Freezing food experts--help the obsessed

[pritchettzoo]

So I'm trying to get some food together for after the baby. I have never been a freeze-for-later girl (other than lasagne and spaghetti sauce).

I keep reading that sour cream and cream cheese don't freeze well, but there are tons of "freezer cooking" recipes calling for them. Does it matter if they're cooked first? Or do you spend all this money and time and then have to eat something gross later?

And you're not supposed to refreeze meat. But sometimes I've gotten "fresh" chicken breasts at the grocery store that had clearly been frozen (powers of deduction include them actually STILL being frozen...). So are these okay if you cook them first? Or will they be dry and nasty later?

I just don't want to waste time and money. And if I read one more website I just might lose my mind. :P

Thanks!

Anna
Mama to Gracie (Sept '03)
and a BOY! (coming July '05)

[cmo]

My freezer stash saved me when my kiddos were born! Sour cream and cream cheese can be frozen successfully, IF they are mixed with other ingredients that are freezer-friendly (such as cream of mushroom soup). Even if it is not mixed with something else, if it is in something like a casserole that is baked first, then frozen and reheated later, it should be fine although the texture may be a bit off. The chicken will be fine if it is cooked first. In my experience, though, it it better to use recipes that call for diced or shredded chicken. Whole pieces do tend to dry out, with the possible exception of a recipe that calls for them to be smothered in a sauce or gravy.

Another option you may want to consider is Super Suppers (they have a website that explains the concept and lists the menu choices). If I remember correctly, you are in the Atlanta area. There have been a couple threads on this type of meal-prep place earlier this year. If you are intown, there is one opening up near downtown Decatur later this month. There are several other locations OTP as well.

Either way, you won't regret stocking the freezer. Good luck!

Chris

[Jenny_A]

Wow! I just took a look at the Super Suppers website. That's pretty neat! I live in the Atlanta area and have never seen one before. I see things like that and I think, 'Now why didn't I think of that idea first!' It looks like they're going up all over the place. I can't decide on the prices. It actually doesn't sound too bad considering they purchase all ingredients and do the prep work for you. Thanks for the tip!

Anna, just another idea for you... Schwans delivers in the Atlanta area. They sell frozen dinners and entrees that are a nicer quality than what you find in the grocery store and deliver them to your door. That would be less expensive than Super Suppers. It's not homemade, but just another idea!

[amp]

I can't speak to the sour cream and cream cheese rule, although I've read the same thing you have.

I can say that meat, once you've cooked it, can be refrozen. You just aren't supposed to keep defrosting meat and refreezing it.

Something else you can do to make things easier w/o adding ingredients that don't freeze well is to cook up beef and chicken ahead of time and freeze and then add to easy dishes or crock pots later on. We do this all the time now, as it really cuts our food prep time.

[alkagift]

You can absolutely freeze cooked meat. Normally I use the meat later in something like a casserole, quesadillas, etc, rather than plain so I don't know how it might affect the texture of a larger piece if eaten alone, iykwim.

I agree that freezing casseroles with sour cream in them are not the same thing as freezing sour cream solo, then thawing it and expecting it to behave the same way as it did before it was frozen. If I was doing it, I would probably cook the casserole in question then freeze it, just to take the water out of the sour cream, but I don't know what your recipe says to do--I would just do what it says if it was a "freezer" recipe.

Allison
Mommy to Matthew, who is TWO!