Freeze for Later Resources
I'm looking for more resources on foods that you prep and freeze for later. Whether it's adapting dishes you usually make into freeze for later or foods explicitly made for that. I'd also like things on defrosting safely and properly. I've read all the posts here and it's helpful, but I'm looking for more. (I know that these may seem like
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In general, I've learned to "adapt" recipes from the semi-homemade mindset if the recipe looks good, so I keep myself open to ideas. That may be something you consider.
As far as freezing, most casseroles freeze beautifully, but I prefer to freeze their "parts", then assemble while frozen and bake. I will have portion sizes of meat cooked, then frozen, added to pre frozen vegetables, etc.
For frozen vegetables (which I use a lot of), my favorite way to cook them is roasting in the oven. They get a nice flavor and lose some of the sog.
Premaking desserts, I like to freeze them individually as well. You can freeze fruits in pie size portions, then just put them in a crust to bake. You can do the same for pie crusts. Cakes freeze very well, but I prefer to freeze them unfrosted. My favorite things to freeze are fruit curds, freezer jams, and pound cake type recipes. Then I can combine them in any way I want at the moment. A note, though. If you freeze berry/fruits with all the ingredients to bake, don't use corn starch as a thickener, it doesn't do well in the freezer.
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I love to put them in homemade chicken or vegetable pot pies. I like to cook with frozen broccoli, and mix it with chicken and vegetables. I do stir fry with frozen broccoli, and add it to the pan still frozen and it comes out OK.
I actually prefer frozen spinach to fresh, unless I'm eating a spinach salad. I add frozen spinach to soups, but I love it in quiche. Most recipes that have called for spinach that I have used, I use frozen. I do let it thaw in a sieve, so some of the moisture is out of it before I add it to anything. Same thing with peas. Unless it's the season for beautiful fresh peas, chances are they are the frozen ones at my house.
When you find recipes that call for pre cooked veggies, you can easily sub in some frozen veggies. If moisture is a problem, you can let them thaw in a collander, and that helps quite a bit.
The thing you have to remember about frozen vegetables is they will really never be the same as fresh ones, so don't expect they taste like it. They don't really need to be cooked, just heated. I also like to sprinkle fresh (or sometimes dried) herbs on vegetables to make them taste a bit different.
I will admit, my favorite, by far, way to eat pre-frozen vegetables is roasting them in an oven. Just toss them in a bit of oil, and then into a hot oven until you see them starting to brown. Sprinkle with your favorite herbs and serve. Although this tastes the best with root vegetables, you would be surprised how great roast broccoli and cauliflower taste. And, if they taste like they are missing something, add a few drops of lemon juice to them. I've even added roast vegetables to a pot pie I made, and it was really good.
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