TravelTalkOnline Forums People Talk Recipes What things do you freeze?

Besides the usual things, what do you freeze? When I cook bacon, I cook up the whole pound and freeze what I am not going to use. I always have cooked bacon in the freezer. I always keep shredded cheese there. Thanks to a post by Peconic, I now have a half dozen meal size portions of Turnip. Also, mashed potatoes and corn cut off the cob. A few weeks ago I made homemade mac & cheese and froze some of the left-overs. Just defrosted, added a tiny bit of milk and nuked it. It is so nice to have this stuff handy in the freezer! I plan to stock up on some soups when it gets cooler. Any other suggestions??

Hi Carol and Walt -- here are some good ideas to get you started:

http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/s...e=1#Post1327073

Throughout tomato season I make sauce (unseasoned) from our garden tomatoes and freeze in usable quantities. When we make lasagna or ravioli with our homemade pasta we always freeze some of it (raviolis uncooked, lasagna cooked) as the recipes make more than we can eat unless we have guests. In addition to the soup you mentioned, stew also freezes nicely.

When I make crepes, I make a lot of them...
and freeze what I don't use right away, in FoodSaver pouchs...
enough for two servings in each pouch...
The come out great!

I love to freeze ziploc bags of rice and couscous, all pre-cooked. It's perfect for the two of us for a quick dinner with a grilled meat or a sauce. Sometimes I hate to make a whole batch of rice just for the two of us, especially brown rice as it takes so long!

i freeze a lot of things, but rice is not one of them. how is the texture when defrosted?

When we freeze things it's always the higher end (cost wise)...
When we find Leg of Lamb... or Ribeyes... or Prime Rib... good fish... whatever on sale...
package in a Food Saver...
We have limited freezer space... small garage freezer and the kitchen freezer...
I no longer freeze chicken or lesser priced things, or things that go on sale all the time...
Never chicken anymore... It's always on sale somewhere... just takes up room in the freezer...

Me too, I freeze a LOT of stuff, most of my meats, in fact, as we live so far from the grocery store. Never actually thought about freezing rice though. As you say, I wouldn't think the texture would be right?

I would think rice would get "creamier"? Maaybe? I havenever tried it, but the ice crystals might break down the cell walls, and make the rice more like a risotto...
I don't know... just trying to do the Alton Brown thing...
anyway... why freeze rice? it's too easy to just make from scratch...

Yeah, I kind of don't get it either, why you would bother.

Freezing leftover rice from take out Chinese is a great way to get a head start on homemade fried rice. The key with homemade fried rice is to start with COLD rice, grains separated.. by the way, frozen rice defrosts quickly.

Also, you can re-steam leftover rice with a little water and covered for a quick side dish for picky eaters (my son will not eat potatoes, but loves rice).

Actually that does make sense, to make fried rice with frozen leftover rice, as it wouldn't matter if the texture isn't exactly perfect.

OK... now that is a reason I never thought of!
I hate throwing away all the rice you get with take-out... But there's just so much of it!
Freezing the leftovers for making fried rice at another time is a good idea... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" />

Pumkin Pie? Can a uncooked home made pumkin pie including the home made crust be frozen? It would be easyier for the 400 mile trip to grandma's house and then cook it when I get there. If I can cook it when I get it there should I let it thaw out first or just cook it frozen? Thanks....Al

God, I would think the crust would be soggy, wouldn't it?

I often freeze soups... in a container... then remove from container and seal in a FoodSaver... then put back in freezer...

So obvious, but I missed it completely. Geez, I have half of my containers unusable right now because they are in the freezer. Going to go bang my head on the wall... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/hammer.gif" alt="" />.....then go move all the frozen stuff out of containers and into Foodsaver bags. Thanks for the tip!!!

Re: Pumpkin Pie
I recently looked up info on freezing all manner of winter squash when my weekly produce boxes provided about 40 pounds of various types!

Came across this page:
http://www.everythingpies.com/freeze-pumpkin-pie.html

Brad... Too Funny... I got that tip from annie a few years ago! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Dharma, I always cook and freeze fresh turnips every fall... in foodsavers, individual (or for two) portions...
Usually enough to last all winter... we love turnips...

another thing I like to freeze is Crepes (and blueberry pancakes)...
for the crepes, I put a piece of wax papr between each... then freeze them in the foodsaver...
when I make crepes and pancakes, I make a lot... so there are lots of leftovers...
I did try freezing French Toast... once... that's a disaster! don't even try...
the end result is pretty bad...

I appreciate you help. I believe I can make the pie and then freez it uncooked and then cook it at Granma's house.
"Mrs. Smith" does it all the time. She likes you to cook it frozen. Thanks....Al

IMO... freezing pies works out just OK...
The only caveat is that the crust never seems to come out as flaky as fresh made...

my freezer pantry includes items such as: frozen bananas (with peels on) once ripe but feeling too lazy to bake banana bread, banana muffins once i get around to baking, any leftover fruits for smoothies or cocktails, thai chili peppers, jalapenos, homemade burritos for p when i am not home to cook for him, marinated meats, vegetable broth, chicken stock, herbs (leftovers from the fridge), ginger, etc. i have a couple of cookbooks dedicated to make ahead freezer meals. very convenient for those busy or lazy days.

You mentioned Chicken Stock...
I always cut off and save the little wing tips from chickens and turkeys... freeze these in a ziplock baggie until I have a bunch...
Then I use them to make my own stock... then I cook it down to a concntrate and freeze the stock in icecube trays...
Remove from trays and put in Food Saver bags, about 6 cubes to a bag...and back in freezer...
then I can take out as many as I need to use...

Those wing tips have more collagen than any other part of the birds...
if you just put the stock concentrate in the fridge overnite, you get chicken JELLO...

for the stock I use the wing tips, chopped carrots, celery & onions (skins and all, I just cut off the root end)...
Strain it all before freezing...
sometimes I'll clarify the stock, using egg whites & shells...

[color:"blue"]Clarifying Cloudy Stock[/color]

INGREDIENTS

For each quart of stock:
2 tbsp cool water
2 egg whites
crushed egg shell from 2 eggs
1/2 tsp lemon juice

METHOD
1.Strain the stock through several layers of cheesecloth to remove any bones, meat, etc. Clean the stockpot, and return the stock to the pot.
2.Mix the ingredients together and add to the stock. Bring to a boil over high heat, then remove from heat, covered, and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
3.Strain once more through rinsed cheesecloth, taking care to pour slowly and carefully such that the fat does not re-coagulate...
(you want to keep that chicken fat! it will stay on top and is easy to remove after freezing if you don't want it).

yes, i save wing tips and also the thanksgiving turkey carcass; it's all useful for stock. in addition to the ingredients you listed, i also add whole peppercorn and parsley. it all goes into the slowcooker. as for the foodsaver, we owned one and used it only once. just gave it up recently to someone who hopefully puts it to more use. i simply measure my stock in one cup portions either in ziplocks lying flat in a container (container removed once frozen) or in tupperware. a couple of other items in the freezer pantry is homemade marinara and lasagna. it's only p and i, so we never finish up all the lasagna whenever i make it. it freezes nicely.

I've always cooked large pots of soups, limas and ham and stored them for future use. Now that I am alone I was surprised to find myself making a big pot of vegetable beef soup the other day. Froze a coupe of containers and shared with an elderly neighbor. Soup was one of my best. Just cooking for ones self is not as satisfying. Sharing is what makes a heart swell.

I, too, freeze bananas that are too ripe to eat. When I have enough, I make about a half dozen loaves of banana bread. The bananas, when thawed, are just the right texture to mix up for the bread. I also freeze sweet potato casserole. I make double quantity at our Thanksgiving in October. I serve one pot full with Thanksgiving turkey and freeze the second one for Christmas. I also freeze raspberries but they have to be frozen first flat on a lined cookie sheet and, once frozen solid, can be put into a container together. I have tried freezing rhoti or dahl pouri - these are the big crepe-like coverings for curry and rhoti - but they don't freeze well. They tend to dry out.