Frozen meals.

gottagetitoff11

I was wondering how many members make their own frozen meals. Ive been trying but i can not stop them from freezer burning. Can a member show me a picture of what you freeze yours in.

Thanks

kommodevaran

Not directly what you asked, but, no, I cook from fresh. It doesn't take long, and dry foods takes up way less space in cupboard than frozen foods in freezer.

lynn_glenmont

I don't make my own frozen meals, but I cook a fair amount, and I freeze extras from time to time. In general, what you want to do is keep frost from forming on the surface of the food by minimizing its exposure to air.

If the food is hot, it's best to cool it first (in the refrigerator for most things, although baked goods are better cooled at room temperature). This will prevent the problem of steam condensing back on your food, or forming ice particles inside it.

If it's something solid (pieces of meat, larger veggies, baked goods), make sure the surface is reasonably dry before you start, if possible. (Obviously this won't work for a recipe that includes a sauce, although some sauces don't freeze well anyway, and you'd be better off making the sauce fresh when you defrost the food, if possible.) Double wrap the food tightly with something like wax paper or aluminum foil. Store in a freezer-weight plastic storage bag. Press out as much excess air from the bag before closing (you should be able to fold over any excess bag material, because there's no air inside inflating it like a balloon).

If it's something liquid or semi-liquid or small pieces (e.g., rice, beans) that you want/need to store in a jar or bowl, leave a minimum of headroom (air space), and cover the surface of the food with wax paper. If the container isn't specifically made for the freezer and is small enough to fit in a large freezer storage bag, slide it into one, expel the air, and close. Or you can double wrap the exterior of the container in aluminum foil.

DrizztGirl82

I do quite a bit of freezer cooking and I agree with the double wrapping. Usually if it is a solid food (like a pizza I want to freeze) I wrap it in plastic wrap first, followed by foil. Make sure there is little to no air. Also, research whether the ingredients freeze well or not before you try it.

chelllsea124

My Food Saver is my best friend. Expensive, though;.

HeidiCooksSupper

I've found wrapping with both a layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil helps.

macgurlnet

I just use small plastic containers I got from aldi - they're meant for freezer use, which does make a difference.

If your containers aren't air-tight & meant for freezer use, you'll have issues with freezer burn.

Raw meat gets portioned out and wrapped in plastic wrap or a plastic bag, then all stuffed in a freezer bag.

Cooked stuff usually goes in the containers right after I'm done cooking. I let it sit on the counter to cool first, then into the freezer. I'll get a little bit of frost most of the time, but not enough that it causes issues with flavor.

~Lyssa