shy!

 

[ChristmasPir8]

I have been doing this the last 2 weeks. I go in stages. I like doing it when I can. I have a small second freezer (not as big as a fridge) and when I make and assemble stuff it goes in foil pans and the last were "lasagna" size pans so I can't fit but so many in the freezer plus the bag food we have in there as well. I did 2 sloppy joe casserole, a broccoli and ham one, a pan of enchiladas, and a few other things this week. Once a friend and I did it together. We each made a double batch of 3 different items (soup, beef, pasta) and then we all shared. I really want to do it again.

 

[Minta]

I do some but would love to do more.

In the fall/winter I love to make chili .. I make extra and freeze the extra in single serve and family size portions in freezer bags. I freeze extra sloppy joes in single serve portions. THese make it great to pull out the night before and place in the frig. By morning they are thawed and I can then pack them up for DH/my lunches.

About every 6 weeks I make about 25 breakfast burritos (scrambled eggs, shredded cheese and either ground up sausage or shredded chicken) and 10 breakfast sandwiches (Bagel thins or english muffins, egg, cheese and either sausage or ham slices). Once they are assembled I wrap them up individually in wax or parchament paper and then place in freezer bags. Everyother weekend I make a double batch of pancakes and or waffles. Flash freeze the extras and then place in freezer bags. This gives everyone addition options for breakfast instead of just cereal.

Late summer/early fall the kids and I will made triple batches of zucchini bread, chocolate zucchini bread and pumpkin bread. We do a mix of regular size loaves, mini loaves and muffins. Once bakes and cooled we wrapp each one up in wax or parchement paper covered by foil or plastic wrap and then placed in freezer bags. These are great to pull out in Sunday night and then slice up and use for lunches and snacks during the week.

I am hoping to expand this year .. stuffed shells, lasagna, etc.

 

[MrsSoup]

I've never been a freezer cooker but after we move I want to start so I will be watching this thread!

 

[teachermomof2]

I don't do freezer meals. I do freeze halves of things I make for use at a later time, but don't do a whole day of cooking. Just not my thing. It sounds great though.

 

[Ahorsesoul]

Double up

I love freezer cooking. When I cook I try to cook enough to have leftovers (which I freeze for individual lunch servings since I provide a meal for our LCs). I always cook at least double recipes for anything in the crockpot. Some recipes like my Shredded Pork Salad, I do at least a triple recipe. Same for a pot roast. Today we had grilled steak and I made 4 lunch meals with the leftovers. I do have to add some mashed potatoes to them. I'll pick that up tomorrow.

One thing I have not been doing is keeping up a list of what's in the freezer. I use to have a dry erase board on top of the freezer with a list. Made it very easy to know what I had.

In my mind I have my freezer divided into sections. Meat in one area, seafood in a corner, veggies in another corner, pizza crusts go on end against a wall. Makes it easy to find things.

I use Rubbermaid Premier plastic ware. It is sturdy and easy to see what's inside. I do label the top with what's inside with freezer tape (date also). Everything else goes into freezer bags that I label with a Sharpie pen.

If I bake potatoes I make lots of them to freeze. I make massive amount of stuffed mushrooms (one of our favorite things), freeze them on a tray then toss them into a freezer bag.

I buy 5 lb packages of shredded cheese which I divide up into smaller bags to make it easier to handle. I freeze any soup I make too.

 

[AuntJamelle]

I do struggle with keeping track of what is in the freezers - more so now that there are three. The deep freeze (a chest freezer), plus the freezer section of two refrigerators now - our main one and then our "extra" fridge downstairs where we keep soda, water, beer, etc. It is nice to have that extra fridge for those times when I'm thawing a large something or other! I have an Excel spreadsheet that I add to, subtract from, but things do slip under the radar.

As far as complete meals I have successfully frozen, we have had the best luck with things like stuffed shells, lasagna, frozen homemade pizzas, chilis and such.

I've also made twice baked potatoes that freeze great. And I've taken Rhodes frozen bread dough loaves - thawed them - then stretched out into flat rectangle, filled with different combos of meat and cheese, etc. before rolling up and freezing again. Then you just thaw overnight in fridge, let rise the 2nd time and then bake.

I also make a mean cheesy garlic bread and freeze that as well - very easy addition to so many meals since you just pop it in the oven still frozen.

Last fall I also made a ton of different appetizers that can be frozen and that was such a cool thing. I will be doing that again this year and trying some new recipes too!

And of course, I always make my cookie dough for the holidays in advance and freeze - so I can just bake it when ready.

This year I may also try my hand at some frozen pie type desserts - I think something like that might be good to have ready to take along in the RV freezer for a camping trip. Ice cream based desserts are always good on a hot summer day!

I've also made and frozen Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls - in the disposable foil pans - which makes a super easy way to have a bunch of rolls ready for gifting to friends, teachers, etc. when needed.

I'm always on the lookout for new "freezable" recipes. I'm happy to share ones I've found if anyone is interested - and would love to see recipes or links to recipes anyone else has frozen with success!

You can never have too many options for freezer food IMHO lol

 

[Ahorsesoul]

Frozen Ice Cream Sandwich Cake recipe, excellent

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/ice-cream-sandwich-cake/

 

[luludou]

Diedra that is on my staycation list... to make a list of what is in the freezer chest and post it ontop.

 

[AnnieClaus]

I mostly freeze soups.

I often have a turkey carcass in my freezer to make broth with.

Is that weird?!

Annie

 

[ChristmasPir8]

Diedra I bet the boys will like that cake!

Annie-my "cousin" (never was sure of the distant relation she was to us) always took the Turkey carcas home Thanksgiving for soup

 

[Cathymac2]

This is interesting to me. My problem is lack of space in the freezer. I do have a chest freezer but unfortunately it is too big for here so is at my mom's house. That is inconvenient. Too because I have to remember to go get stuff out of it in time to thaw. So I mostly stick with things that will fit in my side by side freezer on the fridge. What I really want is an upright freezer I'm my laundry room which is right off the kitchen.

The things I've had most luck with are meals ready to pop into the crockpot. I like to put chicken breasts in a marinade in bags and then add veggies. Then I just drop them frozen into the slow cooker and dinner is done when I get home.

I am really interested in some other recipes to freeze. I am considering taking a day off from work to do this. But first I have to clean out the freezer. It's a mess.

Keep the ideas coming!!

 

[snowlvr]

I can only do so much because the only freezer space I have is my side by side fridge, but I usually do keep a good supply of chopped peppers and onions frozen in about 1/4 c. foil packets, which helps alot when I make dinner...I guess I prep and freeze more things than actual dinners because of the space issue, cook up a few pounds of ground beef at a time, shred some chicken, things like that..Leftovers are usually taken by DH to work as lunch the next day, so not much of those get into the fridge...you are all an inspiration though!!

 

[AuntJamelle]

While I was in the apartment, our little fridge freezer was my only immediate option but my MIL let me "borrow" space in her big upright deep freeze.

I would do a session of freezer cooking and then take the frozen items over to her house. I would make one recipe - like maybe a lasagna - but I would make it in two 9x9 pans instead of 1 big one. That was just because of our family size, but also wasn't quite so hard to fit in freezer of course.

I would pop one pan in the freezer and one in the fridge. When one in freezer was frozen solid (next morning usually) I would pop it out of the pan (via the foil I lined pan with) and then slip it into ziplock and back in freezer. Then the other pan of lasagna in fridge could go in freezer.

I used smaller cookie sheets to "balance" my pans on the other frozen food items to keep them straight so they didn't freeze all wonky shaped.

By freezing "flat" - whether food in foil lined dishes or liquid items in ziplocks frozen while laying on cookie sheets - I could really stack a LOT of food in that little apartment freezer.

Then having the option of transporting to MIL was great of course. I would take over a big bag of things and come home with some things. It was like another grocery store trip - but free

I just had to leave enough room in the apartment freezer to hold any meal items I planned to make that coming week - so I then had them on hand to thaw the night before.

I even had an extra section on my groc list called "Heidi's Freezer" to remind me every week to "shop" her deep freeze! I really had to be on top of keeping my inventory spreadsheet up to date during that time - or I would have really lost track of what I had over there!

 

[Minta]

I mostly freeze soups.

I often have a turkey carcass in my freezer to make broth with.

Is that weird?!

Annie

Nope Not strange at all. I have had turkey and chicken carcasses in my freezer to amke broth with at a later date. Right now I have a ham bone in the freezer left over from the Easter ham. Waiting until fall to use it for a ham and bean soup

 

[tanya]

I don't think freezer cooking is very big in Australia- at least not in my circle of friends/ acquaintances. I don't actually know anyone who has a big enough freezer to store a lot of stuff. When I was little, I remember a few families had chest style freezers in laundries etc. but not many. I can honestly say that I don't know a single person with an extra freezer now. Maybe in country or more suburban area but not where I am in the city/ beaches. In fact they are still sold but are something that you need to order- they are not out on display in the stores around here either. I also know hardly anyone with a side by side any-more. Most families have the bottom mount style with French doors for the fridge. I do keep what freezer space I have fully stocked- mostly meat to thaw out for later use, ice cream, ice blocks (popsicles), rolls, chicken nuggets, but that is about all the space I have. If I make soup then I freeze some for later use. I also freeze garlic butter.

 

[AuntJamelle]

In looking around online, what I've been doing to "feed the freezer" is commonly called batch cooking.

Which is where you cook several things at once but you aren't doing a whole months worth of meals at one time - that is called OAMC or Once a Month Cooking.

As long as I have the room or can can make the room or whatever, I think freezer cooking/batch cooking is here to stay for us. I get the same feeling from reviewing my freezer spreadsheet that I do standing and looking at my pantry shelves in late fall - seeing all the pretty jars

In case anyone else is interested, I'm going to pull together my favorite recipes I've had success freezing and post their links and any notes on them. My board on Pinterest is full of ideas, recipes, etc. too...485 pins and counting (sigh, not sure if to be proud or embarrassed at that number - lol)

https://www.pinterest.com/klinkj0806/feed-the-freezer/

 

[AuntJamelle]

Tried and True Spring/Summer Freezer Recipes:

I'm a little lighter on recipes for the warmer months. And you will notice a definite Mexican theme here...

- Shredded Beef using roast part of the following Beef and Blue Sliders link. I cook roast in crockpot, shred in KitchenAid with paddle attachment, cool and freeze flat in ziplocks. Can use to jumpstart the following sliders recipe or as base meat to make make other things. We've used for Philly Cheese Steak Stuffed Bell Peppers (would have to get recipe from DH if anyone wants) and have just added Taco Seasoning to make taco night extra special! I also use to make a beef variation on the Creamy Chicken Taquitos recipe below.

http://www.heatherlikesfood.com/beef-and-blue-sliders/

- Shredded Mexican Chicken...Easy to double and freeze flat in ziplocks; I've included and omitted the tomato and/or the cilantro depending on what I have on hand and it always turns out very good. Have served at large gathering to rave reviews! Just plopped thawed bags in crockpot and reheated. Or you can break off small amount and thaw/reheat in microwave for quick single serving lunches.

http://www.food.com/recipe/shredded-chicken-for-enchiladas-tostadas-tacos-169500

- Creamy Chicken Taquitos...have made this so many times. You make and freeze the cheesy meat filling, freezing flat in a ziplock. Thaw in fridge overnight and use to fill soft tortilla shells. Recipe calls for baking - we brush with oil and cook in our NuWave oven for a deep fried taste. We fill less shells with more meat making each one a serving size. Melting extra cheese on top and serving with sour cream, etc. makes a nice meal.

I also will sometimes make one batch or more with extra shredded beef from the roast recipe I posted above. Making multiple batches helps to use up more of the jar of green salsa called for so less goes to waste!

http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/freezer-meal-creamy-chicken-taquitos

- Oven Chicken Fajitas...I use the following recipe but instead of using the dry seasoning mix I make my own marinade and freeze raw chicken strips in it. Then I simply thaw and place in baking dish with sliced onions and bell pepper strips and proceed with cooking as recipe says. You get that lovely roasted charred sweet taste with this oven method - yum!

BONUS is that I've used both fresh or frozen onion slices/bell pepper slices with no notable difference in the final product. You could put together a whole kit in the freezer, filling one 2 gallon ziplock with bag of meat, bags of onions and peppers and even the tortillas.

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2013/02/oven-fajitas/

My fajita marinade recipe follows, this makes enough for a small zipock full of raw chicken strips (about 2 large breasts):

• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

NOTE: Making this marinade and the Creamy Taquito recipe above on the same day or closely following each other is nice since you need fresh limes for both.

 

[AuntJamelle]

Tried and True Fall Winter Freezer Recipes:

- Italian Shredded Beef...love this one! We make and eat some and freeze some. Serve on favorite roll/bun of choice. I have been able to find all the ingredients (other than the roast, we have a fav butcher shop) at Aldi, including the Giardiniera.

http://southernfood.about.com/od/crockpotbeefrecipes/r/bl101c3.htm

Having it in freezer makes it easier to whip up this yummy smoked cheddar sauce to go on the sandwiches Bliss!

http://southernfood.about.com/od/cheeserecipes/r/bl30103x.htm

- Crockpot Beef and Mushrooms...this one is great because there is NO cooking to prep for freezer! Just fill your bags and freeze!

Since we are a small family, I've divided the recipe into fourths and that worked great. Haven't tried using DIY Cream of Mushroom soup for it yet, but plan to as I think it would work fine.

DO KNOW that it takes a FULL 24 hours to thaw these bags before you plop in crockpot on cooking day - and it does take a while to cook - but SO good! Serve over mashed potatoes or rice or noodles, etc.

http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/freezer-meal-recipes-crock-pot-beef-and-mushrooms/

- Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells...this one is a favorite. I make two 9x9 pans worth for us instead of one big pan. I've used jarred Alfredo sauce or made the DIY sauce she links to and the from scratch sauce is definitely our favorite!

I've also made this for company but instead of freezing I made it all up to stuffing the shells the day before. Just stored them covered in the fridge and transferred them to baking dish, adding the sauce the day of cooking.

http://www.centercutcook.com/cheesy-chicken-alfredo-stuffed-shells/

- Mississippi Mud Roast...another good roast for making sandwiches. Reheats like a dream, crockpot is a great option for serving at parties, camping trips (where I first had it), etc. EVERYONE loves this roast!

http://www.tablefortwoblog.com/mississippi-roast/#recipe

- Veggie Stuffed Shells...nice vegetarian option; Great served with my special Garlic Bread (see below)

http://busycooks.about.com/od/meatlessentreerecipes/r/veggiepastashel.htm

- Jaime's Cheesy Garlic Bread...freeze it unbaked or freeze the leftovers after baking, it doesn't really matter. Just try to stop eating it!

I buy the largest long style loaves of plain bakery bread I can find at best deal. French bread, Italian bread, etc. Discount bakery bread (day old) works great. The loaves of French bread you get at Sam's Club are especially yummy too - but I've used Walmart bread and it all works great.

Slice bread horizontally.

One long loaf (so 2 long pieces after cutting) needs approx 1 batch of the following mixture: 1 stick of butter, softened + 1/2 cup mayo + Garlic Powder, Italian Herb Mix (or just add oregano, rosemary, etc.), S&P all to taste + about 4.5 cups of shredded cheese (cheddar, colby, Mont Jack, whatever you have) + 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan (stuff from the green bottle works fine or fresh is nice too)

Shred the cheddar, etc. , cheese yourself for best results. I use the shredder disk on my food processor.

You'll need a big bowl, a study spoon and some elbow grease to work everything together but you'll end up with a big Blob. Simply spoon in chunks onto sliced bread. Smoosh it down over bread so it is covered completely. The thicker the layer, the yummier it will be but even a thin layer works great.

At this point if freezing I hold large ziplock up to loaf, eyeball things and slice it into pieces that will easily fit into the bag. Once I have the right size pieces I freeze on a cookie sheet for a while to harden things up and then pop into my bags.

Bake at 350 on cookie sheets until cheese is starting to brown nicely. You do not have to thaw frozen bread before baking.

I have also pulled plain frozen bread straight from freezer (pre-sliced with this in mind) and spread it with freshly made cheese mixture while bread still frozen and then baked. It all works - you can't really go wrong.

 

[luludou]

Wow! Thanks AJ