Need help with cooking, freezing & reheating please

Emzy

Hi

Right I really have no clue what im doing in the kitchen, had a bad time of things and not to go into it but it means i never really learnt much in the kitchen, and now I really want to learn but need help please.

I want cheap meal ideas so i thought about shepherds pie and as there are only two of us i wanted to freeze half and use it the next week or in a couple of days (maybe even the next day) but how do i reheat it? Do I need to defrost it first? And how long would i cook it for and on what temp (elec oven)
same questions really with stew and ........ i don't know yet but other stuff! lol

Id really appreciate any advice, Thank you

Pink.

Hi Emzy,

Many things can be frozen then defrosted and reheated. With Shepherds pie once you lift it out of the freezer leave it to defrost completely. It is normally recommended to defrost it in the fridge but personally I think this takes too long and I prefer to lift it out of the freezer last thing at night and leave it on the kitchen worktop (covered) to defrost as it will be completely defrosted by morning and then I will pop it into the fridge until I want to reheat it.

To reheat you can either do it in the oven (circa 180 degrees) or microwave. The important thing is that the food is piping hot right through before you serve it.

Pink

Emzy

Pink-winged wrote: »

Hi Emzy,

Many things can be frozen then defrosted and reheated. With Shepherds pie once you lift it out of the freezer leave it to defrost completely. It is normally recommended to defrost it in the fridge but personally I think this takes too long and I prefer to lift it out of the freezer last thing at night and leave it on the kitchen worktop (covered) to defrost as it will be completely defrosted by morning and then I will pop it into the fridge until I want to reheat it.

To reheat you can either do it in the oven (circa 180 degrees) or microwave. The important thing is that the food is piping hot right through before you serve it.

Pink

Hi,

Thanks ever so much for the reply, do you think it would take around half an hour to heat up? I know I need to check that its piping hot but don't want to leave it far too long or be checking far too early! lol
Also do you know any websites that advise on reheating things? Ive just looked on here at the leftovers thread and people have good ideas on freezing certain things like veg, gravy, mash etc... but i have no idea what would need to be defrosting first or how long things take, its really frustrating me.
thanks again, Emma

Pink.

Hi emma,

Twenty minutes to half hour would be about right for reheating in the oven for single portions but of course it will depend on the portion size. Just as long as it is completely reheated right through it will be fine. If the inside is still cool and the outside beginning to overdo don't be afraid to cover it with foil or turn the oven temperature down.

This thread may help with pointers on cooking from frozen:

"Cook from frozen", or "Defrost thoroughly"

I very rarely cook from frozen but when I do I try to think if it's sold in the shops as a cook from frozen product eg pizza, fishcakes etc. Have a look here for some links that may help.

Pink

angie_loves_veg

Emzy wrote: »

Ive just looked on here at the leftovers thread and people have good ideas on freezing certain things like veg, gravy, mash etc... but i have no idea what would need to be defrosting first or how long things take, its really frustrating me.
thanks again, Emma

If in doubt, defrost it thoroughly first, then either just heat it up again in the microwave (mash, gravy, veg etc) or in a pan (gravy) or in the oven (a pie etc).

When I was learning about reheating, I found the microwave very helpful as I could do it for 30 secs or 1 min, and just pop it in again and again if not hot enough. You get used to the timings once you start doing it, as pink said, portion size will affect reheating times.

Once you get your confidence you will learn which things can be reheated from frozen, again, if they are sold as cook from frozen, you can do the same with your own frozen food. For example, you could microwave or steam your frozen veggies ...