Freezing - Tips and Quick Questions thread

grunnie

I just stew the apples and freeze as my crumble mix is already ( uncooked ) in bags in the freezer.My apples keep for almost a year or till they are all used for up in the cold in my garage if that saves you space in the freezer.

ClutterNutter_2

You know them foil food container thingys you can buy with the cardboard(I think?)lids on them to freeze things? If I put stew in one of them and froze it, could I put it in the oven with the lid on? If not, if I put it in lidless, would the top of the stew burn?

Olliebeak

ClutterNutter wrote: »

You know them foil food container thingys you can buy with the cardboard(I think?)lids on them to freeze things? If I put stew in one of them and froze it, could I put it in the oven with the lid on? If not, if I put it in lidless, would the top of the stew burn?

I don't use those regularly, but I do remember buying frozen Brains Faggots in a similar style container. For those, you were told to loosen the lid but leave in place while it was in the oven.

How about taking the stew out of the freezer the night before, so it wouldn't need to be in the oven for quite as long, as you would then only be warming it through and not defrosting as well.

p00

ClutterNutter wrote: »

You know them foil food container thingys you can buy with the cardboard(I think?)lids on them to freeze things? If I put stew in one of them and froze it, could I put it in the oven with the lid on? If not, if I put it in lidless, would the top of the stew burn?

I do this all the time with meat in gravy or crumbles etc. If its got gravy in I leave the lid on but take it off for the crumbles. Ive also defrosted first but you dont really need to as long as you leave them in the oven for about 40 mins Ive found

xxp00

ClutterNutter_2

Thanks for the help.

heavenleigh

Ok hi guys have done a search and really wont be offended if i have missed something and this post is moved (infact im sure i have) was a mse regular a couple of years ago and loved the site until i gave birth to my 4th child and slowly lost the time to use the pc.....anyway enough digressing.... my husband and i seperated in September leaving me with 4 children and a house to run, so here i am back with you all. I am doing brilliantly with the cheap nutritious meals my problem comes with portion sizes and leftovers (who would think just losing one male from the house would make such a difference to portions!)
I hold my hands up i'm 31 and have no idea how to safely freeze and reheat meals! in the past couple of months i have been making homemade shepards pie/lasagne/maccaronni cheese etc and throwing out the left overs . i need someone to let me know how to safely store/freeze/reheat leftovers or partial meals. i'm sure once im confident with this i can look towards batch cooking and freezing.
Told you i was a simpleton lol xx
Leigh xx

x_raphael_xx

I think you can pretty much freeze anything I just stick it in a tupperware box & lob it in the freezer. Chilli, mash, leftover veg, batter mix, cheese...anything.

Just make sure its defrosted fully, and piping hot when reheated.

charliee_3

cool it quickly, shove it in a tupperware, or a freezer bag, throw it in the freezer.. when you need to use it defrost it in the fridge or i defrost in the microwave and then heat it really really well in the microwave, or in the oven... make sure its hot right through...

missychrissy

Completely agree with charliee. However, I try and defrost in the fridge as it lowers temp in there and therefore saves money. It just means that you have to think at least a day ahead.

I too brought up 4 children on my own. They ate practically anything they were given but as I worked full time from my youngest being 9 they very quickly learned how to cook themselves.

I nearly always cook in bulk and freeze one person portion sized meals. It suits me as I can grab one of my ready meals out of the freezer on my way to work and it is defrosted by the time I need it. It could also work for your children if some of them have particular likes and dislikes as they can have their own home cooked ready meal.

foxgloves

You'll find you save a lot of money doing this. There's only two of us, but because we often double-up when cooking & freeze the 2nd one of whatever it is, we sometimes find we can have practically a whole month eating out of the freezer and spending very little. That's what we're doing at the moment, so that we can save our December groceries money for Christmas & New Year. The only things to remember with freezing is to cool the dish quickly, wrap it well and then make sure it's really piping hot when you've reheated it.