What do you freeze?

Over the last few weeks, several people have said to me, "What? You freeze [insert whatever we were talking about]? I didn't know that!"

Over the years I've learned a few tricks, but I imagine that there are many more out there. I imagine that if we all pooled our info, we'd have a great thread. I did a search and came up with over 20 pages of posts that discuss freezing this or that. But, none of it is contained in a single post. If I get time, I'll try to include links to those posts, but for now, we can start a list of what we freeze, including method if important to success.

Mhays listed a source for basic freezer facts in one of these older posts. This is a great resource for timing, temps, etc.

A few of the things people have asked me about or commented on recently include:

Rice: wild, basmati, jasmine, brown, and even pilafs. I make 2 to 3 times what I need then freeze the remainder in 1 cup portions. It heats in about 45 to 60 seconds in the microwave. It's great for times like tonight when I made a Japanese dinner and forgot to make the rice....not ruining the dinner while I waited for the rice cooker. 1 minute later we were eating.

Pre-cooked homemade breakfast sausage: I made the sausage from scratch, then portion it, flatten it into patties and cook it. After cooling, I separate the pieces with waxed paper. It's all the ease of Brown and Serve except it tastes good.

Pancakes: I prefer them freshly made, but like the rice, I always make at least a few extra. On those mornings when I am moving too slow and can't find time to cook, a pancake and piece of sausage means I have a delicious breakfast in about 1 minute.

Mashed Potatoes: Again, just make extra. BUT, be careful don't add a lot of liquid. The potatoes will break down some and they can get watery. If they do, just add a tablespoon or two of potato flakes, which I keep on hand to feed my unconventional and non-purist gluten-free starter.

Pasta: Same as above, except make sure to add some olive oil to the water, take it out about 2 minutes before it's done, and drain and cool it completely before packaging. It doesn't take long to cook pasta (the boiling water takes half the time), but there are nights when we're out late and are cooking at 10 PM. Fast is good. I take a frozen packet of my own pasta sauce and grab a pre-portioned packet of noodles. Throw together a salad and you have dinner in about 5 minutes.

Tomato paste: A Cook's Illustrated tip from a reader. When you open the can of paste and need 2 T, what to do with the rest? Put tablespoon size "plops" onto waxed paper and throw in the freezer. When hard, throw them in a zip freezer bag. The next time you need some, just grab and use.

Steel cut oatmeal: I don't actually save it for breakfast, but I imagine that would work fine as well, but I use it in a gluten free bread I make. Since it takes so long, and I only need 1/2 cup cooked oatmeal, I cook 3 cups worth at a time and freeze the rest in 1/2 cup portions. When I want to make bread, out comes a precooked portion so I don't have to wait to cook it.

Smoked pork butt (or ribs): We are only two, but a shoulder or even a butt makes a LOT of pork. Portion is and vacuum seal. It is a bit drier, but I've found that if you thaw it first and heat on low in the microwave with some moisture, it comes out pretty decent. It's not the same as the day it came out of the smoker, but it sure tasted great last month when it was freezing and my smoker had a foot of snow on and around it.

I freeze very little, I dont like what happens to alot of foods when it is frozen.

I will freeze:
-extra stock
-chicken bones
-crab shells

Fairly typical things -
extra chicken stock
fresh herbs (when the garden is just too plentiful) - freeze dried is nice for some uses
shredded zucchini (i had the mother of all zucchini's this year) to thaw for breads and soup
cookie dough, portioned into heaping tablespoons - just add a few minutes to the regular baking time
i also had a lot of green peppers this year, so I stuffed them (I like sausage and rice, but everyone seems to have a different recipe) and froze them. To thaw, i put a few in a baking dish, cover with tomato soup and they are usually ready in about an hour. (not particularly gourmet, but an old favorite of my husband)
I also keep dried hops in my freezer, put thats just a personal preference.

Sage, curry and keffir lime leaves
roasted red, green and jalapeno peppers from my garden
oven roasted ("magic") tomatoes (recipe from Improvisational Chef)
roasted and pureed tomatillos
veal stock, tomato sauce
shrimp stock and shells I'm accumulating to make stock (no shells right now)
pine nuts, pecans, whole wheat flour

And there's always a couple of tupperware containers with dark brown stuff that could be chili, coujld be bolognese...

A couple of leftover sauces that have been in there way too long

JoelF wrote:And there's always a couple of tupperware containers with dark brown stuff that could be chili, coujld be bolognese...

Yep. Just last week, we defrosted a plastic quart, thinking it was beef chili. Portioned it out into two bowls, and put it in the microwave.

A few minutes later, I had two big bowls of pasta sauce. RAB came to my rescue (after a brief scolding) and threw some angel hair on the stove. I grated parm while we lamented the fact that we'd really wanted beef chili, not mushroom pasta.

RAB has since purchased some high tech equipment - - a roll of masking tape and a sharpie. And, we're now committed to marking the containers of red/brown stuff before putting them in the freezer.

Ronna

The Sharpie and Masking tape are essentials! Some people date things, too, but let's not get too carried away

I agree that some things do not freeze as well. The question is how much do a sacrifice for what I gain? I'd probably not like my life to be less hectic - since I like being busy - though I would prefer more time for actual food prep. Since I don't have it, I have a choice: freeze the things that can help me in a pinch without too much degradation in flavor, texture, taste, etc. It also depends, I think as to whether you are a super taster - some of us aren't going to notice the difference in taste between just steamed rice and frozen reheated rice, especially if I eat it within a month or so.

The other posts helped me remember some things. I also keep kaffir lime leaves in the freezer as well as ginger. I must have thrown out pounds of molding ginger before I figured out it could be frozen. It's easy to peel and chop this way, too, and I don't notice a taste difference. But, that may go back to the above paragraph. My tongue might not be able to distinguish it....and I'm glad!

I freeze a lot thanks to my foodsaver. The stuff comes out just like I put it in.

MikeW665 wrote:I freeze a lot thanks to my foodsaver. The stuff comes out just like I put it in.

Doesn't it come out a little colder?

nr706 wrote:

MikeW665 wrote:I freeze a lot thanks to my foodsaver. The stuff comes out just like I put it in.

Doesn't it come out a little colder?

Maybe a weee bit, but not for long.

nr706 wrote:

MikeW665 wrote:I freeze a lot thanks to my foodsaver. The stuff comes out just like I put it in.

Doesn't it come out a little colder?

Not for some things...it's suggested to freeze soft wet things before you suck the air out. So, they come out pretty much the way the went in.

In another thread, a couple people suggested that they freeze beans. One said they add liquid just to cover, the other person drains, cools, then puts them in freezer bags.

Another thing I wouldn't have thought of, but that would really save time in a pinch. It's easy to make extra when making them for another purpose and freeze the extra for the time you are pressed and need something fast.

I've tried this: I assume you mean dried beans, right? I often buy the frozen blackeye peas for this purpose, but sometimes when I'm soaking beans for a recipe, I'll double the amount and freeze the soaked beans. They did pretty well; I don't remember a difference between soaked fresh and soaked frozen.

- Butter - when LoL goes on sale, in particular, as the foil wrappers are impervious to everything. I must have four or five pounds in the freezer as I write.

- Chiles - Poblanos, roasted and unpeeled. Also whole raw habaneros at the end of growing season.

Chili - I make huge batches, and share them with the Customary Dining Companion, though the little rascal has learned to make a respectable batch, himself.

- Bread - whole baguettes and ficelle, and half loaves of ciabatta. Reheat in the oven without defrosting.

- Chicken trimmings and carcasses/innards

- Stocks of all kinds, well-labelled

- Soups, ditto

- Sour pitted cherries, whole and unsugared, for the out-of-season pie

- Homemade chorizo

- As noted above, kaffir lime leaves

- icebox-type (slice & bake) cookie doughs, very well wrapped in both Saran and HD foil

Yay Freezer!

The lime leaves and some herbs.

Leftover wine for cooking, same with stock.

I always make extra mirepoix and freeze it, also if I have shallots or cippollini onions and caramelize them and freeze.

ViewsAskew wrote:In another thread, a couple people suggested that they freeze beans. One said they add liquid just to cover, the other person drains, cools, then puts them in freezer bags.

Another thing I wouldn't have thought of, but that would really save time in a pinch. It's easy to make extra when making them for another purpose and freeze the extra for the time you are pressed and need something fast.

If I remember correctly and if I read it correctly (both IIRC, I supose) the post I referenced was talking about cooked beans - that's because the person says she drains and cools them - only cooked beans would need to be cooled....at least that's how I interpreted it.

Here are some of my favorite freezer staples. I am all about the portioning-- the term we use in the bio lab is "aliquoting", i.e. measuring out into single-use portions.
-bagels, halved and ready to pop in the toaster. Also any sliced bread.
-butter. I need to restock on Plugra, but I find that even in the wax paper it does not pick up off odors-- YMMV.
-sofrito from the A&G, frozen in an ice cube tray. Pop a cube into some hot oil, sizzle for a bit, add a can of black beans and you have great cuban-style beans. The ice cube tray trick is great for pesto too, and home-made baby food. Just don't plan to re-use the ice cube trays for your home-made Violet Hour. The A&G is a grocery store at Belmont and Central and the sofrito is made to the meat manager's Cuban grandmother's recipe. It is my secret ingredient, so don't tell!
-pie filling. I am experimenting with a peach pie filling: the peaches are sugared and drained, then the juice is cooked down and added back. I put this in a gallon freezer bag and settled the bag into a pie plate. This week I'm going to make a pie shell and put the frozen filling in, then bake. I think it should work. I have found the freezing pie fillings with raw fruit causes the fruit to express too much water and makes for a soupy pie.
-doughs of all sorts: cookie dough, pie dough, pizza dough. I form the dough into a flat disk so it defrosts more easily. Sometimes I save the pie dough trimmings until I accumulate enough for a quiche.
-stock. I freeze some stock in quart containers for large soup batches. I also freeze some in one-cup aliquots in plastic sandwich bags-- perfect for a quick stir-fry sauce.
-vegetables. I froze some of the excess from our CSA box last year and I wish I had frozen way more. Blanched kale, corn cut off the cob, chopped tomatoes.
-prepared vegetables. I got tired of limp celery lurking in the crisper, so when I buy a bunch of celery I wash it all and cut 3" lengths for stock and medium dice for soup. For the dice, I add chopped onion and freeze in sandwich bags. The lengths I freeze in a big gallon bag, with the bags of diced celery and onion tucked in the same bag.
-I have heard that ginger freezes well, whole and unpeeled-- I really should try this, as I always have mouldy ginger lurking in the "crisper".
-meat. We get our beef from Heartland Meats, so it comes frozen and vacuum packed. I split Costco-sized trays of pork chops or sausages into useful portions and vacuum seal them in the Foodsaver. It is great to be able to wander downstairs to pick out what is for dinner and not have to go to the grocery store as often.

Cheers, Jen

Wow, learn something new every day.
Can you just freeze the whole ginger root or is it better to mince or julienne it first?
How does the sage do in the freezer? I haven't had very good luck with other herbs (I feel like they lose flavor) so I'd be interested to hear tips on this.

This post reminds of me of when my mom used to make me watch old episodes of the George Burns and Gracie Allen show on PBS...
"Harry Von Zell: Gracie, isn't that boiling water you're putting in the refrigerator?

Gracie: Yes, I'm freezing it.

Harry: You're freezing it?

Gracie: Mmm-hmm, and then whenever I need boiling water, all I need to do is defrost it."

thaiobsessed wrote:Wow, learn something new every day.
Can you just freeze the whole ginger root or is it better to mince or julienne it first?
How does the sage do in the freezer? I haven't had very good luck with other herbs (I feel like they lose flavor) so I'd be interested to hear tips on this.

There's a little flavor loss, so I just use a little more.
Texture-wise, it isn't a problem: I haven't found an application yet for raw sage leaves, and the frozen then cooked leaves end up in the same texture as fresh then cooked, so far as I can tell. Most of the time I either mince it into a filling, fry in butter for ravioli, or put between meat and cheese in a saltimboca-like dish.

I've found whole ginger is a little hard to slice or grate: I'd freeze either whole slices or put minced/grated ginger in an ice cube tray

Grapes freeze really well and defrost quickly in hot oatmeal. I am experimenting now with lemons and limes - just threw them in the freezer. Happy to hear about ginger though - that's a big plus.

Someone mentioned pancakes - what about freezing the batter?

I like working with the ginger whole - it peels quite easily and when you slice it thinly, it sort of breaks into thin strips. I wrap it in foil and just throw it in whole.

I haven't tried pancake batter. It doesn't tend to keep well refrigerated, so not sure.

The cooked way is truly excellent. I just make extra when I make them. For a quick meal, throw a couple on a plate and you've hot steamy pancakes in 1 minute. Since I like breakfast food, but don't function well in the morning, this works very well for my non-functioning brain.

Jen's dough idea is another one I love. I like to make a batch of cookies, make one pan, then freeze the remaining dough in portions equivalent to a pan. It's easy to remove a blob, portion it, and bake. Voila, warm cookies.

Actually, now that Jen mentioned it, I realize I'm all about baking and freezing. With two of us, we can't get through a whole cake before it's stale, or pie, or coffeecake, or batch of cookies. Since we're also gluten-free, it's harder to just whip things up and there is little or no purchasing pre-made things on a whim. So, freezing works wonders. I am making an apple cranberry pie today. We'll eat two large pieces, and the rest will get frozen in individual servings. Awhile back, DH asked for GF Hostess cupcakes - the recipe I worked out creates 18. Fortunately, they freeze extremely well. We also freeze GF bread, cornbread, rolls, buns, etc.

I freeze a lot of stock--I've typically got at least 1 batch of chicken stock and 1 batch of duck stock in my freezer at any given point in time.

The only thing I do differently, though, is that I usually freeze 1/2 of my batch of stock in 1 and 1/2 cup silicone bowls, then transfer the frozen "pucks" to small individually sealed vacuum sealed baggies, which eliminates freezer burn. If you just toss the frozen pucks in one big zip lock bag that isn't sealed well, I've found freezer burn tends to set in fast. Whatever I have left over after making the pucks, I freeze in 1 quart plastic containers for future use in soups, etc.

I used to do this using an ice cube tray, but it was A) too messy; and B) I never needed only one or two ice cubes worth of stock. I've found the 1 and 1/2 cup puck to be the perfect size for deglazing pans, making pan sauces, finishing beans, etc. I imagine this method would work quite well with silicone muffin trays or anything similar, for that matter.

The bowls I use are from Lamson Sharp, and they're fantastic. I also use them as prep containers if I'm doing a lot of chopping. I like the peace of mind knowing that if I drop one or knock one over, it won't break.

Here's a link for the curious:

http://store.lamsonsharp.com/catalog/pr ... a301b1cb91

Looks like they're $7.00 a bowl now, which is pretty steep. I bought mine something like 5 years ago--I have 5 or 6 of them and I could have sworn I got the whole set for less than $20.00 back then.

ViewsAskew wrote:I like to make a batch of cookies, make one pan, then freeze the remaining dough in portions equivalent to a pan. It's easy to remove a blob, portion it, and bake. Voila, warm cookies.

I like to freeze cookie dough blobs too! Honestly, I usually just eat them straight from the freezer.

Jen

Frozen whole ginger grates beautifully on a fine microplane. I wouldn't do it any other way now.

Also, when I travel, I buy local bouillion cubes, packaged sauces, soups, etc. and bring them home. In England, for example, you can get Knorr lamb cubes, and, in France, both roasted chicken and veal cubes. Knorr goulash spice from Austria is quite different from ours in N. America. I bring those things home, and freeze them.

Shrimp and scallops freeze very nicely and defrost well in a brine.

I sauté mushrooms just until they begin to bleed, then freeze them in a thin layer on an aluminum pizza pan. After they freeze, I break the layer into portion-sized chunks and put them in a plastic bag. Works most excellently for Chinese noodles.

Geo

Geo wrote:Frozen whole ginger grates beautifully on a fine microplane. I wouldn't do it any other way now.

Also, when I travel, I buy local bouillion cubes, packaged sauces, soups, etc. and bring them home. In England, for example, you can get Knorr lamb cubes, and, in France, both roasted chicken and veal cubes. Knorr goulash spice from Austria is quite different from ours in N. America. I bring those things home, and freeze them.

Geo

Have you ever come across Knorr Demi-glace mix in your travels? I have not seen it in years and it was an excellent product.

Joe,

Get the catalogue from germanysbest.com. They list

Knorr Demiglace Braune Grundsauce für 3,5L 52.9oz (1500g)

which is obviously a commercial size, but it looks like what you're looking for.

Geo

bibi rose wrote:Leftover wine

What's that?

Geo wrote:Joe,

Get the catalogue from germanysbest.com. They list

Knorr Demiglace Braune Grundsauce für 3,5L 52.9oz (1500g)

which is obviously a commercial size, but it looks like what you're looking for.

Geo

http://www.germanysbest.com/

Unfortunately, the company is out of business.

Thanks for the effort.

leftover fresh herbs

Wine

Vegetable scraps (for stock)

Lots of other things.

I have an awesome Chipotle Beer Batter for deep frying. I fried fish yesterday and have a bunch left over. Any thoughts on freezing the batter?

I freeze batter all the time. You may have to give it a good stir when it warms up.