Freezer Meals 101
Why Freezer Meals?
- Freezer meals save both time and money because you shop less, eat out less
and waste less food.
- Freezer meals are healthier than fast food and pre-packaged, processed food.
- You can cater to your family’s tastes and you can also determine the portion
sizes yourself.
- They are convenient to take to those who are sick or unable to cook for their
family.
- Freezer meals can save you stress and last-minute trips to the grocery store
when you need to prepare a meal for company.
- These meals help ensure that your family eats at least one meal together each
day, which can help strengthen family relationships.
How long do frozen foods last?
- Breads and breakfasts, Drinks and popsicles, ice cream cakes: 2-3 months
- Main dishes, salads, sides and soups: 4-6 months
- Toffee, truffles and freezer jam: 12 months
What doesn’t freeze well?
- Celery, lettuce, peaches will get soggy and brown when frozen and defrosted.
- Cream cheese and block cheese will dry out and crumble when defrosted. I freeze
my cheese shredded. Block cheese can usually be stored in the refrigerator 6 months
unopened.
- Mayonnaise will separate. Custards (pumpkin pie included) and frostings.
- Fully cooked noodles and fried foods will be soggy when defrosted. Only cook 60 %,
and then cool. Bake frozen fried foods to finish cooking them.
What freezes well?
- Raw meat freezes well if in a sauce or marinade. Refreezing meats can cause them
to lose moisture and become tough, but when mixed with a marinade, meats will cook
up with more flavors and are usually more tender.
- Cooked rice, bread dough, pie crusts, cookie dough, cinnamon rolls, muffins, burritos,
waffles, shredded cheese, fajita mix, soups, pasta sauces, cooked ground beef, fish,
grapes, broccoli…
Packaging:
- I use zip-top plastic bags, Ziploc containers, aluminum foil, and some glass dishware.
Any brand of zip-top plastic bags work just fine, but make sure if using only bags to
double bag for soups. Also, lay dinners flat so they will freeze and stack like bricks.
- Don’t forget to label food, cooking time and temperature with a permanent marker.
To prevent freezer burn, squeeze as much air out of the bag as possible before
closing it completely.
- Use aluminum foil pans. Lasagnas are made in foil pans. Pizzas are wrapped in
plastic wrap. You can line pizza pans and baking dishes with aluminum foil for easy
clean up.
- When using aluminum to line pans, flash freeze food for 1 hour or until frozen, then
take out and wrap in more layers of aluminum foil, label and freeze. To serve, place
frozen meal back in glass dish to defrost and cook.
Safe Defrosting:
- Refrigerator: Usually takes 24 hours to defrost
- Microwave: Use right away because food is warm and is cooking some areas.
Bacteria start the multiplication process when food is warm. Always pour off extra
water, but leave a small amount of water (2-3 T.) when defrosting sauces.
Refreezing:
- Once food is thawed in the refrigerator, it is safe to refreeze it without cooking.
There may be a loss of quality because of the moisture lost through defrosting.
Leftovers:
- Discard any warm food that has been on the counter longer than 2-3 hours. Use
refrigerated leftovers within 4 days. Harmful bacteria will multiply between 40 and
140 F.
I hope this helps you start using your freezer for more things! It is such a great blessing
and tool and we need to all use it to the best of our abilities! I will be posting frequently
asked questions that goes a little more into depth of how to freeze certain foods. Also,
next week I will begin posting some of my favorite recipes for you to enjoy!
