Freezing - Tips and Quick Questions thread

squeaky

Best bet...?

Line a tub of your choice with a bag.

Freeze it in the bag (in the tub).

Take the bag out of the tub and it will now stack more tidily than it would as a "lump".

Re-use the tub for something else

Curious_Moose

If you make a big pot of stew is it practical to freeze some?

1) Do you juts wait for it to cool down fully and then freeze it?
2) Does the container make a difference? Can you use plastic freezer bags or are ceramic pots better?
3) Does it need to be airtight or can you just cover it with tin foil?
4) Are any particular stew ingrediants (potatoes, vegetables, meat) good/not so good for freezing?
5) Anything else!

Thanks! :beer:

Telute

Yes you can freeze stew. You do need to let it cool down before putting it into a container for freezing. It's worth thinking about how your likely to use it and how you'll reheat it since this will affect your choice of container.


I tend to reheat mine in the microwave for quick dinners so freeze it in individual portions in microwavable pots, but if you're going to get it out in the morning and leave it to defrost and reheat it in a pan or an oven then bags/casserole dishes would probably be fine.

I'd reccommend something airtight, just so you don't get stew all over the freeze if you tip it up before its fully frozen, but i have frozen curry with just tin foil over the top when i ran out of lids once - it doesn't make a difference to the food you just have to be careful to keep it upright.

I don't know of anything in particular to avoid using, although beef always seems to benefit from being frozen and then reheated. I don't put dumplings or potatoes in my stews so can't offer an opinion on them, but must have used everything else at some point. You might find the flavouring needs adjusting as freezing will take the punch out of some herbs and spices, so always do a taste test once its reheated and add stuff if need be.

Oh - and if you freeze a lot its worht labelling stuff. I always forget and then spend ages looking at pots of red stuff trying to work out what it is.

bertiebots

I always freeze stew as I make double what we need! :j I have some tupperware type boxes with lids that I use but you can use freezer bags. Plastic containers are cheap at places like Ikea .I would recommend you use something with a secure lid and only containers that are labled suitable for use in the freezer . I usually let it cool before freezing as its not good for your freezer to put things in hot. I dont think there is anything in most variations of stew that cant be frozen so go for it:D !!

Olliebeak

I have frozen my 'scouse' with no ill-effects. That contains beef, potatoes, onions, carrots, swede, parsnip, cabbage, soup and broth mix- so I reckon that most stuff that goes into 'a stew' is probably OK to freeze.

Curious_Moose

:beer: for the replies!

danz0l

Hi Guys.

I'll be cooking Paella next week and the recipe calls for halved cherry tomatoes. I managed to get some yesterday cut down and wondered if i could halve and freeze them for the paella or would they go too mushy ?

weezl74

danz0l wrote: »

Hi Guys.

I'll be cooking Paella next week and the recipe calls for halved cherry tomatoes. I managed to get some yesterday cut down and wondered if i could halve and freeze them for the paella or would they go too mushy ?

Hiya,

I think they'd go too mushy, but you could try home-made sun blush with them, and then use those in the paella? Cut the toms in half, sprinkle salt and olive oil (if you have it) put in the oven on a really low (e) setting for a long time till they shrivel and dry a bit and intensify in flavour) then when they're done, pop them in a jar, with oil to cover. This preserving method lasts for months, especially if you sterilise the jar!

HTH,

Weezl

danz0l

Thanks Weezl74 sounds fascinating. Mind you it would cost me more in oil than i paid for the toms then so its not really an option i'd be happy with

Might just eat them with a cheese sandwhich

all_hours

weezl74 wrote: »

Cut the toms in half, sprinkle salt and olive oil (if you have it) put in the oven on a really low (e) setting for a long time till they shrivel and dry a bit and intensify in flavour) then when they're done, pop them in a jar, with oil to cover. This preserving method lasts for months, especially if you sterilise the jar!

weezl, great idea. would this method work with regular tomatoes too. for an electric fan oven what setting do you suggest and how long do you think it would take.