Freezing Food

samminich

I'm trying to be more organised and cut down the shopping bills and be a bi greener, cooking lots of things and freezing to use when needed.

Might be a daft question but how do I know if I need to defrost before reheating or just cook from frozen.

Any help appreciated.

DawnW

It isn't a daft question at all, because it varies with different foods. Frozen veg and fruit, on the whole, you can cook from frozen, whereas meat (again, on the whole) you need to defrost first. I suggest you buy or borrow a freezer cookbook (lots cheap in charity shops/car boot sales - they were all the rage in the 1970-80s, or borrow from the library). Alternatively ask on here about individual things, as it is difficult to generalise. Things that are frozen together in a big lump, such as, say, bacon, or things that you want to just eat, like bread (unless you are going to toast it - see what i mean about the variations?), common sense would tell you to defrost it, if only to get it apart/ be able to get your teeth into it. However, there are so many variations, that a beginner really needs to look at a book or ask for advice on individual items

samminich

I was thinking of things like, lasagne, if I make a large one and freezer the leftovers, chilli that type of thing. Mainly using the leftovers to freeze and use at a later date.

For some I have recipes and it says can be frozen, but doesn't say whether it should be defrosted first, don't want to poison anyone.

tawnyowls

Again, as DawnW says, that depends. If it's stuff that breaks apart easily, like chilli and rice, then it's usually easy to pop in the microwave, break it up as it defrosts, and give it a good stir. If it's something more solid, you may end up overcooking the outside and having the middle uncooked. Lasagne can be a particular problem, as it often goes rubbery if you cook straight from frozen.

anniewoo

I make large quantities of things like chilli and curry and then freeze in individual portions and I find it is better to let a portion thaw out first,because it takes a lot less time to reheat than if it was frozen.

That is,unless I forget to take it out of the freezer the night before!

Penelope_Penguin

Hi! Frozen veg, I put into boiling water and just reheat, as it's already cooked.

For things such as pasta sauce, lasagne, chilli, etc, I thaw mine in the fridge overnight. This has 3 advantages:

1. It reduces the electricity load on the fridge

2. it reduces the gas needed to defrost

3. it allows the food to be cooked evenly. Lasagne, especially, tends to be dry on the outside and cold in the middle if cooked from frozen.

HTH

Penny. x

ljw_3

A good tip to checking on specific foods (like your lasagne) is to check the packaging in your local supermarket. For example, I love Lasagne but all the ones I've seen in the local supermarkets suggest you defrost thoroughly before use. If the manufacturers advice is defrost then it should be good enough for home made stuff.

I agree with the veg posts but beware of freezing veg with a high water content, particularly onions. I make a great vat of Chinese Chicken Curry which is stuffed with onions but if you freeze them the ice crystals practically destroy the onions during the freezing process. So if you can leave them out and add them once the rest has defrosted ready for cooking.

nikibella

Hi,
of course it depends also on how many people there are in your house. I try to make as many individual portions as possible, so they can be cooked straight from the freezer (like cut up vegetables) or it take very little time to defrost either at room temperature or in the microwave.
E.g. I wrap each slice of meat or chicken breast in clingfilm, freeze them on a tray and put them in a freezing bag when frozen, so I can take out as many portions I need at a time and put the rest in the freezer again.
For ready cooked food, like stews, curry etc, it' best to heat it frozen. I put it in a covered pan with 1 or 2 tablespoon water, add if necessary (saves oil and calories) and a very gentle heat, stirring occasionally, it comes out like freshly made.
If you are in a hurry, you can use the microwave, in my opinion it's doesn't save so much time, but there will be a pan less to clean.