Freezing FOOD! need ideas and help.

[DIVAGIRL]

IAM STARTING TO PREPARE FOR A SURGERY THAT I WILL BE HAVING IN SEPT. BY COOKING AND FREEZING FOOD SO MY DH WILL NOT GO WITHOUT.

WITH THAT SAID, I CAN USE YOUR HELP IN FIGURING OUT WHAT CAN AND CANT FREEZE WELL-RECIPES WILL HELP TOO..I STILL HAVE A FEW MONTHS TO GO BUT I WANT TO GET A HEADS UP NOW.

I HAVE A TILIA FOODSAVER (NOT TO MENTION QUITE A BIT OF TUPPERWARE-IT HELPS BEING A TUPPERWARE CONSULTANT).

JUST CURIOUS, CAN YOU FREEZE RICE?
IAM TOLD POTATOS DO NOT FREEZE WELL, BUT THEN AGAIN I SEE ALOT OF THEM IN THE FROZEN FOOD SECTION AT THE GROCERY STORE..

SOME HELPFUL HINTS WOULD REALLY HELP ME NOW..
THANKS!


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[ftmom]

I have a recipe book Cook for a Day, Eat for a Month- here is her website

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[Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now] some recipes

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Good Luck! There are lots of recipes out there.


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[DIVAGIRL]

thanks for all the recipes...it was informative!

anyone else???

what is your fav. frozen food meal???


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[sdlee]

I belong to a freezer cooking list called Frozen Assets

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You can join and just read the messages on site or search the FAQ. You don't have to get the daily emails. I've learned a lot from this list.


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[jen6889]

I have frozen rice when I cooked too much by accident. It seemed to have done just fine.
They also say Celery doesn't freeze well, but I did it anyway - I chopped some up for recipes and put them in freezer containers. I didn't have any problems with it and I can't see why they say it doesn't freeze well.

Just a word of warning on the potatoes... don't bother. I tried a little over a year ago, never hearing that they didn't freeze well until after the fact. LOL! I went through half a 10 lb bag of potatoes, peeled them all, and ran them through the shredder to make hash browns and then froze them. They turned all black and mushy and nasty. YUK! Needless to say, it all went in the trash and I was in tears at the time.
Hmm.. I seem to remember posting something about that somewhere around here too.
Ok.. after searching through my old posts for almost an hour, I finally found it... not that it was all that important or anything! LOL! Someone said to cook the potatoes first and then freeze them. If you really wanted to see it, here it is - [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now]


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[Mychl]

Ok . . .here are my experiences . .. ..

you can freeze mashed potatoes, but you have to add an egg. I am not sure how many per what . .but I can find out for you. (I have to email someone)

These things freeze really well:

spagetti sauce
chili
taco meat
meatloaf
casseroles
soup

Actually pretty much anything will freeze! I don't freeze things like country gravy, although it is possible (I think). The easiest thing that I do is make extra when I am making that for dinner, and freeze it in a gallon size ziploc bag. I freeze it flat, then it will take up less space than the tupperware. (Used to be a consultant myself and have a washing machine sized box FULL of tupperware!)

I have a TON of recipies if you would like, I can share them. Also you can go to [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now] and there are recipies there. (those are recipies that myself and my friends use weekly/monthly!) If you want the recipies or have any questions, please feel free to email me!! [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now]


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[lauseng]

Tip on the frozen potatoes. Mash 'em!

I tried this a couple weeks ago and recently thawed and ate them. I made a huge batch of hand-mashed potatoes made with butter and milk. I then put scoops of mashed potatoes on parchment paper layed out over a cookie sheet in the freezer. Once frozen, I put the frozen hunks in a freezer bag.

Just take out the amount you want and nuke it. I nuked mine on the auto defrost setting for about 4 minutes I think. Turned out really well and I plan to do this more often. LOTS cheaper than the boxed instant.

Jackie

[YorkieLover]

Foods with sour cream do not freeze well - turns grainy. Spaghetti sauce freezes really well. So do the cooked noodles, believe it or not! We froze the cooked noodles in a bag first, then vacuum sealed them. Anything very soft or liquid, freeze it before vacuum sealing, but you probably know that already.

What we do before going hunting, is the month before, we double the recipe size of anything we're making for dinner. Then, we just vacuum seal the extra meals (or the fixings) and keep stocking up the freezer that way.

You are so sweet to be thinking of your DH this way. A lot of people would just say 'fend for yourself'.

BTW, rice does freeze well, but since it's soft, freeze it first before vacuum sealing and it won't get freezer burn like in a plastic container. Try meatballs and mushroom gravy over rice ... it's good ... just freeze the rice separately from the topping.


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