Embarrassingly stupid cooking question

MommyAtty

So I'm interested in starting to make and freeze meals. Since we are having #2, I'm trying to prepare for the first year to be bat-crap crazy, and I figure cooking and freezing is one small way to help myself out. Here's my problem. How do you know how long to cook it and at what temperature or if you should defrost it first, etc. I swear, everyone else on the planet seems to know this by instinct. Is there a book or something?

MamaAllison

Good for you for thinking ahead. I made about 25 meals before DD2 and it has been great to just pull something out of the freezer every other night or so.

We actually had a thread of recipes over on the Feb 14 BMB, I'm sure it will come up if you search it. Most of them were not cook ahead, just throw the ingredients in a freezer bag and you're done. We did learn the hard way that you need to cook potatoes before freezing them or they will turn black.

I also think lasagna is a great freezer meal, I make a huge batch of sauce and then use disposable meatloaf pans to make lots of little ones to freeze. The portion size is just right for me, DH and DD1. Also mac'n'cheese freezes well. Same thing as lasgana, just make it up to the point that you would put it in the freezer, then wrap it tightly in Saran Wrap and foil and freeze it. I also just made this awesome Black Bean and Quinoa Enchilada bake that I froze half of. It was really good (google it, I'm sure it will come up!)

I usually defrost the meals overnight before cooking them or putting them in the crock pot.

The easiest way to do this is just to make double portions whenever you're making a dinner that might freeze for the next few months.

Good luck!

mamom0103

This book has some great recipes for freezing and instructions on when to freeze, whether to defrost etc. https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Panic-Dinners-Freezer-Great-Tasting/dp/0800730550 I almost always defrost overnight then cook at normal temperature and plan for a little extra time if it's still cold/frozen. When in doubt, google search, there are tons of mom blogs out there about freezer meals! It's been a lifesaver for us.

MommyAtty

Thanks, everybody. DH is very picky, particularly about frozen meat (we buy air chilled chicken, for example, so we know it hasn't been frozen), so I will have to stick to meatless casseroles and soups. But right now with just one I'm not cooking as much as I would like. Even 30 minutes seems hard to find, so I have to find SOME alternative! My child eats way too many turkey tacos and quesadillas right now! Lol.

emberlee3

I don't freeze meals, but I freeze meal components. Rice freezes well. I freeze pulled pork and chicken to use in casseroles. Pasta sauce holds up well. I like to cook dried beans rather than canned, so I make big batches and freeze them. Homemade muffins freeze well and are nice to have for quick snacks or breakfasts. I don't like to put frozen food in the slow cooker.

thedash

I've had good luck freezing soup and my DS loves almost all soups.

vvvvvfee

for most things, just cover with aluminum foil and cook at 375 until bubbly. it's probably best to plan ahead and take the casserole out of the freezer the night before and put it in the fridge. then it will be partially defrosted and take less time to cook.

another thing i would add is to avoid freezing in pyrex- you can't put the cold pyrex directly into the oven or it could crack. i think it's easiest to freeze in disposable aluminum pans.

however, i am like PP in that i prefer to freeze meal components-- like seasoned ground turkey, brown rice, black beans, homemade chicken stock or tomato sauce, etc. then you can make a fresher-tasting meal using some stuff from the freezer and some from the fridge.

roo1oo

I made a couple of freezer meals when I had LO and it was great to have a few for the first weeks. After that it was either takeout or we got really good at making quick fresh meals. I ditched all the Cooks Illustrated recipes that took an hour to prepare and used a lot of simple spices and marinades (when time allowed).

I've found that purchasing vacuum packaged meats works great for my family. They stay fresh longer in the fridge so I can purchase enough for two weeks and only have to freeze what we don't eat in that period of time. Depending on what stores are in your area they may also be the same price as traditionally packaged meals. If I can cut out the time it takes to defrost meat, my meals are so much easier. Also, I bake meat a lot more because I can throw it in the oven and not worry about it until the timer goes off.

For veggies I either buy frozen steamer bags or fresh stuff that I can cut up and freeze. Theres tons of good side dishes available in steamer bags now.

For rice I usually get boil in bag rice or I've been on an alternate grains kick lately so I'll make a batch of quinoa or buckwheat on Sunday evening and use a bit throughout the week. Pasta is quick to cook and since DH has to be gluten free the gluten free pastas are terrible leftover. Pasta sauces I use a jar. But in my house we eat a lot of chicken and veggies or pork chops and veggies with rice or insta spuds. I've heard of making taco meats in advance and freezing works well but haven't done it yet. 

Here are two freezer meals that I made and liked:

https://allrecipes.com/recipe/simple-spinach-lasagna/

https://www.marthastewart.com/313371/baked-penne-with-chicken-and-sun-dried-t

The above one is awesome and can be made much healthier by using 1/2 chicken stock to make the cheese sauce.