Post by benshelpmeet on Sept 12, 2006 17:55:27 GMT -5
The main thing about OAWC is that you don't want too much fat in the food. It tends to separate in the freezer and leaves the food a poor consistency. It's still edible and nutritious, just not as appealing.
Generally, plain cooked potatoes don't freeze well, but if they're in something like soup, stew, or a casserole, or even scalloped or twice-baked, they do fine. I think it's because they are buffered by the other ingredients.
I cook both rice and pasta to freeze ahead. Rice needs to thaw on its own, not in the microwave. If you try to quick thaw it, it has a gummy, overcooked texture.
Pasta can be cooked al dente`, rinsed in cold water, drained well, and frozen. Then, just plunge it into boiling water only until it separates and then take it immediately out of the water again and drain it well. It's thawed and heated through at that point and just needs sauce. Don't use oil when cooking pasta. It only serves to make good sauce slide off...LOL
Almost anything can be frozen. Look in the grocery store at the wide selection of dinners, entrees and sides in the freezer there! The main thing is to wrap them very well. It's best to wrap in plastic wrap very tightly first, then overwrap in foil, also very tightly. You want to drive all the air away from the food. Depending on what you freeze, you can put it in the oven to thaw and cook or thaw and warm through, or microwave it without the foil on. So far, only rice has proven to be a failure when trying to quick thaw it.
Here's my plan for cooking tonight and tomorrow. This will cover 2 weeks of menus, actually, and I'll send my menus in another post.
Get from freezer:
chicken leg quarters
2 lb. venison
2 lb. beef
4 cups purple hull peas
3 cups cooked, diced white meat chicken
8 ears unshucked corn
Boil chicken leg quarters - about 8 lb. Debone.
Make &/or cook:
Chicken pot pie
Chicken seasoned with taco seasoning
Baked mac & cheese
Gravy mix
Biscuit mix
Cream soup mix
Vanilla pudding mix
Noodle seasoning mix
Home made cream corn from frozen ears
4 cups purple hull peas from freezer
4 cup brown rice cooked to make 8
Meatloaf - divide into one meatloaf and some stuffed peppers
Cook 2 lb. pinto beans - divide and make frijoles from half
Cornbread
Scalloped potatoes
Seasoned rice - 3 cups cooked to make 6
bell pepper and onion - 2 of each - chopped and sauteed.
I think that's it other than some bread in the machine.
OAWC Menu [actually covers about 2 weeks]
1 Chicken pot pie, biscuits
2 Meatloaf , noodles and sauce, purple hull peas, bread
3 Stuffed peppers, brown rice and sauce, green
beans, biscuits
4 Pinto beans, rice, poke salad [from freezer], cornbread
5 Burritos, seasoned rice, corn
6 Chicken fajitas, seasoned rice, corn
7 Chicken quesadillas, mixed seasoned and brown rice, corn and black bean salsa
8 French toast, scrambled eggs, fried turkey ham
9 Spaghetti & frozen sauce, cottage cheese, bread, corn
10 Pancakes (from biscuit master mix), eggs, fried turkey ham
11 Chicken salad sandwiches from home made chicken salad
Because there are always some leftovers, the other three main meals will be from those. Also, we'll have PB&J, ramen noodles, or leftovers for our lunches. Rarely does anyone here want breakfast, and even then a bowl of cereal is all they want.
Most of the main dishes will be cooked and frozen ahead of time since they take the most preparation. That way, I can pop them in the oven while I'm getting sides ready.
I'll probably make a couple of cakes from the master mix and put those in the freezer, too. Then we can just sprinkle on powdered sugar when they come out and thaw because they are so very moist after thawing they don't even need icing! We don't have dessert for every meal, so 2 full size cakes will be plenty for 2 weeks of menus.
I'll put the bison and venison together to make the meatloaf and the stuffed peppers. I have whole bell peppers in the freezer that I've already cleaned up. They just need stuffing. (Got them at a real bargain - around 15 lb. of them for only $3!)
I'll assemble the pot pie and partially bake it, then freeze it. All beans and peas will be fully cooked and frozen. I'll season part of the chicken from the thighs and add the bell pepper and onion to that for fajitas that can be filled at mealtime. I can make the French toast and freee it, then it can be put into the toaster when we're ready to eat it. Ditto for pancakes. I'll make the frijoles and freeze that, then it's easy to fill bean burritoes by just thawing and heating the mix.
Chicken salad will be made and held in the fridge till it's eaten. We'll make the quesadillas as we eat them, too, but the chicken will be what I cooked and seasoned ahead of time.
I have several packages of pasta sauce in the freezer. We just have to choose one and warm it through and add it to spaghetti when we're ready to eat it.
The more I can get cooked and into the freezer, the quicker mealtimes are and anybody here can put it together, that way. I buy Jenni-O turkey ham and use it like bacon, ham, seasoning in beans, or for sandwiches. I have a meat slicer, so I can get it paper thin or slice it thick. I will slice it up in a variety of ways and repackage it for the freezer.
Reading this back to myself it sounds complicated. But it's really not once you get your plan written out and what you need lined up in the kitchen. It sure takes the pressure off if you've had a really busy day to know there's good, homemade food in the freezer already. This also makes it where if you find a bargain on something, you don't mind buying up enough to last awhile because you can plan menus around that.
OAWC Menu [actually covers about 2 weeks]
1 Chicken pot pie, biscuits
2 Meatloaf , noodles and sauce, purple hull peas, bread
3 Stuffed peppers, brown rice and sauce, green
beans, biscuits
4 Pinto beans, rice, poke salad [from freezer], cornbread
5 Burritos, seasoned rice, corn
6 Chicken fajitas, seasoned rice, corn
7 Chicken quesadillas, mixed seasoned and brown rice, corn and black bean salsa
8 French toast, scrambled eggs, fried turkey ham
9 Spaghetti & frozen sauce, cottage cheese, bread, corn
10 Pancakes (from biscuit master mix), eggs, fried turkey ham
11 Chicken salad sandwiches from home made chicken salad
Because there are always some leftovers, the other three main meals will be from those. Also, we'll have PB&J, ramen noodles, or leftovers for our lunches. Rarely does anyone here want breakfast, and even then a bowl of cereal is all they want.
Most of the main dishes will be cooked and frozen ahead of time since they take the most preparation. That way, I can pop them in the oven while I'm getting sides ready.
I'll probably make a couple of cakes from the master mix and put those in the freezer, too. Then we can just sprinkle on powdered sugar when they come out and thaw because they are so very moist after thawing they don't even need icing! We don't have dessert for every meal, so 2 full size cakes will be plenty for 2 weeks of menus.
I'll put the bison and venison together to make the meatloaf and the stuffed peppers. I have whole bell peppers in the freezer that I've already cleaned up. They just need stuffing. (Got them at a real bargain - around 15 lb. of them for only $3!)
I'll assemble the pot pie and partially bake it, then freeze it. All beans and peas will be fully cooked and frozen. I'll season part of the chicken from the thighs and add the bell pepper and onion to that for fajitas that can be filled at mealtime. I can make the French toast and freee it, then it can be put into the toaster when we're ready to eat it. Ditto for pancakes. I'll make the frijoles and freeze that, then it's easy to fill bean burritoes by just thawing and heating the mix.
Chicken salad will be made and held in the fridge till it's eaten. We'll make the quesadillas as we eat them, too, but the chicken will be what I cooked and seasoned ahead of time.
I have several packages of pasta sauce in the freezer. We just have to choose one and warm it through and add it to spaghetti when we're ready to eat it.
The more I can get cooked and into the freezer, the quicker mealtimes are and anybody here can put it together, that way. I buy Jenni-O turkey ham and use it like bacon, ham, seasoning in beans, or for sandwiches. I have a meat slicer, so I can get it paper thin or slice it thick. I will slice it up in a variety of ways and repackage it for the freezer.
Reading this back to myself it sounds complicated. But it's really not once you get your plan written out and what you need lined up in the kitchen. It sure takes the pressure off if you've had a really busy day to know there's good, homemade food in the freezer already. This also makes it where if you find a bargain on something, you don't mind buying up enough to last awhile because you can plan menus around that.
The main thing is to make sure you have the items wrapped so tightly that there is virtually no air in the package next to the food. I have used zip freezer bags, but they're faulty because you never really get all the air out.
The best way is to let the item cool. Then, wrap it tightly in a couple of layers of plastic wrap, pushing air pockets out as you go. Then wrap it again tightly in foil, making sure you have enough foil to roll down the seam really well and to fold up at the ends really well. Smooth any air pockets out of that before you finish tightening up an end. Be sure to label and date it so you'll know what's in the freezer and expect to use frozen meals in 6 months or less.
If you're only cooking for a week or two, or even for a month at a time, you probably won't have to worry about freezer burn if you wrap things this way. It's really extended storage that "gets" them, especially when they're not really air and moisture tight enough.
Generally, plain cooked potatoes don't freeze well, but if they're in something like soup, stew, or a casserole, or even scalloped or twice-baked, they do fine. I think it's because they are buffered by the other ingredients.
I cook both rice and pasta to freeze ahead. Rice needs to thaw on its own, not in the microwave. If you try to quick thaw it, it has a gummy, overcooked texture.
Pasta can be cooked al dente`, rinsed in cold water, drained well, and frozen. Then, just plunge it into boiling water only until it separates and then take it immediately out of the water again and drain it well. It's thawed and heated through at that point and just needs sauce. Don't use oil when cooking pasta. It only serves to make good sauce slide off...LOL
Almost anything can be frozen. Look in the grocery store at the wide selection of dinners, entrees and sides in the freezer there! The main thing is to wrap them very well. It's best to wrap in plastic wrap very tightly first, then overwrap in foil, also very tightly. You want to drive all the air away from the food. Depending on what you freeze, you can put it in the oven to thaw and cook or thaw and warm through, or microwave it without the foil on. So far, only rice has proven to be a failure when trying to quick thaw it.
Here's my plan for cooking tonight and tomorrow. This will cover 2 weeks of menus, actually, and I'll send my menus in another post.
Get from freezer:
chicken leg quarters
2 lb. venison
2 lb. beef
4 cups purple hull peas
3 cups cooked, diced white meat chicken
8 ears unshucked corn
Boil chicken leg quarters - about 8 lb. Debone.
Make &/or cook:
Chicken pot pie
Chicken seasoned with taco seasoning
Baked mac & cheese
Gravy mix
Biscuit mix
Cream soup mix
Vanilla pudding mix
Noodle seasoning mix
Home made cream corn from frozen ears
4 cups purple hull peas from freezer
4 cup brown rice cooked to make 8
Meatloaf - divide into one meatloaf and some stuffed peppers
Cook 2 lb. pinto beans - divide and make frijoles from half
Cornbread
Scalloped potatoes
Seasoned rice - 3 cups cooked to make 6
bell pepper and onion - 2 of each - chopped and sauteed.
I think that's it other than some bread in the machine.
OAWC Menu [actually covers about 2 weeks]
1 Chicken pot pie, biscuits
2 Meatloaf , noodles and sauce, purple hull peas, bread
3 Stuffed peppers, brown rice and sauce, green
beans, biscuits
4 Pinto beans, rice, poke salad [from freezer], cornbread
5 Burritos, seasoned rice, corn
6 Chicken fajitas, seasoned rice, corn
7 Chicken quesadillas, mixed seasoned and brown rice, corn and black bean salsa
8 French toast, scrambled eggs, fried turkey ham
9 Spaghetti & frozen sauce, cottage cheese, bread, corn
10 Pancakes (from biscuit master mix), eggs, fried turkey ham
11 Chicken salad sandwiches from home made chicken salad
Because there are always some leftovers, the other three main meals will be from those. Also, we'll have PB&J, ramen noodles, or leftovers for our lunches. Rarely does anyone here want breakfast, and even then a bowl of cereal is all they want.
Most of the main dishes will be cooked and frozen ahead of time since they take the most preparation. That way, I can pop them in the oven while I'm getting sides ready.
I'll probably make a couple of cakes from the master mix and put those in the freezer, too. Then we can just sprinkle on powdered sugar when they come out and thaw because they are so very moist after thawing they don't even need icing! We don't have dessert for every meal, so 2 full size cakes will be plenty for 2 weeks of menus.
I'll put the bison and venison together to make the meatloaf and the stuffed peppers. I have whole bell peppers in the freezer that I've already cleaned up. They just need stuffing. (Got them at a real bargain - around 15 lb. of them for only $3!)
I'll assemble the pot pie and partially bake it, then freeze it. All beans and peas will be fully cooked and frozen. I'll season part of the chicken from the thighs and add the bell pepper and onion to that for fajitas that can be filled at mealtime. I can make the French toast and freee it, then it can be put into the toaster when we're ready to eat it. Ditto for pancakes. I'll make the frijoles and freeze that, then it's easy to fill bean burritoes by just thawing and heating the mix.
Chicken salad will be made and held in the fridge till it's eaten. We'll make the quesadillas as we eat them, too, but the chicken will be what I cooked and seasoned ahead of time.
I have several packages of pasta sauce in the freezer. We just have to choose one and warm it through and add it to spaghetti when we're ready to eat it.
The more I can get cooked and into the freezer, the quicker mealtimes are and anybody here can put it together, that way. I buy Jenni-O turkey ham and use it like bacon, ham, seasoning in beans, or for sandwiches. I have a meat slicer, so I can get it paper thin or slice it thick. I will slice it up in a variety of ways and repackage it for the freezer.
Reading this back to myself it sounds complicated. But it's really not once you get your plan written out and what you need lined up in the kitchen. It sure takes the pressure off if you've had a really busy day to know there's good, homemade food in the freezer already. This also makes it where if you find a bargain on something, you don't mind buying up enough to last awhile because you can plan menus around that.
OAWC Menu [actually covers about 2 weeks]
1 Chicken pot pie, biscuits
2 Meatloaf , noodles and sauce, purple hull peas, bread
3 Stuffed peppers, brown rice and sauce, green
beans, biscuits
4 Pinto beans, rice, poke salad [from freezer], cornbread
5 Burritos, seasoned rice, corn
6 Chicken fajitas, seasoned rice, corn
7 Chicken quesadillas, mixed seasoned and brown rice, corn and black bean salsa
8 French toast, scrambled eggs, fried turkey ham
9 Spaghetti & frozen sauce, cottage cheese, bread, corn
10 Pancakes (from biscuit master mix), eggs, fried turkey ham
11 Chicken salad sandwiches from home made chicken salad
Because there are always some leftovers, the other three main meals will be from those. Also, we'll have PB&J, ramen noodles, or leftovers for our lunches. Rarely does anyone here want breakfast, and even then a bowl of cereal is all they want.
Most of the main dishes will be cooked and frozen ahead of time since they take the most preparation. That way, I can pop them in the oven while I'm getting sides ready.
I'll probably make a couple of cakes from the master mix and put those in the freezer, too. Then we can just sprinkle on powdered sugar when they come out and thaw because they are so very moist after thawing they don't even need icing! We don't have dessert for every meal, so 2 full size cakes will be plenty for 2 weeks of menus.
I'll put the bison and venison together to make the meatloaf and the stuffed peppers. I have whole bell peppers in the freezer that I've already cleaned up. They just need stuffing. (Got them at a real bargain - around 15 lb. of them for only $3!)
I'll assemble the pot pie and partially bake it, then freeze it. All beans and peas will be fully cooked and frozen. I'll season part of the chicken from the thighs and add the bell pepper and onion to that for fajitas that can be filled at mealtime. I can make the French toast and freee it, then it can be put into the toaster when we're ready to eat it. Ditto for pancakes. I'll make the frijoles and freeze that, then it's easy to fill bean burritoes by just thawing and heating the mix.
Chicken salad will be made and held in the fridge till it's eaten. We'll make the quesadillas as we eat them, too, but the chicken will be what I cooked and seasoned ahead of time.
I have several packages of pasta sauce in the freezer. We just have to choose one and warm it through and add it to spaghetti when we're ready to eat it.
The more I can get cooked and into the freezer, the quicker mealtimes are and anybody here can put it together, that way. I buy Jenni-O turkey ham and use it like bacon, ham, seasoning in beans, or for sandwiches. I have a meat slicer, so I can get it paper thin or slice it thick. I will slice it up in a variety of ways and repackage it for the freezer.
Reading this back to myself it sounds complicated. But it's really not once you get your plan written out and what you need lined up in the kitchen. It sure takes the pressure off if you've had a really busy day to know there's good, homemade food in the freezer already. This also makes it where if you find a bargain on something, you don't mind buying up enough to last awhile because you can plan menus around that.
The main thing is to make sure you have the items wrapped so tightly that there is virtually no air in the package next to the food. I have used zip freezer bags, but they're faulty because you never really get all the air out.
The best way is to let the item cool. Then, wrap it tightly in a couple of layers of plastic wrap, pushing air pockets out as you go. Then wrap it again tightly in foil, making sure you have enough foil to roll down the seam really well and to fold up at the ends really well. Smooth any air pockets out of that before you finish tightening up an end. Be sure to label and date it so you'll know what's in the freezer and expect to use frozen meals in 6 months or less.
If you're only cooking for a week or two, or even for a month at a time, you probably won't have to worry about freezer burn if you wrap things this way. It's really extended storage that "gets" them, especially when they're not really air and moisture tight enough.