Heather's Hints for Stocking Up Meals
Since several of my friends have been talking about making meals for the freezer, I thought I'd help out with some tips. If I think of more, I'll just add them here. If you have any specific questions, just comment.
1. You can freeze just about anything you normally cook. Potatoes are one exception, as the texture tends to be off after thawing and reheating,
2. Start small. If you're not sure something will freeze well, freeze the leftovers from one meal and eat it for lunch a couple days later. You'll find out if it the taste or texture changes such that you (or your family) won't eat it.
3. Plain ol' slabs o' meat reheat better with a sauce. That keeps it from drying out.
4. Cool your food before you seal it up in a container or a vacuum-sealed bag and put it in the freezer. The quicker it's cooled, the better, food-safety-wise, and if you stick a lot of hot food in the freezer at once, it won't cool fast enough. I suggest a fan blowing over the surface and occasional stirs, or putting the container in an ice bath (I use my big roasting pan with ice and water in it.)
5. Thaw your food before you reheat it. Decide the night before what you're having for dinner the next day and put it in the refrigerator.
6. Reheat gently! If you're microwaving, do it on a lower power. If stirring is an option, stop and stir a couple times in the middle so that things get heated evenly.
1. You can freeze just about anything you normally cook. Potatoes are one exception, as the texture tends to be off after thawing and reheating,
2. Start small. If you're not sure something will freeze well, freeze the leftovers from one meal and eat it for lunch a couple days later. You'll find out if it the taste or texture changes such that you (or your family) won't eat it.
3. Plain ol' slabs o' meat reheat better with a sauce. That keeps it from drying out.
4. Cool your food before you seal it up in a container or a vacuum-sealed bag and put it in the freezer. The quicker it's cooled, the better, food-safety-wise, and if you stick a lot of hot food in the freezer at once, it won't cool fast enough. I suggest a fan blowing over the surface and occasional stirs, or putting the container in an ice bath (I use my big roasting pan with ice and water in it.)
5. Thaw your food before you reheat it. Decide the night before what you're having for dinner the next day and put it in the refrigerator.
6. Reheat gently! If you're microwaving, do it on a lower power. If stirring is an option, stop and stir a couple times in the middle so that things get heated evenly.