Need Help

dmmarie21
dmmarie21 Posts: 254 Member
edited September 19 in Recipes
Ok, So here's the deal.
My mother in law cooks too much. We are ALWAYS out of town, and all of the food I buy goes to waste :grumble:
I want to go to the grocery today, because I desperately NEED to. BUT, we are going to be gone the majority of the week, so, I was wondering if anyone does this...

Go to the store, and batch cook. I know I've read about it on here, but, I have mostly seen people doing it with soups and meatloaf. Can you do this with ANY food? I plan to buy fresh veggies and such, but, I didn't know if it would be okay to cook a normal meal and just throw it in the freezer when it cools. Has anyone had a bad experience with this? And does the food still taste fresh? How do you re-heat it? OH so many questions.. lol.
Thanks!

Replies

  • dmmarie21
    dmmarie21 Posts: 254 Member
    Ok, So here's the deal.
    My mother in law cooks too much. We are ALWAYS out of town, and all of the food I buy goes to waste :grumble:
    I want to go to the grocery today, because I desperately NEED to. BUT, we are going to be gone the majority of the week, so, I was wondering if anyone does this...

    Go to the store, and batch cook. I know I've read about it on here, but, I have mostly seen people doing it with soups and meatloaf. Can you do this with ANY food? I plan to buy fresh veggies and such, but, I didn't know if it would be okay to cook a normal meal and just throw it in the freezer when it cools. Has anyone had a bad experience with this? And does the food still taste fresh? How do you re-heat it? OH so many questions.. lol.
    Thanks!
  • xXmimiXx
    xXmimiXx Posts: 564 Member
    I'm not sure about all those questions but I do know my mum when she cooks generic meat and two veg dinners and classic meals like spag bol or w/e puts like 2/3 meals aside for my brother and freezes them...
  • aymie24
    aymie24 Posts: 227
    Most foods freeze well. I freezer cook often and just finished doing some meals this weekend.

    One thing I am loving right now is freezer omelets. I add two egg whites, an egg, a cup of spinach, half a piece of turkey bacon, a tbl of cheddar cheese and a tbl of green onion. Throw it into a freezer bag and freeze, then when ready to cook, pop the entire bag into a pot of boiling water. Cook for about 15 minutes and it slides right out of the bag.

    As for meals...

    Chicken freezes beautifully. I just made a HUGE batch of parmesan chicken fingers and froze them. Black bean and chicken enchiladas are another favorite of mine. I marinate a lot of meats too. Then I can just throw the whole contents of the bag into the crockpot. Freezer meal possibilities are endless.

    Some things that DON'T freeze well
    • Greasy or fried foods
    • Cream cheese or mascarpone and other soft cheeses
    • Yogurt
    • Sour cream
    • Mayonnaise
    • Cream fillings and custards
    • Large chunks of potatoes
    • Cooked pasta
    • Gravies and fat-based sauces
    • Hardboiled eggs
    • Fruits and Vegetables with high water content (i.e. watermelon, citrus fruit, lettuce,
    tomato)
    • Jello

    I don't know exactly whay kinds of meals you are hoping to freeze but feel free to ask if you have things in mind. I've been doing this for a few years for my family of six and have learned quite a bit by trial and error.
  • dmmarie21
    dmmarie21 Posts: 254 Member
    Thanks so much Aymie!

    I really didn't have anything in mind. Just good, healthy food. I was looking online for some good recipes, so I will go from there, and also try yours!
    Thanks again!
  • littlebigbird
    littlebigbird Posts: 88
    Great advice Aymie - thanks. I had to giggle though - I misread your post (the bit where you said chicken freezes beautifully) as "children freeze beautifully". I did a double-take then realised my mistake! :laugh: :laugh:

    I'd agree about not all fruit and veg freezing well - although frozen watermelon cubes make a fantastic base for a fruit smoothie. Ah - how can you tell the sun is shining in London and my mind has turned to warmer weather?! :happy:
  • aymie24
    aymie24 Posts: 227
    Frozen watermelon does make a great smoothie, or slushy for the frozen children, lol.
  • msarro
    msarro Posts: 2,748 Member
    Frozen watermelon does make a great container for grain alcohol.

    Fixed that for you :drinker: :laugh:
  • aymie24
    aymie24 Posts: 227
    Frozen watermelon does make a great container for grain alcohol.

    Fixed that for you :drinker: :laugh:

    cute, lol

    I wouldn't know though, I don't drink alcohol:bigsmile:
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