S/O - What foods do you freeze for your family?

[Anonymous]

I am OP from last year's thread about my family wasting food (see:http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/188468.page#1790839). Many of you recommended freezing foods for later consumption. In response, we've purchased a large, energy-efficient freezer. Downside: The freezer has been sitting in our basement for the better part of the year, un-used, unplugged. Grrrrr!! Please help me turn another corner today -- please give me your tips on what specific foods I should freeze. TIA!!

[Anonymous]

If you are going to invest in a freezer, you might as well get a vacu-seal. We make fun of my mom but she vacu-seals everything and it really does stay fresh. I throw away food all the time because I know I will stick it in the freezer and I'm afraid it will get gross. I think if I could seal stuff I would freeze more. That way you could make big portions of soups, stews, lasagnas, etc. and freeze.

[Anonymous]

Also worthwhile to invest in a BJ's, CostCo, or similar type membership at a wholesale club. Can safe a ton of money buying and freezing meat. A lot now come prepackaged in smaller units. We get 3 pounds of lean ground beef for $10, with each pound packaged separately. We get boneless, skinless chicken breasts for under $4 a pound, with individually sealed packages each containing 2 breasts. Etc.

You can also freeze butter and sandwich bread. The bread might have a slightly altered texture, but if you toast it, its indistinguishable from unfrozen bread.

Pasta sauce can be frozen in tupperware. Likewise with broth based soups. Re-using old Chinese soup containers works well for these.

[Anonymous]

Chili, pasta sauce, stew, soup. Meat. You can freeze fresh corn from summer to have in the winter. You can make muffins and breads and freeze them. Same with cookie. My SIL once froze a gallon of milk but I want to say that didn't turn out too well. I second a PP on the Chinese soup containers- I love takeout Chinese just because I end up with a big collection of those soup containers which are great for individual portions of soups and chili and stuff like that. If you're not into ordering a bunch of Chinese takeout, I think you can get them at kitchen supply stores.

[Anonymous]

Agree on things like soups, chilis, casseroles, lasagnas or other pastas. When meat is on sale, stock up on chicken or beef or pork.

I've made batches of muffins or quick breads and then frozen them.

You want to rotate things out, try to use within 6-12mo to avoid freezer burn but you're also continuously adding new. It's just DH, our 3YO and me so we end up with lots of leftovers. DH doesn't like eating leftovers the next day, which is a whole other story, so I'll portion them out and freeze them to use later as my lunches or for DD and I if there's a night he's out of town or has to work late.

Another tip, mixed in among the food freeze a couple of large tupperwares full of water. If the power goes out, they'll serve as giant ice cubes and help save your food for a few more hours.

[Anonymous]

Also the fuller your freezer the less electricity it takes to keep it cold. Freeze gallon jugs of water to fill up the space.

[Anonymous]

I do a lot of homemade food due to our son's food allergies. We supply all of his food for daycare, so I often freeze a few servings of whatever I've made so I have them handy to use for lunch or a quick dinner.
Pancakes (I make a double-batch and take them out as needed for breakfast)
Mini-muffins (snack/breakfast for daycare)
Soup (chicken w/barley, tomato, lentil, etc)
Bread (texture seems fine to me when it's thawed)
Mac and cheese (portion size for child's lunch)
Pizza (again, wrapped into appropriate portion size)
Marinated salmon (wrapped in foil-just throw in oven)
Leftover coconut milk or tomato sauce to use for another recipe
Bananas for muffins or bread
Butter (pick up an extra when its on sale)
Cut-up veggies (measured and in baggies for soup recipes)
Homemade pasta sauce

[Anonymous]

pancakes and french toast - just freeze in individual slices and then pop in a big freezer bag. This works great if you just have one or two pieces and think, damn I don't want to waste it...
rice - I freeze in silicone muffin cups which make it easy to get the frozen rice hockey pucks out. Then tumble into a giant freezer bag. Great for stretching leftovers into lunch.
bolognese and chili - I tend to freeze in quart sized freezer bags. Freeze flat, then stand on end for "quick lunch library"
When you roast a chicken and don't make gravy - skim the juices and freeze. Makes a great soup or gravy base for next time
When I have a little yogurt left over - make a single popsicle.
Freezing grapes is a great way to keep that last handful from getting smushy (and they are very delicious and refreshing.

[Anonymous]

Also, when I make lasagna I make two pans, and put the second straight in the freezer (without baking). I bake it straight from frozen, it takes a little longer in the oven but zero prep!
Stuffed shells can be frozen individually or in a pan with sauce.

[Anonymous]

Just don't forget to label your meals with a date and what it is! Over the past 6 months, I froze similar-looking containers of chili, meat sauce, meatballs in sauce, and plain sauce. It is really hard to tell what is what and a few nights I announced we were having one thing and once the container defrosted, it turned out we were having something else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just don't forget to label your meals with a date and what it is! Over the past 6 months, I froze similar-looking containers of chili, meat sauce, meatballs in sauce, and plain sauce. It is really hard to tell what is what and a few nights I announced we were having one thing and once the container defrosted, it turned out we were having something else.

You sound like me. I served meatloaf over pasta last week, thinking it was meat sauce

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just don't forget to label your meals with a date and what it is! Over the past 6 months, I froze similar-looking containers of chili, meat sauce, meatballs in sauce, and plain sauce. It is really hard to tell what is what and a few nights I announced we were having one thing and once the container defrosted, it turned out we were having something else.

You sound like me. I served meatloaf over pasta last week, thinking it was meat sauce

a coworker did this once - brought a single-serve container of "chili" - which turned out to be marinara

[Anonymous]

I make all of our baked goods: muffins, cookies, cupcakes, brownies, biscuits, bread - it all freezes well. I cut loaves of bread in half before freezing. Butter freezes well. We bought half a cow, so that is in our freezer. I freeze leftover soup and sauces in ziploc bags.

[Anonymous]

This is a good cookbook if you want to freeze items:

http://www.cooksillustrated.com/bookstore/detail.asp?PID=358

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree on things like soups, chilis, casseroles, lasagnas or other pastas. When meat is on sale, stock up on chicken or beef or pork.

I've made batches of muffins or quick breads and then frozen them.

You want to rotate things out, try to use within 6-12mo to avoid freezer burn but you're also continuously adding new. It's just DH, our 3YO and me so we end up with lots of leftovers. DH doesn't like eating leftovers the next day, which is a whole other story, so I'll portion them out and freeze them to use later as my lunches or for DD and I if there's a night he's out of town or has to work late.

Another tip, mixed in among the food freeze a couple of large tupperwares full of water. If the power goes out, they'll serve as giant ice cubes and help save your food for a few more hours.

brilliant giant ice cube idea