If you freeze meals ahead

sooosie

Do you find that most things freeze well?  Or do you have any suggestions of things to avoid?  I'm going to start doing this - went out and bought my freezer storage containers and bags tonight. 

REOM

I freeze half of everything I make. Best advice is to freeze them in some kind of gravy or sauce. For example, if we have extra rotisserie chicken left over, I'll put it in gravy and freeze it then use it for another dinner.

I freeze individual servings of soup/stew which are great to grab for lunches. Also, I make big batches of tomato sauce, pesto, etc, and freeze it in the amount I would use for the four of us.

Mrs Manners

I typically freeze spaghetti sauce, the filling for my stuffed bell peppers and soups (except those with cream in them because they don't hold their texture). We don't eat a lot of other things that lend themselves to freezing.

grja

I freeze a lot, but its not always cooked before I freeze it. I'll make a big batch of meatballs and cook them approx 80of the way before i freeze. Otherwise if I cook them all the way they get dried out when i reheat.

I buy chicken breasts in bulk, trim them up, cut them on the thin side and then package them up in marinades and freeze that way. It takes less than a half hour to bake in the oven if they're frozen.

I freeze everything using my food saver, including sauces and soups. I find it easier to put those in ziploc bags first, and then use the vacuum bag and sealer. I prefer that to containers because they freeze nice and flat and don't take up a lot of room.

Jessys_Girl

grja:

I freeze a lot, but its not always cooked before I freeze it. I'll make a big batch of meatballs and cook them approx 80of the way before i freeze. Otherwise if I cook them all the way they get dried out when i reheat.

I buy chicken breasts in bulk, trim them up, cut them on the thin side and then package them up in marinades and freeze that way. It takes less than a half hour to bake in the oven if they're frozen.

I freeze everything using my food saver, including sauces and soups. I find it easier to put those in ziploc bags first, and then use the vacuum bag and sealer. I prefer that to containers because they freeze nice and flat and don't take up a lot of room.

All of this!  Plus a few more tips:

Meat:  Can be frozen uncooked into marinades or gravies (as mentioned above) or cooked, in sauce or gravy.

Potatoes: Don't freeze well unless they are cooked all the way before freezing.  Mashed potatoes are the most freezer friendly.  (they oxidize and get all brown and yucky if you don't cook before freezing).

Pasta: if you're assembling a pasta dish to freeze, do NOT cook the pasta.  Put it in the container with whatever sauce you're freezing it in.  It will absorb liquid as it freezes, and also as it thaws and cooks.  If you cook it before freezing it will get gummy and gross during the freezing/thawing/cooking process.

I always freeze things in meal sized portions.  I might make a batch of something that is about 4 meals worth...I split it up.  And like the PP said I freeze soups and stews in individual sized containers for quick grab and go type lunches.

Alexandra*sMom

The PP's have some great tips.  I have done freezer cooking off and on,  Really off for the last year.  I recently put spag sauce, burrito filling (black beans, corn, rice & tomatoes), and chicken bites in the freezer.  I might as well toss leftovers in the freezer (if they will reheat well), instead of them spoiling in my fridge!