Freezer friendly ideas

jellybeanmusic

Hi, I’m about to get some renovation work done and my kitchen will be out of action for a few months. I thought I would do some batch cooking in advance so that I have healthy meals in the freezer.

Does anyone have any good recipes for batch cooked things that freeze well and that are nutritionally balanced? Thanks in advance!

sarakenna12

Your best friend for batch cooking in my opinion is some sort of Food Saver because you can preportion everything, protect it from freezer burn, and even cook food right in the bags in some instances. I like batch freeze pre-seasoned chicken breast so all I need to do is thaw and cook it. I might freeze precooked sides as well, like blanched veges and pre-portioned brown rice. The chicken after being thawed can be sauted, broiled/grilled, or stewed (from frozen in an instant pot!) depending on the recipe and/or your kitchen availability. Good ones are "street cart chicken" by Deb Perleman (I serve with romain lettuce, hummus, tomatoes, calamata olives, cucumbers, plain yogurt with minced garlic thinned with lemon juice, and harissa). I prefer this recipe grilled or broiled. I'll make a homemade teriyaki sauce marinade (soy sauce, some sort of sweetener like honey/brown sugar/agave, a touch of sesame oil, red chili flakes, fresh garlic). I'll reserve a bit of this and toss the chicken in the rest and then freeze. I toss the remaining marinade in with some blanched broccoli and freeze that too. The broccoli can be microwaved in the bag. This chicken is good sauted, grilled, or even stewed in the instant pot (for 20 mins on high). For a mexican I'll marinade chicken breast in a jar of salsa verde with some cumin and garlic added. This can be grilled or stewed and then added to a mexican chicken salad, tacos, or tortilla soup.

acpgee

I batch cook a lot. I find braised dishes freeze well. I try to find recipes where there is veg as well as protein so when heating up you dish you only need to add some starch such as pasta, rice, microwaved jacket potato, warmed up tinned beans. Keep in mind you can also add a handful of frozen veg such as peas or spinach pellets while you are warming up your dish.

My go to batch cook recipes:
Mangchi's Dak dori tang (Korean chicken, carrot and potato stew)
Marcella Hazan's Bolognese sauce (contains carrot, celery, onion, tinned tomato besides meat)
Curries (family favourites are beef rendang and Thai green chicken curry)
Coq au vin
Estouffade, daube or boef bourgignon
Osso bucco or lamb shanks

Other tips for living without a kitchen for a while:
Get an air fryer which is a compact convection oven. I make everything from chicken legs, to roast vegetables to cheesecake in mine.

If you were thinking of buying a sous vide wand, now is the time to invest. I batch cook buckets of roast pork loin, confit duck legs, cheap cuts of roast beef such as eye of round and toss them in the freezer. Before serving I dry off the thawed sous vide meat and sear for15 minutes in a very hot air fryer.

Get a rice cooker which I also use for couscous and pulses. I've also used mine as a slow cooker for caramelized onions and I am sure you could braise in it.

Make more use of the microwave. I do poached eggs, bacon, blanched vegetables, jacket potatoes, poached fish in mine.

MsCzar

Soups, stews and chili dishes spring to mind. Breakfast burritos and fajita wraps freeze well. My batches would be dependent on how I cooked. What kitchen appliances do you have? Will you have a fridge? If it's months without a fridge, I think I would buy a mini. With the exception of an air fryer and rice cooker, I confess to owning enough kitchen gadgets to not need a kitchen at all. I suppose I could make do with only a microwave and my beloved George Foreman Evolve grill with all its different plates. Throw in an electric kettle and I'd be good to go. I'd probably also stock up on paper plates and disposable cups and cutlery.

vanderstappenj

I have done a lot of meals for my in-laws and used the freezer. I have done a breakfast bake with egg, sausage, veggies and shredded potatoes. Lasagna and other similar pasta meals, chicken cordon blue bake, BBQ turkey meatloaf, Cheesy Chicken Noodle Bake and even a great freezer version of shrimp alfredo with a slightly healthier sauce. You can do a google search for recipes for freezing.

jellybeanmusic

Some great ideas, thank you all so much! I should have been clearer about what access to things I'd have, I'll be able to set up my fridge in the garage, and I have a microwave, kettle and mini camping oven, but I won't have a hob or big oven to be able to bake much. Defo some fab ideas here to get me prepared before they knock the house apart though, time to fill up my chest freezer. Thanks!