Freezing - Tips and Quick Questions thread

janthemum

Ha ha no Im still alive lol not a goner and it was lovely!!
Texture a bit more dense but I still enjoyed, thing is I also had one fresh bit OH had that and insisted he had it and we not share in case I became ill he could look after me!
ummmmmm not too sure i go with the sentiment on that on!!!

terra_ferma

I'd like to share a recent discovery (probably some people are already doing it, but for me it was a big thing, going against what I've always been taught.. )

My sister told me that she freezes raw vegetables to make soup, which I didn't think would work. Well I found out that it's actually OK and since I've tried I've been using left over vegs to make meals practically for free.
I used to throw away some small bits of vegetables (like the last floppy carrot or celery stick in the packet, or the hard bits in leeks), but now I keep them in a bag in the fridge and when it's full I cook a nice soup with pearl barley. I've even managed to salvage floppy radishes, but you can only use a small quantity, they have a bitter/peppery taste, but a little bit adds to the flavour.
Parsnip worked well too.

The vegetables are quite soft but still taste nice, and after blending my family don't notice the difference and have asked me to make these soups more often

gemmylou86

Hi All, newbie here!
Been lurking in old style for ages and absorbing all your frugal tips but got a few quick questions for my first attempt at freezer cooking:

Firstly, I do my shop monthly so as a result most of my meat is currently in the freezer - am I right in thinking I can't cook this meat into meals and then re-freeze it?

Also, I make a curry sauce that includes cream (well, a well known diet brands' reduced fat cream) - is this safe to freeze?

Thanks in advance and apologies if these questions have already been asked

Gem

Primrose

It's fine to take raw meat out of the freezer, cook it and refreeze it. I assume you're thinking of items like minced beef for turning into Bolognese sauce, or stewing beef into caseroles. Obviously it's wise to freeze it as soon as it has cooled and not to leave it long enough in the freezer to get frosted.

The problem with making curry sauces with cream is that the cream could possible split from the sauce when it's defrosted and look a little unsightly but you could try omitting the cream before freezing and adding it after it has thawed, when you reheat it. It's not unsafe if the cream splits but might look a little unsightly.

gemmylou86

Thanks Primrose!

Yes I was thinking along the lines of mince for lasagne, cottage pie etc - so it's good to know I can start straight away with what I've got in the freezer! Would this be ok to do with chicken too?

It never even occurred to me to add the cream after, think I'll be doing that then, thanks for the tip!

Primrose

yes chicken should be fine too but it will possibly freeze better in a sauce, but if you've got, eg some cooked chicken drumsticks you could freeze them to avoid wasting them. Best to wrap them indiivdually in clingfilm to stop them getting frosted..

littlesnuggy

Made a cake for visiting parents at the weekend and for the first time made chocolate ganache (just double cream & melted dark chocolate) to coat it with. I've just finished doing that and there's about half a cup-full leftover. I've been licking spoons & bowls all afternoon so can't face just eating it - will it freeze alright for use at a later date? Or will I just have to bake something else tomorrow?

Callie22

I would freeze it. Even if it splits when you thaw it, you'd probably be able to warm it up and use it as a hot chocolate sauce for ice-cream etc.

ragz_2

I am afraid it will become toxic by morning... send it over

krlyr

I wonder if whipping it first might help - you can use whipped ganache much like buttercream icing (but tastier, nom) and I know cream tends to be more stable frozen when whipped.