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Meal building blocks for the freezer

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  • pollyjw
    pollyjw Posts: 105 Forumite
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    Love this thread - has even got me to stop lurking and join in for once!

    Thanks for all your fab ideas. Hadn't thought to freeze half lemons for zest. Ususally have loads of frozen slices from making elderflower cordial that last from one June to the next so never need any more of those!

    I double up when baking biscuits and freeze half the dough wrapped in foil or cling film (labelled with name, baking temp and time , even which cutter to use - hopeless at remembering and it saves getting the recipe book out when you come to bake). It defrosts in a couple of hours and you get fresh baked biscuits for little effort. That excellent hobnobs recipe that was posted on this site works a treat.

    I also freeze batches of crumble topping for the obvious but it also doubles up as scones if you just mix it to a dough with a bit of milk and beaten egg.

    Will be trying the bread dough idea - would never have expected that to work!

    Sorry if these ideas have all been posted already - still working my way through the rest of the thread.
  • count_rostov
    count_rostov Posts: 218 Forumite
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    If you don't finish a bottle of wine freeze it in ice cubes for when a recipe calls for a splash of wine. This doesn't happen much in our house...
    Debt at LBM (20th March 2008) £13,607
    Debt currently [strike]£11,667[/strike] [strike]£11088[/strike] [strike]£10,681[/strike] [STRIKE]£10354 Hurrah 24% paid off[/STRIKE]
    Oh dear ... back to £12944 9% paid off :rolleyes:
    Hurrah £10712 22% paid off
  • DdraigGoch
    DdraigGoch Posts: 731 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Mortgage-free Glee!
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    I have a few one pint milk bottles [plastic ones!] into which I variously put any left over wine, beer, stock, gravy etc. This means that when it comes to making large casseroles x 2 or 3 I can happily slosh the booze in, knowing it hasn't "cost" me anything!

    Just an aside, I'll bet that anyone who works in a wine bar might be keen to remember this idea....
    If you see me on here - shout at me to get off and go and get something useful done!! :D
  • marygoodwife
    marygoodwife Posts: 38 Forumite
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    hi there, great thread, my chest freezer comes on tuesday ive already been to my local farm to price a full pig including sausages ........ 60.00 quid.....a bargain me thinks he told me to wait a month for a lamb as it will be cheaper......nice guy.
    It's all staring us in the face...we just can't see it!!!
    :T:rotfl:
  • perrywinkle
    perrywinkle Posts: 224 Forumite
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    Morning everyone:hello:

    When a recipe calls for lemon or lime juice, before juicing them I grate the zest into a box I keep in the freezer then I can just crumble some into any recipe that needs some. (can also mix the lemon zest with breadcrumbs for coating chicken nuggets etc)

    HTH
    perrywinkle
  • FZwanab
    FZwanab Posts: 472 Forumite
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    windowshopper100 wrote: »
    Someone mentioned earlier that the Panasonic BM pizza dough makes too much in one go, which is true - the pizza turns out far too bready.

    I make two batches of dough and take a third off each ball so I end up with 3 balls of dough. I then roll out all three and freeze on baking sheets so there's not even a need to roll them out before loading them up and cooking.
    WS100

    I have successfully tripled the pizza dough recipe for the panny, but you have to take it out quickly when done to prove somewhere else as if it rises too much in the breadmaker it sticks to the lid.
    Penny xxx
    Old age isn't bad when you consider the alternative.
  • heppy23
    heppy23 Posts: 478 Forumite
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    Great thread, will have to read it closely and have a proper look.
    We've got a tiny built in freezer (four drawer) from when we were a funky single couple.
    Now we've got a three year old and another baby due in October.

    I LOVE cooking but don't get the time to do it every day. The building blocks concept is great. I've often thought about doing a batch of pasta sauce to chuck over the pasta I mainly eat for lunch when I am at home. Should help me at work as I end up spending a tenner a week on sandwiches etc!
  • la_farfallina
    la_farfallina Posts: 249 Forumite
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    I buy bunches of herbs from my local Turkish or Asian stores, then wash and freeze them in plastic bags.
    When I need some coriander, parsley, mint etc I just scrunch some straight out of the bag. A big bunch of coriander or parsley costs me around 70 pence - much cheaper than the teeny tiny bags that supermarkets sell.

    Farf x
  • PasturesNew
    PasturesNew Posts: 70,698 Forumite
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    Ladygrim wrote: »
    Havent got a Lakeland down here - so I get mine from Matalan - cheaper prices too. ;)

    LG
    There's a Lakeland just 2 miles down past Matalan. In Truro itself. Right in the central through road where the road's cobbled; the back of Woolies (not Lemon Quay side).

    http://www.lakeland.co.uk/L?content=stores/truro.htm
  • frugalswan
    frugalswan Posts: 339 Forumite
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    Thanks for this thread - I freeze the basic meal building blocks, but the tips on freezing things in small portions or so they don't take up much space is invaluable to me as we've only got a standard freezer and no room for a chest freezer (which I know I'd fill ;) ). Thanks again!
    Continually trying the Grocery Challenge. Gotta keep trying!
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