best containers for freezing

[Anonymous]

I am gearing up to stock my freezer for after giving birth. What are the best containers for freezing food (both individual serving sizes and larger portions). In the past I've mostly only frozen stews and soups from the crock pot and I usually pour them into gallon size ziploc freezer bags.

[Anonymous]

I actually love ziploc bags (quart or gallon size) for two reasons:

You can squeeze all the extra air out, preventing freezer burn.

If you freeze them flat, the stack very nicely in a freezer. It's easy to see what's there, get to what you want even if it's on the bottom of the stack, and it makes efficient use of freezer space.

Otherwise, I prefer square containers over round because of the stacking / space-saving issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am gearing up to stock my freezer for after giving birth. What are the best containers for freezing food (both individual serving sizes and larger portions). In the past I've mostly only frozen stews and soups from the crock pot and I usually pour them into gallon size ziploc freezer bags.

For square containers, do you use a specific brand? Is glass better than something like Glad plastic tupperware?

[Anonymous]

I personally would not use glass in my freezer, because my freezer is FULL and shit falls out of it all the time.

[Anonymous]

I use Ziplock bags to storing all of my freezer food. I write the date and contents on the bag with Sharpie. When it's time to thaw, I run it under warm water until the food separates from the bag and then put the food in glass to thaw in the microwave, unless I have enough time to thaw in the fridge.

Do not cheap out and buy the generic bags. They will leak, so you'll have to use 2 and won't save any money and you'll have a mess on your hands.

Sometimes I freeze small individual portions in the glass containers I use for the kids' lunches (Wean Green or Glasslock). In this case I pack their lunch the night before and just put the container in the fridge and then it is heated at day care. I have a chest freezer, so the containers falling out is not an issue. I do like that the containers can go from the freezer to the microwave or oven-we do not microwave plastic in our house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am gearing up to stock my freezer for after giving birth. What are the best containers for freezing food (both individual serving sizes and larger portions). In the past I've mostly only frozen stews and soups from the crock pot and I usually pour them into gallon size ziploc freezer bags.

For square containers, do you use a specific brand? Is glass better than something like Glad plastic tupperware?

14:15 here - if I'm using square containers, I usually just use the Gladware type stuff. I'm sure glass is better, both for a really good airlock to prevent freezer burn and if you plan on putting things straight from the freezer into the microwave, but I'm not that concerned about it. I usually defrost the plastic container in a microwave just until it's starting to thaw, then transfer to a glass bowl or something to finish heating (or pot to heat on the stove).

[Anonymous]

I do a lot of freezing. I don't think they are fabulous, but I like the gladware. They're cheap and easy and I don't worry if they break or get stained. I love the idea of using bags but I like the structure of the containers.

Another thing I do is use disposable foil pans for large quantities. Super easy to use and then throw out.

[Anonymous]

I use the glad square plastic ones. I tuck saran wrap on top of the food (inside the container) to minimize freezer burn, then I cover the top of the container with foil to seal the edges and write the date/contents on the foil. On the fridge I have a list of the frozen things I have along with the date, as we eat them I cross them off the list. Makes it easier to know exactly what is in the freezer and how long it has been there.