Why isn't batch cooking and freezing working for me?

Fusspot

I freeze the meals once cooked and cooled down then freeze them, defrost when I want to eat them and warm up in the microwave.

Maybe I just need to have quick food from scratch.

allybee101

Do you need to get some more flavour into the food before you put it into the slow cooker?
Odd as this sounds, please bear with me!
If you cook meat in liquid (poach it, basically) it doesn't have the same flavour as if you roasted/fried/grilled it. It will be moist and succulent but I think the flavour is diluted (I'm not a chemist so don't know the science of it). If I make a casserole with stewing steak I'll fry the meat for a few minutes first to get some flavour in. If the raw meat is tossed in a bit of flour before frying that also helps to thicken up the stew. I'll also sweat the onions and garlic too.

I don't have a slow cooker, I put my stews/casseroles in the oven (low, slow cook) so it's not quite the same cooking method but principles should be the same.
I freeze portions, defrost and then heat on the hob in a saucepan over a medium heat so that the sauce and meat heat up gradually and become piping hot.

jackyann

My tips for stews, casseroles etc. are:

Not too many root veges (I like plenty in my casseroles, but they go soggy after freezing)
Cool before freezing
Wrap very tightly
Only freeze for a short while - preferably less than a month, and definitely no more if spices are included.
However you re-heat, do it very slowly.

I too tend to the "building block" approach.

Re; the root veges, I will serve a freshly cooked casserole and eat most of the root veges at that point. Then freeze, and when re-heating, cook say, peas to go with.

Lindlou

I only tend to freeze things like bolognaise sauce, chilli ( lots of!) and curry. I do rice, pasta etc fresh as it really only takes 15 minutes and you can be getting changed, drawing curtains etc while it cooks. I dont like microwaved food much - find it stays hotter heated up in a pan for a few minutes.

Linda32

Fusspot, it would be a shame if you couldn't make it work for you.
I can only add what I do.

For chicken, I cook a whole one then portion it up into takeaway style plastic boxes. I make a portion enough for two of us. Obviously you suit yourself.

I defrost in the fridge overnight for the following nights tea. If you wish to cook from scratch this can now be used in any recipe which calls for chicken to be added, with the added knowledge that its cooked through Some other ideas would be chicken salad - just put things on plates, jacket spuds, so you add sweetcorn and mayo. If you want it hot then I get a jar of curry sauce (I've tried making my own and they taste of nothing so I stick to jars) pour over the chicken and re-heat in the oven at gas mark 6 for 30 minutes. I've also used Chicken Tonight and Bisto to reheat in.


Anything mince based I reheat the same then add pasta or potatoes and veg depending on what goes.

Stews/casseroles and cook one big one in the first place, our oven has a slow cooker setting. Portion up as before then re-heat the same way but add extra veggies and potatoes.

HTH

Ellidee

Fusspot saw this and thought of you http://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/2015/04/garlic-and-lemon-chicken-and-10-other-super-easy-chicken-dump-ideas.html

Fusspot

Linda32 wrote: »

Fusspot, it would be a shame if you couldn't make it work for you.
I can only add what I do.

For chicken, I cook a whole one then portion it up into takeaway style plastic boxes. I make a portion enough for two of us. Obviously you suit yourself.

I defrost in the fridge overnight for the following nights tea. If you wish to cook from scratch this can now be used in any recipe which calls for chicken to be added, with the added knowledge that its cooked through Some other ideas would be chicken salad - just put things on plates, jacket spuds, so you add sweetcorn and mayo. If you want it hot then I get a jar of curry sauce (I've tried making my own and they taste of nothing so I stick to jars) pour over the chicken and re-heat in the oven at gas mark 6 for 30 minutes. I've also used Chicken Tonight and Bisto to reheat in.


Anything mince based I reheat the same then add pasta or potatoes and veg depending on what goes.

Stews/casseroles and cook one big one in the first place, our oven has a slow cooker setting. Portion up as before then re-heat the same way but add extra veggies and potatoes.

HTH

I love chicken and would like to batch cook this too but I am so wary of reheating cooked chicken as I have heard it can cause food poisoning.
Obviously it's ok if you do it, just need my mind putting at rest.

nuatha

Fusspot wrote: »

I love chicken and would like to batch cook this too but I am so wary of reheating cooked chicken as I have heard it can cause food poisoning.
Obviously it's ok if you do it, just need my mind putting at rest.

The big problem isn't reheating chicken, its keeping it warm for ages. If you portion, cool then freeze the chicken as quickly as possible, then thaw the portion in the fridge. Heat it above 74C - food thermometers are fairly cheap and easy to use, even just for peace of mind. Most people don't heat food anywhere near this, and that's where the problems tend to occur.

Linda32

As nuatha says its keeping it warm that is a problem, for instance I would personally never eat one of those warm chickens in a bag that supermarkets sell :eek: :eek: :eek:

In this case, you cook a whole chicken, wait say half and hour for it to cool down, not keeping it warm. Portion up and put in freezer. Then it defrosts over night. If re-heating really bothers you you can have it cold at this stage as a salad for instance.

Or in my case of re-heating in a jar of curry sauce. Make sure you re-heat in the oven rather than the microwave. After 30 minutes at gas mark 6 the sauce is bubbling hot.

Trust me, I do not take risks, never ever go near YS food for example and stick to use by dates etc.

mandragora_2

As one or two others have said, I think it's the slow cooker that's part of the problem.

I batch-cook meals, but in the conventional way - nice ingredients, plenty of herbs, bung it in the oven for however long it takes, remove, portion, cool and freeze. The day I want it, I take it out of the freezer in the morning, and reheat/consume in the evening. For me, if it's nice before it goes into the feezer, it's fine when it comes out. I had a brief run with a slow-cooker many years ago, but gave up after a couple of months because everything came out looking like sludge, meat tasted like cotton wool and veggies turned to slush. Mind you, that might be just me....