Freezing Food???

chergar

I do not freeze anything that I cook as I am not very confident in reheating it. Okay thats a lie, I do freeze it but then think the food looks 'iffy' so I bin it (sometimes I even cook it first) !!!!!

Can you tell me what I can freeze, how long it will keep for and how to reheat it.

I am really bad with chicken, I buy fresh chicken breasts freeze them then think 'oh someone will get ill' and I bin them.

I am wasting so much money doing this. I enjoy cooking, I am a sahm so have loads of time to batch cook but just don't know where/how to start.

I don't have a slow cooker but I do have a pressure cooker!

Please help me save money.

Pink.

Hi chergar,

In my experience you can freeze most things as long as they have not been previously frozen in their current state. ie you can freeze something that has not been previously frozen, defrost it, cook it (change the state) and freeze again, but only once. So you can safely freeze once in its raw state and once in its cooked state.

Often when I lift things out of the freezer they don't look very appetising but once reheated they're fine.

The things that don't freeze well are things with a high water content....some veg eg lettuce, cucumber etc. This older thread may help: What foods can/can't you freeze? I'll merge your thread with that one later.

If there's anything you're unsure of post in the Freezing - quick questions thread. and someone will be able to help out.

Pink

thriftlady_2

chergar wrote: »

I am really bad with chicken, I buy fresh chicken breasts freeze them then think 'oh someone will get ill' and I bin them.

:eek: Ooh, what a waste It is perfectly safe to freeze fresh meat, honest:) Just freeze it when you bring it home, defrost overnight in the fridge then cook it. It will be fine. It is also fine to cook your defrosted or fresh chicken in a casserole for instance, then freeze the cooked casserole.

Two things you mustn't do are 1) defrost raw meat, then freeze it again while it is still raw.
2) defrost cooked meat and freeze it again.

Freeze once raw and once cooked.
HTH:)

DawnW

why don't you buy or borrow from the library a book on freezer storage/ cooking, as this would start you off on the right track, and give you the confidence to overcome this problem? As the posters above indicate, lots of us already happily eat previously frozen cooked and uncooked food without any problems at all, and there are government approved instructions available to keep everything perfectly safe.

Queenie

Here are some links you may find useful:-

Freezing Food

Food Freezing Guide (PDF - includes article on freezing prepared foods)

Freezing Fruits

Freezer Plans (includes ideas on what to do with Chicken Breasts/pieces)


One note of caution, easily rectified if you speak to the chilled foods manager if shopping in a supermarket/butcher if shopping with a butcher:-

I once bought some minced beef from a supermarket, only to find when I got it home that it was part frozen in the middle (this was from the FRESH meat counter!!!!) I phoned, queried and even complained that I was being sold pre frozen meat under the guise of *fresh* meat. The cheeky monkey tried to bamboozle me with words and his personal view of 'science' - but the upshot is, do NOT freeze raw meat that has previously been frozen!!!! Do double check with the business you are buying from first!

Chicken breasts are fine just so long as you defrost them thoroughly before cooking them. The only time they may look a little "icky" is if they have been freezer burnt (leaves a whiteish/grey discolouration on the meat). This means that the food wasn't wrapped correctly and ice crystals have been able to get at the meat and dehydrate an area of it. In the main, it's not a huge issue and the meat should still be ok, if a little tough on that spot. However, with severe freezer burn, ditch it! It's not worth persevering if the meat is heavily effective as all you'll end up with is a tasteless, tough piece of YUK!! Careful wrapping will go a looooong way in preventing freezer burn

taketwo

Also be slightly wary of things like duck with a high fat content. Fat freezes at a lower temperature so will continue to go slowly rancid. Having said that I've had a duck frozen for best part of a year cooked it well ( I like my duck with good crispy skin, not pink) and it's been lovely