Archive for freezer cooking – Page 2

Freezer Containers

By Quick Chef · Comments (0)
Tuesday, May 10th, 2011

Freezer burn is one of the worst things that can happen to your meals stored in the freezer. Freezer burn occurs when thousands of tiny water molecules turn into ice crystals within the food. This causes the food to lose moisture and to have the “parched” look. Not only does the water escape and freeze, but also, oxygen gets into the pores of your food, causing the once-bright color to fade and the flavor to dissipate. Proper storage containers made for the freezer will help to reduce the amount of freezer burn your foods endure as well as save you money because less will need to be thrown out.

No matter where your container is going, whether it is on your kitchen counter, in your pantry or in the icebox, there are a few basic rules to follow in choosing the correct storage container for your needs. Important things to look for in the proper freezer containers:

 

  • Air tight – Make sure your container has a good locking system and/or a rubber gasket that goes around the top in order to seal out air and moisture. This will slow the process of spoiling and also keep the contents inside fresh for a longer period of time because it locks air out of the container.

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  • Different sizes – The more sizes you have, the less space you waste. By filling a container up as much as possible, there is less room for air inside the container, which is what aids in the breakdown process. Not to mention, having different sizes, makes it convenient to stack, store and save different products; there is no reason to keep a cup of chicken broth in a container meant to hold a family portion of spaghetti.

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  • Easy marking surface – A surface that is easy to mark, erase, and mark again is extremely important. Having a good writing surface makes it easy to label what is in each container, especially if the containers are not translucent. This also aids in organizing your pantry and freezer since you can put like items together and even alphabetize them if you would like. If you can’t find a good surface to write on, you can use a streak of chalkboard paint around the container to make marking easier. I also lay one or two pieces of tape on the lid or side and will label with a sharpie. It’s very inexpensive and I can always add more tape if I need a wider surface for writing.

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  • Stacking ability – Many containers these days have locking lids, which means your foods will stack more safely as you lock the bottom of one container into the lid of the other. This is a great way to keep foods together and also keep your freezer from becoming a jungle of mangled frozen foods.

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  • Cooking with it - This one can be a little more pricey but it’s so convenient and also means less dish washing.  I love my tupperware containers that I can take from the freezer, thaw in the microwave and then also reheat.  My top love is a set that can even go in the oven, not sure they even sell it anymore. lol There are some glass sets that work great for freezing and then cooking.  I don’t think anyone can go wrong by choosing the Pyrex 12-Piece Glass Bake Serve-N-Store Set. They have airtight lids and are microwave and oven safe (lids are not oven safe).

 

A good freezer container makes all of the difference when storing your food. If you don’t have a set of decent quality containers, go to the local store and pick some up, just remember, they don’t have to be expensive in order to meet all of the above criteria. Also remember to hit discount stores where you can buy many top quality brands for 50-75% less.

 

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Categories : freezer cooking, General, Kitchen Tips
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Fruit Bread to Make Today and Freeze For Later

By Quick Chef · Comments (0)
Monday, April 25th, 2011

I love homemade baked goods but I don’t have the time to bake every week. I’m sure my love of freezer cooking can lead you to what my solution is! Baking doesn’t have to be a daily or weekly task, you can pick one day a month and bake until your little heart is content and freeze your baked goods for a future day.

Baked goods are really easy to freeze and they will keep for up to 3 months in your freezer if they are properly frozen. I find that most fruit breads will freeze and thaw nicely if you do the following:

Once the baking process is done, let the bread cool in the pan or on a wire rack. Once it is cool, wrap the loaf in a double layer of plastic wrap and make sure it is tight. You can then insert the loaf into a gallon size freezer bag or wrap it again in a double layer of aluminum foil. Always label your breads with their name and expiration date. When ready to serve, just thaw at room temperature for 1-2 hours.

Nutty Cranberry Bread Recipe

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/4 cups orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon grated orange rind
  • 3 cups Bisquick baking mix
  • 3/4 cup nuts, finely chopped
  • 1 cup fresh cranberries, chopped

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  In a large mixing bow, mix together the granulated sugar, egg, orange juice, grated orange rind and the
baking mix, beating for 45 seconds with an electric mixer.

3.  Stir in the chopped nuts and cranberries. Pour into well-greased loaf pan.

4.  Bake 55-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Nutty Apricot Bread Recipe

  • 1 cup dried apricots, re-hydrated and chopped into pieces
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup nuts, chopped
  • 1/2 cup orange juice

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  In a medium mixing bowl, combine together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.

3.  In a large mixing bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar. Stir in the beaten egg until all ingredients are combined. Pour in the water and orange juice and mix again.

4.  Slowly add in the dry ingredients until mixture is well combined. Fold in the chopped nuts and apricots.

5.  Pour batter into a well greased loaf pan.

6.  Bake in a preheated oven for 45-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

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Categories : dessert, freezer cooking, recipes

Must Have Freezer Supplies Checklist

By Quick Chef · Comments (0)
Monday, April 11th, 2011

When it comes to making up meals ahead of time for future use, it is important to stock up on the materials that you will need ahead of time. There is nothing worst than getting together all of your ingredients, baking and cooking up your meals and then…you don’t have the proper supplies to freeze them in.

As a home cook who makes a lot of meals and baked goods ahead of time, I thought it would be important to share my list of supplies that you will need to have on hand.  I never know when the itch to cook up a bunch of food will hit so I keep the following stocked up and ready.

  • Plastic Freezer Containers: 1 cup, 2 cup, 3 cup, 4 cup and 8 cup
    sizes.
  • Aluminum Baking Pans: various sizes and heights
  • Glass Mason Jars: jelly jar, pint jar and quart sized jars.
  • Zipper Close Freezer Bags: quart and gallon size bags
  • Labeling Supplies: Freezer Labels, Freezer Tape, Sharpie Marker
  • Wraps: Freezer Paper, Plastic Wrap and Aluminum Foil, Wax Paper

Having this list lets me keep an eye out for sales on items I’m running low on or different sizes that I think could be helpful with a future meal.  I do use the freezer bags the most because they are easy for storing.  But I have quite a lot of freezer space so any casseroles or dishes that can be popped into the oven will go in an aluminum pan.  I love having various sizes for things like enchiladas and lasagnas (I use 8×8 pans so 1 recipe makes 2 dishes).  Aluminum pans make it easy for the kids to follow the directions and get dinner cooking if necessary.

I know some may be wondering about the glass jars and those can be a big lifesaver for liquids.  They will stack nicely in the freezer and there is no risk of spilling.  Beef or chicken stock to use for future recipes and sauces.

Emergency Tip: I keep 10 non-toxic frozen ice packs in my freezer at all times. If we should lose electrical power for a few days, these ice packs will preserve my frozen items until our power comes back on. I keep them strategically placed on various shelves in my upright freezer to keep the items cold. This is a great way to preserve your items should an emergency arise.

Additional Tips: I invested in a quality set of freezer safe containers that are stackable, dishwasher and microwave safe. These help to keep my freezer organized. I use mason jars to freeze my freezer jams, homemade soups, stews and sauces. All solid food items are frozen in storage bags or wrapped in freezer paper. It is important to read your labels and use up your older items before their expiration dates so rotate your items frequently by placing the newer items in the back and moving the older items to the front.

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Categories : freezer cooking, Kitchen Tips

Cooking Day for April

By Quick Chef · Comments (0)
Saturday, April 9th, 2011

I have a lot going on this month with both kids in sports.  Judging by how the end of March went, I know there’s not much time for cooking. As some of you saw on FB, I spent half of Thursday cooking. It did spill over into Friday as I didn’t end up having the full day to get all the meals prepped on Thursday. But the beauty of it was I still spent less than 9 hours and now have 25 meals in the freezer.

It was a lot of work but I enjoyed the heck out of it.  It’s gotten much easier now that the family has some favorites for me to pull from.  Although it led to me tweaking recipes so I’ll be updating some of the weekly meal plans soon with some fun little additions. I can never leave a recipe alone. lol But that’s only for the better for my once a week cooking club members :)

So what’s on our menu for April?

  • Chili (still had one meal in freezer from couple weeks ago cooking spree)
  • Spaghetti
  • Veggie Stuffed Shells (on week 2′s menu plan)
  • Slow Cooker Chicken & Sausage Gumbo (on week 14′s menu plan)
  • Whole Roasted Chicken (we’ll roast it on cooking day and this will become 2 meals, LOVE our Ronco Rotisserie that cooks it in 90 minutes)
  • Steak Fajitas
  • Veggie Beef Soup
  • Moroccan Burgers (on week 15′s menu plan) These were a quick favorite in our house and even when I use 93/7 ground beef they stay together nicely.
  • Mexican Lasagna (on week 14′s menu plan)
  • Cowboy Bake (on week 16′s menu plan) I have to limit the kids on this one or they seriously over eat it lol
  • Cashew Chicken ( on week 10′s menu plan)
  • Salsa Turkey Burgers (working on this recipe, hope we like it)
  • Garlic Mustard Chicken (on week 16′s menu plan)

I worked hard at making sure we used up some odds-n-ends still in the freezer last week. I knew I was going to be doing a major cooking so I wanted plenty of room to store.  I also planned cooking meals around using up some of the condiments in the fridge and ingredients in the pantry.

Since we are starting to get some sun here and there I planned a few meals that can go on the grill.  There have been some months I’ve made the mistake of NOT planning meals for the grill and then we end up at the grocery store. That doesn’t help as much as I’d like.

I’m getting close to perfecting a few OAMC plans and then I’ll get them listed. Have to work on videos to go with them.  Speaking of videos, I’ve found some good one’s I’ll start posting this week.

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Categories : Cooking Tips, freezer cooking, Frugal cooking

Weekend Cooking Frenzy

By Quick Chef · Comments (0)
Monday, February 21st, 2011

Busy days can lead to frustration when it comes to making dinner. Who has time to fix a meal when they don’t get home until 6pm or later? Better yet, who feels like cooking a meal after a hard day’s work? So, what’s a girl to do in order to avoid frozen dinners or worse yet, fast food? Use your weekend to prepare all your meals for the upcoming week.

We’ve all been there at least once and if you’re like me, more times than we wish to admit. We go to the grocery store and spend a ton of money so that there will be food in the house. We then make a promise to cook each and every night since the food is already there and ready to be consumed.

But, guess what happens? I come home from work late and I am tired. I need to get kids fed before or after running them to sports and I want it to give them some energy for practice and homework.  Everyone else is tired from work and school and no one wants to cook. It falls on me to cook so I suggest that we snag some form of take-out along the way. We spend twenty or thirty dollars on food for one meal when we have a freezer full of food. Have you been there, too? Not a very good choice when we’re all trying hard to save money, right?

One way I found to stop this endless cycle is to pick one day on the weekend and have a cooking party. Yes, you read that right – a cooking party. I make a menu for the week and thaw out or buy the meat on Friday. Then, on Saturday or Sunday morning I get to work. The kids can help me if they choose and when they do, they get a say in what we will be eating.

For your weekend cooking party, decide on the menu early. This ensures that everything needed is present and accounted for. Start with the meats. They will take the longest to cook so get that going and try to have a variety so you’re not bored with the same meats all week long.

Side dishes should be prepared, too. It seems like such a small thing to cook the main part of the meal and save the rest for later. What usually happens is no one feels like cooking anything. Avoid the drama by cooking everything at the same time.

Cooking that much food for later requires containers to hold it all. There are two ways this can be done. One way is to use containers that are large enough for each side dish and the main meat courses. Each day, take a meat and two sides out of the fridge and heat it up for dinner.

The second way gives the family a little more of a choice each day of what they want to eat. When the food cools (everything needs to cool before placing it in containers), have each person scoop what they want to eat into a single serving container. Have one meat and two sides per container. In the absence of the family you can do it yourself. Label each with what is inside. During the week, everyone can pick from a variety of dinner combinations.

Each works, but it is up to you to decide which is better for your family. Cooking on the weekend saves time and money because you’ll be less tempted to go out when you’re tired from working all day. Not to mention, for once you’re sure to use the leftovers!

If your food makes more meals than you could eat in a week, freeze several of them for another time. Simply thaw each meal the day you plan to serve it. Yes, you will have to make an investment in dinner size containers, but it pays off the more you use them. Once you see how much stress you relieve and healthier your family is eating it will be well worth the initial cost.

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Categories : Cooking Tips, freezer cooking, meal planning
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