What are the best meals to freeze & how long can you keep them?

Rainey_LB

I have some time off over the summer and am planning to make some batches of food to freeze for convenience for when I return to work.....have never done this before! :eek:

I have had a searched through but can only find answers to specific meal/freezing questions.

What I am looking for is if anyone would be kind enough to share some reasonably simple recipes that have been tried and tested, and how long you keep them frozen for, and do you defrost or cook from frozen?

Thanks!!

mrbrightside842

I'd love to know this too, I'm also off for summer and want to start cooking something a bit better for my family on an evening. I can substitute meat for quorn stuff and that will freeze too...hopefully?

macma

I don't actually do recipes but I often make bigger quantities of meals and freeze the surplus.Curry,spicy mince,aubergine and tomato stewy stuff,soups,pasties(made as pies as less pastry)I also make up lots of tomato sauce which I freeze in packs and they make a good start to allsorts of meals or just reheat to use over pasta.Why not cook your usual stew/mince favourites but increase the amount.I usually defrost the meals in the microwave if I've forgotten to take them out the night before.I do date things but generally have a good turnover so I haven't really thought about use by dates

Barneysmom

I do any old thing with mince in it. spag bol, chilli, shepherd's pie..
Also stews go into little tubs.
The blackberries will be ready very soon so leave a bit of space for them as they are great to grab a handfull to use with an apple pie

Rainey_LB

macma wrote: »

I don't actually do recipes but I often make bigger quantities of meals and freeze the surplus.Curry,spicy mince,aubergine and tomato stewy stuff,soups,pasties(made as pies as less pastry)I also make up lots of tomato sauce which I freeze in packs and they make a good start to allsorts of meals or just reheat to use over pasta.Why not cook your usual stew/mince favourites but increase the amount.I usually defrost the meals in the microwave if I've forgotten to take them out the night before.I do date things but generally have a good turnover so I haven't really thought about use by dates

Barneysmom wrote: »

I do any old thing with mince in it. spag bol, chilli, shepherd's pie..
Also stews go into little tubs.
The blackberries will be ready very soon so leave a bit of space for them as they are great to grab a handfull to use with an apple pie

Thanks, my problem is I have to admit I am not the worlds greatest or most adventurous cook!!

I can do shepherds pie (have made the day before and refrigerated to reheat the following day, never frozen) and a basic casserole which has always been eaten on the day. But we really eat quite plain food most of the time fish/meat with potatoes/plain rice with some veg mixed in, salad or veg at the moment.

This is for 2 reasons, time available on the day to prep and the kids will eat it!! Would like to do some things like hot pots, stews, fish pie even, just worried about how long to keep this kind of stuff I have a few cook books but some say that you can freeze the dish, but not for how long - I would really like stuff that would go 4 - 6 weeks so it gets me between each school hol.

So I'm really starting from scratch, macma when you say you have a quick turnover are you talking days, weeks? Sorry am a complete novice!!

Also, you say you defrost o/n or defrost in microwave (I don't have one) do you need to do this with everything or can somethings be reheated from frozen?

shebrett

I find that tomato based dishes freeze well like pasta sauce, pizza sauce or chilli/bolognese sauce. I've used them up to 5 months after cooking and they've been fine. I tend to freeze them in a silicone muffin tray and when frozen put the balls of sauce in a sandwich bag to prevent them from icing over. When I want to use them I defrost however many I need in a bowl on the bench or in the oven if I want them quickly or in the fridge to use the next day. I have tried defrosting in the microwave but the sauce tended to dry out at the edges and the taste was never quite right so I'm not confident about that method myself. I find that when defrosting the water content of the dish does separate a little and float on top but a quick stir and it's the same as when you first cooked it.

I've also frozen cheese sauce based dishes like macaroni cheese/tuna casserole/lasagne etc but I try to use those within 3 months, no particular reason I just find they discolour if left too long and figure it's best to be careful.

Rainey_LB

After searching many threads on here tonight, lots of people seem to asking similar to me, how long is is safe to freeze for before eating/discarding, have yet to found a thread with the answer....I suspect there probably is one somewhere as there is so many.

But I found these to the US Governments Food Safety site which has some very useful information and a little table at the bottom.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/focus_on_freezing/index.asp

and the UK Food Standards Agency which gives not so much

http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/keepingfoodsafe/storing/

Would still welcome any recipes, tips etc from people who regularly freeze in advance.

Thanks!!

macma

Rainy LB I've had stuff lurking in the freezer for...can't read the date !
I have put frozen stuff in a pan and podded and poked 'til heated through:eek:
next week we'll have been married 38yrs and haven't killed the OH yet (tried a few times ):rotfl:
I'd say cook what you know but double or treble the quantity get some good containers that you can label.
I tend to spice stuff but children aren't always keen but the basic tomato sauce-onion,garlic,celery sweated add couple of cans of tomatoes squirt of tom puree teaspoon of sugar splash of vinegar seasoning cook down I add a sprig of rosemary ('had an italian student taught me that )I blitzt it with a stick blender but not compulsary it's a base for mince or curry or as I said basic pasta sauce .Do what you know and some

gailey_2

Rainey_LB wrote: »

I have some time off over the summer and am planning to make some batches of food to freeze for convenience for when I return to work.....have never done this before! :eek:

I have had a searched through but can only find answers to specific meal/freezing questions.

What I am looking for is if anyone would be kind enough to share some reasonably simple recipes that have been tried and tested, and how long you keep them frozen for, and do you defrost or cook from frozen?

Thanks!!

I have batchcooked for last year of so and been doing tonnes last 2weeks to last family to next payday plus kids off school.

I buy pack of plastic tubs with lids from poundstercher although other cheapy shops do similar. thet 1quid for 5 or 6tubs depending on size.

Get yourself 2 important things

large casserole dish with lid
large glass lasagne dish.

i would say most things best consumed wit 3mmonths but ok for 6months as long as cooled b4freezing, lid firmly on and freezer in good working order right temp.

I label my tubs with date made and description.

i do things like

currys
shepards pie
chilli con carne
lasagne
chicken, beef or sausage casserole frozen with mash
mash freezes really well.
crumbles or stewed fruit a winner especially with any free or reduced fruit.
bangers and mash.
you can freeze muffins.
fish pie.
pie
burgers
batc cook tubs of tomato sauce made with veg, passata and herbs
quiches-fab for lunch.


I find rice and pasta does not freeze great exception is lasagne.

frozen beg always handy when you run out of fresh like little steamfresh bags for kids.

Going to attempt freezing pizzas.

Ihave use swartz/colmans packet mixes in past for casseroles

Look at recipe books or google good food website good.

I have couple of good recipes.

frozen fish
place on baking tray cover with oil, passata and dried herbs
bake for 20mins
add grated chese
bake for another 10-15mins lovley tomato/cheesy fish great with wedges or frozen veg

Good luck its easy once in swing of things.
Start gradually dont be nervous will bring food bill down and be so tasty.