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Summer is upon us a lot earlier than expected! (had 90 plus degrees weather last week! Yuck!)
I tend to slack off cooking during the Summer as I am out longer and it gets the hottest here just before Sundown instead of what I am used to being the hottest between 10-3 back in FL. I need to think up ideas to save on dining out this Summer.
I see a lot of recipes already for make ahead meals BUT I want to convert my existing recipes into freezer meals.
Can you tell me some do's and don'ts in what you can freeze well or don't? What are some tips for meat/vegetables and liquid going into a crockpot? Freeze marinated meat and veggies together? Separately?
I do know that cooked pasta doesn't NOT freeze well. And any cream sauces tend to separate but is fine taste wise. What else?
I personally like to prep all the veggies/meats/seasonings...all those items I can buy and prep once in bulk into baggies and then freeze to the smallest size possible (saving on the freezer space). I also use my vacuum sealer to ensure that it is an airtight seal allowing me to mark and lay flat as possible saving freezer space.
Then I add the "wet" ingredients once I throw it into the slowcooker allowing for any cheese/cream/noodles to be added the day of cooking.
I personally feel more "bang for your buck" to get the meat and veggies all prepped, spiced up and frozen. For chili's I leave out the beans until the day of cooking as well.
Not only does it save on the "heating up the kitchen" issues of summer, but also allows for some well deserve pool time vs prepping/cleaning the kitchen of all the items needed to prepare.
I will also do this with bulk hamburger I cook once with seasoning and then package to make into a meatloaf/spaghetti/lasagna or even just to shape into burger patties for the meal. Garlic and seasoned hamburger goes with just about EVERYTHING in our home!
I don't pre-prepare much....that's why I have AC!!! When I cook, which is pretty much every night, it's fresh, from scratch!
I have AC too but it's the hottest outside right before sundown and I rather not tax the AC further in trying to keep it cool at that time. Last Summer I used to make dinner at lunchtime and reheat it for dinner.
When I have a yummy meal in the freezer, I feel rich!
My rules for freezer meals are...
Make a labor intensive meal big enough to save half. Package it well and LABEL it with what it is, and the date. Keep a nice black marker handy. Rotate the freezer treasure in order, so nothing gets really old.
If practical, store in freezer bags instead of plastic ware. This takes up less room, and you don't run out of plastic ware.
Don't freeze anything you didn't like the first time. Nothing gets any better in the freezer than when it went in.
Watch for sales, and collect and store artisan bread and butter in the freezer. It keeps a long time. Win Win.
When I have a yummy meal in the freezer, I feel rich!
My rules for freezer meals are...
Make a labor intensive meal big enough to save half. Package it well and LABEL it with what it is, and the date. Keep a nice black marker handy. Rotate the freezer treasure in order, so nothing gets really old.
If practical, store in freezer bags instead of plastic ware. This takes up less room, and you don't run out of plastic ware.
Don't freeze anything you didn't like the first time. Nothing gets any better in the freezer than when it went in.
Watch for sales, and collect and store artisan bread and butter in the freezer. It keeps a long time. Win Win.
Yeah, I cook from "scratch" too when I prep and freeze my meals, only I get to enjoy "pool time" in the summer just chilling with a nice, adult beverage while the crock pot finishes the job vs prepping and cleaning the kitchen of all those extra required items before dinner. Then 2 plates, 2 glasses/wine glasses in the dishwasher along with the crock and I am DONE and out having fun again! There are NO preservatives in the dinner I pre-prepped and chose to freeze at all.
Yeah, I cook from "scratch" too when I prep and freeze my meals, only I get to enjoy "pool time" in the summer just chilling with a nice, adult beverage while the crock pot finishes the job vs prepping and cleaning the kitchen of all those extra required items before dinner. Then 2 plates, 2 glasses/wine glasses in the dishwasher along with the crock and I am DONE and out having fun again! There are NO preservatives in the dinner I pre-prepped and chose to freeze at all.
I actually cook for about 7-8 people in the summer. So all that and more! I did a lot of research today on the different things to freeze uncooked or cooked etc. It was eally entertaining and learning experience!
I don't pre-prepare much....that's why I have AC!!! When I cook, which is pretty much every night, it's fresh, from scratch!
Yeah, yeah.
I cook from scratch most nights, too, but there in eastern NC, it seems to get REALLY hot and humid from 2pm until 5 or 6, so I don't like to heat up my kitchen a lot in the summer, either.
It's too hot to grill, even, a lot of the time!
OP, I wouldn't freeze potatoes -- I don't have good results with that.
I like to pre-cook a lot of chicken at once, shred it and bag it up. It's good cold on sandwiches or salads, which is always good on the hot days, or you can make a nice sauce out of it and toss it with pasta.
Casseroles and such freeze really well, but who in the world wants a hot casserole during the summer?
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