Freezer food

[Nolongerjustalurker]

We had freezer roulette last night and my boyfriend took a Tupperware of gravy to work for lunch dying he was so pissed off he thought it was chilli

 

[Renegadedancer]

Mines a mixture of frozen meals that have been batch cooked, plus ice lollies, chips, chicken nuggets etc! I also find my freezer is packed the the rafters or is rattling it’s so empty. I also forget stuff is in there, note to self it’s important to label what it is and when you put it in there!

 

[LT31514]

I find my freezer is always rammed but with nothing that can make a meal. I always try to run it down and start a fresh and then summer hits and it’s full of ice cream

 

[Gingercream]

I batch cook curries and pasta sauce (mainly bolognese) then freeze it - it saves me a lot of time in the week as I can just defrost and reheat.

 

[DCICassieStuart]

I don't batch cook. I've done it a few times before, but I always forget to take it out to defrost!
I do meal plan though so I tend to do a shop at the start of the week to last until Friday as meat or fish doesn't last any longer than 3 or 4 days tops, nor does fruit and veg.

There are usually a couple of frozen pizzas and a box of frozen chicken fillets in there though for emergencies.

I keep bags of frozen berries in there too as I use them in cereal and freeze a packet of burger buns just to have in there too.

I put bags of chips fresh herbs in there as soon as I get them and use them from frozen.

 

[ChloChlo]

I dont really batch cook but if my sister stays over she does some for me because I love her cooking.

I use frozen "scratch" ingredients so I have alot of things like frozen veg, bags of chopped onion or peppers. Smoothie ingredient bags too - all store bought.

Then I have your things like chips, chicken nuggets, battered fish, frozen chicken breasts for curry and such mainly.

Then I have a shelf of things such as whoopsie meat and whoopsie bakery goods.

 

[Gingercream]

Chopped frozen onions and garlic and ginger has been a life changing discovery for me I really hate peeling and chopping onions and garlic!

I bought a box of takeaway tubs from Costco and use those to freeze portions of food in. They stack well and can be microwaved and go in the dishwasher. I also have a roll of labels and a sharpie next to the freezer to try and label everything before it goes in.

 

[Happy35]

I have tried batch cooking lots of things but they never taste the same to me once defrosted so have stopped doing it. I am a fussy eater though so that probably doesn’t help.

 

[Nolongerjustalurker]

I loooove batch cooking. Curries, soup, bolognese, chilli, mac and cheese, lasagna, Katsu sauce, lentil dal. Amazing for when you’re feeling lazy but want something homemade. I use reusable food storage bags and freeze flat so you can fit more in. I’ve also got cookie dough, brownies and blondies, so when I bake we don’t have to eat a whole tray of cake between the 2 of us.

 

[coconochanel]

I have frozen veg (for quickness) and things like chicken breasts, ice cream, a couple of ready meals and a pizza if I cant be bothered to cook. If I make spag bol or chilli I always freeze a portion.

I always have sliced lemons in there for my gins.

 

[Gingercream]

I’ve never even heard of chopping onions to freeze but that’s AMAZING! Do you need to take them out the day before when you want to use them or do you cook from frozen?

I cook them from frozen. I buy them ready chopped and frozen from the supermarket - I’ve got butternut squash chunks too which are great, you can roast them from frozen then blitz into soup

 

[Naataaliiee]

We freeze everything, especially once it’s at it’s best and we’re not ready to use it. Chop and freeze all veg and fruit, all our meat is frozen ready to defrost as and when we want it. I pick up cheap fruit on its ‘use by’ date then freeze, eg berries!
I batch cook meals and sauces to freeze and then use in the week as it saves so much time. Pasta sauce, curries, chilli (both meat and veggie), cottage pie, hotpot... I also make roast potatoes, wedges etc, cook then freeze!
I batch cook then instantly freeze meals for my one year old which is a godsend, everything from muffins to pancakes, curries to stews.
We also have shop bought frozen foods too like pizza, waffles and oven chips!

 

[skintsocks]

I have the usual nuggets and so on, and frozen veg in there, but I also make lots of homemade beef-burgers using lean steak mince, and freeze them in a box with baking paper between them. I have sliced limes, lemons, onions, peppers and chillis, and then some herbs which I chop into an ice-cube tray and top up with water (you can chuck them into food as they are whilst you're cooking), and a box of grated cheese (as it's cheaper to grate a huge piece rather than buy it ready-done) which I use straight from frozen on top of pasta bakes, a pizza base, lasagne, chilli and so on. Sometimes there's chilli, curry and soup in there also. It's useful as I have Uni students who tend to turn up unannounced throughout term after 11pm and they're always starving.

 

[Boredofthegram]

Batch cooked spag bol, chilli and curries.
I bulk buy things like chicken breasts and chops from costco and split the packs and freeze in portions.
slices of cake, brownies or cookie dough that I freeze on the day I’ve baked it so it’s still fresh tasting once defrosted.
Plus the standard chicken nuggets, fish fingers, waffles and chips for when my son and I fancy a beige buffet

 

[Notothefakes]

My freezer is a mixture but I always have batch cooked stuff in there for when I’m at work (on mat leave at minute). When I was pregnant I filled the outdoor freezer with meals ready for when baby was born and I’m glad I did as he was born on lockdown day so I had a freezer full of cooked meals already (I did it with my other two babies I wasn’t purposefully stock piling )

 

[Renegadedancer]

Batch cooked spag bol, chilli and curries.
I bulk buy things like chicken breasts and chops from costco and split the packs and freeze in portions.
slices of cake, brownies or cookie dough that I freeze on the day I’ve baked it so it’s still fresh tasting once defrosted.
Plus the standard chicken nuggets, fish fingers, waffles and chips for when my son and I fancy a beige buffet

I wish I had some brownie mix in the freezer...i Would love one Now

 

[or JusRollWithIt]

When produce or meat is on special offer, I buy extra and I portion and freeze in bags. Ground meats get flattened in ziplock bags to take up less space. We have some frozen ready made items like pierogis or pizzas. When I make chilli or soup, I make in our largest pot but we have a big family so most gets eaten and if there are leftovers, it’s one or two servings for lunch the next day. I do make double batches of lasagna, cottage pie etc and freeze one. Same amount of work, 2 meals. I also make triple or quadruple a cookie dough recipe, portion it into log shapes that can be cut from frozen when we want “fresh” baked cookies. That’s probably my favourite shortcut.

 

[Penguinandthepinecone]

The most useful things that I freeze are things that you’re not necessarily supposed to freeze. I buy a nice chorizo and it goes straight in the freezer (it says not to on the one I buy). When I cook jambalaya or a fresh pizza I take it out freezer and slice what I need whilst still frozen, then put the rest back in. I used to waste it so much by just leaving it in the fridge to go past it’s date. I also halve lots of fresh things that I know I won’t get used in full, rather than it going off. It feels really efficient to halve, wrap and freeze on the day of purchase, rather than waiting for it to head towards past its best and regret that it didn’t get used. Oh and I love raiding the reduced fridge in M&S and Co-op and stocking up on anything that can be frozen!

 

[265]

Our Freezer is just full of regular frozen foods, we don't batch cook and freeze meals at all.

 

[TravellingPants]

I am close to evangelical about the freezer being the most useful thing in the kitchen. I batch cook lots of meals (curries, dal, pasta sauce/bakes, ratatouille are my go-tos) and label EVERYTHING so that I don’t end up playing freezer roulette.

I also only buy meat or fish when they’re in the reduced/yellow sticker shelf and then freeze them so they keep, so often there’s some mince, chicken and cod in there. Frozen king prawns are also much better value than fresh... and if I buy things like herbs or cheese that I will never use all of before they go off, I chop and freeze those too.

What containers are you all using to freeze in?

I have some really good shallow square ones from Lakeland, which hold a decent single portion of most meals and stack well together too. For bigger batches I re-use takeaway pots.