Cooking for the Freezer..

happy-L

A great website is https://www.recipezaar.com go into the community and see under the OAMC once a month cooking they've got tried and tested recipes and loads of advice.

squeaky

Magentasue wrote:

It's a problem when your teenagers come in at night, finish off the bread and everyone wants toast in the morning! :mad: If you've got some sliced in the freezer, you can just take out what you need and put it in the toaster.

Then you need to cut the teenager's hands off

Anyway, that still doesn't stop you from using a breadmaker - and maybe even getting a little ahead of the game and making 'some' extra for the freezer ready for such 'emergencies'.

MATH

Now I've given it some thought I will cook next week as part of my eat one - freeze one campaign:

Chicken Curry x 2
Roasted Vegetable Pasta x 2
Sausages in Goulash Sauce x 2
Spicy Chilli Potato Bake x 2
Meat Loaf x 2
Jam/Lemon Curd Tarts x 4 doz
Shortbread x 2
Flapjack x 2
Rock Cakes x 4 doz
Cherry Cake x 2

As it's coming to the end of a pay month I have only planned cheap cook/bakes with the minimum of ingredients. - Might not have time to post much next week;)

Edit: Forgot that it is also "make a month of sarnies for the freezer week" so I will deffo be missing in action.

rchddap1

I might be daring next weekend and get some small individual dishes to do some Shepherds pie in...and then freeze. I assume that this will freeze okay. At the moment I intend to get to the mash on the meat phase and then freeze. Or would it be okay if I freeze it after cooking and then reheat?

Sorry for the twenty questions, but I haven't ever cooked things and then frozen them, its a new experience for me.

Cullumpster

MATH - i'm liking the sound of your Spicy Chilli Potato Bake could you let me know the secret recipie please??

lucym

Thanks for all the replies.

MATH - I too would love your Potato Bake recipe and your eat one / freeze one idea sounds a bit easier to cope with than a full days cooking.

happy-L - thanks for the link, will have a good look at it this evening.

Lillibet_2

rchddap1 wrote:

I might be daring next weekend and get some small individual dishes to do some Shepherds pie in...and then freeze. I assume that this will freeze okay. At the moment I intend to get to the mash on the meat phase and then freeze. Or would it be okay if I freeze it after cooking and then reheat?

Sorry for the twenty questions, but I haven't ever cooked things and then frozen them, its a new experience for me.

Shepherds pies will freeze fine. I would cook them then freeze for 2 reasons : Firstly all the work is done, you just need to get it our of the freezer when you are ready for it, and secondly if you freeze it uncooked you HAVE to defrost it thoroughly in the fridge before cooking whereas if it's already cooked then in a pinch you could re-heat it from frozen (although I don't think this tastes as nice as re-heating after defrosting but that's just my opinion)

HTH

MATH

It's no secret and sounds much more difficult than it is:D It's a clipped recipe from GOOD FOOD MAGAZINE from the 80's. I was once offered a job at GOOD FOOD VEGETARIAN MAGAZINE many years ago when attending a Food Award Show in a very swanky London Hotel (but that's another story);)

1. Make a batch of chilli as usual and pour into an oven proof dish.

2. Peel (or don't if ya can't be bothered) and 1/2 inch cube enough potato to cover the top of the chilli as a topping.

3. Par boil for about 5 mins and drain.

4. Chop 1 onion and fry until soft.

5. Combine onion and potato and toss in 1 tbsp of vegetable oil, chilli powder and praprika to taste. Season with plenty of cracked balck pepper and chuck onto chilli mix.

6. Cook at 200 c until fully reheated and crunchy.

MATH'S TIP: I find it easier to bung the onion and potato in a pryrex bowl with a couple of tbsps of boiling water and nuke both until par cooked rather that cooking seperate. HTH

rchddap1

Don't have a problem with the defrosting thing. Both my partner and I work. So before I leave home I will delve through the freezer and pick out what is next on the menu. When I get home OH has cooked it and it is ready to eat.

At the moment we are emptying our freezer of food (by eating it), as it hasn't been emptied for a while, and god knows what is lurking in there. But once it is gone its shepherds pie for the freezer time.

Thanks for the advice.

MATH

Lillibet wrote:

Shepherds pies will freeze fine. I would cook them then freeze for 2 reasons : Firstly all the work is done, you just need to get it our of the freezer when you are ready for it, and secondly if you freeze it uncooked you HAVE to defrost it thoroughly in the fridge before cooking whereas if it's already cooked then in a pinch you could re-heat it from frozen (although I don't think this tastes as nice as re-heating after defrosting but that's just my opinion)

HTH

Hi Lillibet. I would freeze at the first stage rather than fully cooked. Food always tastes fresher and better par cooked and then finished off that fully cooked and reheated IMO. Curry and Chilli are obviouse exceptions to this rule. They always taste better fully cooked, frezen and reheated that they do it you cook and eat them fresh.


DOH! I quoted the wrong person:o