Please walk me through Freezing 101

[firstbaby]

I am a decent cook but horrible at long term meal planning. Meaning, I make a weekly menu but it involves going to the store 1 - 2 times a week to purchase the produce and meats for each of the meals. So, please help a "freezing newbie" master the art of freezing uncooked foods like meats and make ahead foods. For instance, I would love to buy meats in bulk and repackage and freeze but don't know how. Also, I would love to make some meals ahead before #2 comes but don't know what freezes well. Finally, how do you cook meats and make ahead dinners when you take them out of the freezer and how long can they be frozen for?

Really, I have no knowledge going into this but want to start getting more organized with my meal planning. TIA!

[maestramommy]

I usually get the multi-pack of meats from Costco (or get the max pack at your local grocery) and divide them into meal portions. For example 5-6 drumsticks is one dinner. I put the meats into freezer Ziploc bags. You can do this with steaks, pork loin, drumsticks, wings, any kind of meat that comes in huge packs. You just defrost them a day or two in advance in the refrigerator. They line up the freezer pretty neatly. We usually get almost a month's worth of dinner meat in the freezer.

As for meals, I made 2 meatloafs and 2 casseroles before DD was born. You just use the disposable aluminum baking pans/dishes you get at the grocery store. After it's cooked and cooled, I covered them with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and put it in the freezer. I'm not sure how long they can be frozen for, but mine were frozen for 2 months before being used.

[August Mom]

I especially like to freeze soups and sauces. I make large batches of chili, chicken chili and various meat sauces and divide them into individual servings. I freeze the individual servings and then thaw and reheat in the microwave.

As for meats, I freeze chicken breasts all the time. I get a large package when it's on sale. I trim them and then wrap each chicken breast in plastic wrap. Then, I put several in a zip top freezer bag. If I'm thinking ahead, I pull out how many breasts I will need for my meal the night before and thaw them in the freezer. If I'm not thinking ahead, I soak the number I need in the plastic bag in cold water (like you can thaw a frozen turkey).

I also make meatballs and freeze them. I cook them all the way through. Then, I wrap however many I'll need for a family serving (we usually put them on spaghetti) and then I wrap those in plastic wrap and then in foil. I either put them in a freezer bag or in a plastic container. To reheat, I put them in a frozen state in the microwave for 2 minutes on high (for 8 meatballs).

For other meats, I generally follow the same method as chicken - trim, wrap in plastic wrap (and sometimes foil) and put in a plastic bag.

I also freeze bell peppers and jalapeno peppers at the end of summer. I slice and/or chop them into 1 cup portions, wrap them in plastic wrap and then put them in a zip top bag.

I seldom make casseroles ahead to freeze, but I know many do.

[Meatball Mommie]

I freeze ahead a lot and it works out pretty well for us. My inlaws raise cows as a hobby, so we get our beef from them already packaged, but I used to do ground beef from the store before we lived close enough to them. I would buy it at Costo in the large packages (maybe 6 lbs or so) and them divide it into 1 lb increments and freeze in ziploc bags. That amount is great for meatloaf or other quick ground beef dinners.

I currently freeze:
-raw chicken breasts (packed 2 breasts per ziploc, then a bunch into a larger ziploc to keep together)
-grilled chicken breasts (seasoned with either mexican, herb or rotisserie seasonings)
-meatballs (already cooked)
-casseroles
-shrimp
-pork chops & roasts
-shredded cheese
-blueberries
-beef, in lots of different forms...stew, ground, roasts, steak

Taste of Home magazine always has great, and simple, casseroles - most will freeze great. My mother in law is fabulous at having things made ahead in the freezer - her golden rule is "only freeze once". So, if you make a casserole and want to freeze it, don't use already frozen meat to prepare the casserole.
About how long will they keep? Just as an example, we had a casserole tonight that I made from Thanksgiving leftovers! I chopped up some meat and mixed it with canned corn and cream of chicken soup, then I put it in a casserole dish and put leftover green bean casserole and mashed butternut squash around the edges and a little stuffing and cranberry sauce in the middle. It's very easy, tasty and the variations are endless - whatever is leftover, really! I covered it wil foil and froze. I just took it out this a.m. and since it was all precooked, it didn't need much time in the oven. Quiches freeze awesome too - just precook them a little so the eggs are a little set and then freeze. If you have any questions, feel free to pm me.

Karen
Mom to 2 boys (10 mo and 2 1/2 yrs)

[daisymommy]

Before I went on bed rest, I made 2 months worth of meals, and put them away in my freezer...who knows, maybe thats what sent me into pre-term labor! LOL! (I was nesting big time ;)).

My very favorite system for freezer cooking is called "30 Day Gourmet." There is a free website with loads of information, as well as their cookbook that contains all the freezing info you are looking for. The video is cheaply done, like a home movie, but was great to get me off to a head start in understanding the whole process of bulk/freezer cooking. I really like the organizational charts, lists, planning pages, etc. that they provide. They are essentional I think if you are doing a whole months worth of meals.