Do you like to cook ahead and put meals in the freezer?

Barbara G.

Barbara G.

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I love to cook ahead and put meals in the freezer. Right now, I only have the home freezer above the fridge to place meals in. My plan is to get a freezer this year. I have had several in the past, but when I moved about four years or so ago, I had no room for them. I am happy that I now live in a place with more space. :D

Do you like to cook ahead and put meals in the freezer? :cool:
 
Barbara G. said:
I love to cook ahead and put meals in the freezer. Right now, I only have the home freezer above the fridge to place meals in. My plan is to get a freezer this year. I have had several in the past, but when I moved about four years or so ago, I had no room for them. I am happy that I now live in a place with more space. :D

Do you like to cook ahead and put meals in the freezer? :cool:
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I make meals and freeze them all the time and especially like to do this around holiday time and freeze the leftover turkey and ham. I will also make a big batch pf soup and freeze it in quart size freezer bags which is about equal to one portion for a meal. The small chest type freezer works well for because I do not have a big family and it was on sale at Sears for $125.00. It’s a Kenmore and has been working well for 4 years now.
 
I have never really frozen any meals. Do you find that they taste just as good? Do you use special containers to prevent freezer burn? I am always afraid to freeze meat, particularly steaks or roasts because I am afraid they will be tougher or not taste the same.
 
Cooking_Queen said:
I have never really frozen any meals. Do you find that they taste just as good? Do you use special containers to prevent freezer burn? I am always afraid to freeze meat, particularly steaks or roasts because I am afraid they will be tougher or not taste the same.
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As long as the foods you prepare to freeze is used within a certain amount of time, I really don't see a difference in taste. There are a variety of containers you can use depending on what you are freezing and whether you are going from freezer to stove without transferring into another cooking pan. For crockpots, it would be hard to go straight from freezer to crockpot in the same container.

Some freezer meals are fully cooked when they are placed in the freezer for a later meal. Other freezer meals are partially prepared and then frozen. In this case, you would take it out of the freezer to finish the cooking process before serving. Soon, I will post some more information in the crockpot forums about freezer cooking just so the information is available.
 
I frequently freeze food I have cooked in the crockpot, especially soups, spaghetti sauce, and stews. I simply submerge the freezer container in hot water long enough to loosen the food, and then put the food directly in the crock pot while still frozen. I use the low setting until the food is defrosted, and then turn it up to finish getting it nice and hot.

I also frequently make meals putting frozen meat in the crockpot and cooking it overnight. I top it with some kind of canned cream of soup. Makes a yummy gravy.:D
 
Barbara G. said:
As long as the foods you prepare to freeze is used within a certain amount of time, I really don't see a difference in taste. There are a variety of containers you can use depending on what you are freezing and whether you are going from freezer to stove without transferring into another cooking pan. For crockpots, it would be hard to go straight from freezer to crockpot in the same container.

Some freezer meals are fully cooked when they are placed in the freezer for a later meal. Other freezer meals are partially prepared and then frozen. In this case, you would take it out of the freezer to finish the cooking process before serving. Soon, I will post some more information in the crockpot forums about freezer cooking just so the information is available.
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I was wondering if anyone has ever tried to use crockpot liners to freeze the food in? It would seem a simple idea to transfer the food in the liner right to the freezer and then back in the crockpot to reheat still in the liner.. Not sure if the liners can be reused like this or not. Anybody ever tried this?
 
I tried crock pot liners once, years ago. Someone gave me a package. When I went to buy them, I thought they were a bit expensive. I did some internet research and could not find out if the liners were reusable. Everything I saw mentioned tossing them after using.
 
I love cooking for the freezer! I posted some freezer meals a while back on the recipe board under Mega Cooking. I like to cook ahead, separate into multiple meals, and freeze for later. We have a big chest freezer, so I can make a month's worth of a meal and freeze it.

For instance, in the winter, we like Chili once a week. I'll make 4 batches of it, freeze it, and thaw as needed. This really helps with meal planning.
 
I had a freezer for about 15 years and it just recently died. I miss being able to make meals ahead and freeze them. I use to do a weekend of batch cooking and then separate the meals into gallon freezer bags. I had a whole menu that included roasted, crock pot and stove top cooking. I also liked to double a recipe and freeze half for another time. As long as the foods are carefully sealed, they tasted just great to us when we used them weeks or months later.
 
Susan Mann said:
I tried crock pot liners once, years ago. Someone gave me a package. When I went to buy them, I thought they were a bit expensive. I did some internet research and could not find out if the liners were reusable. Everything I saw mentioned tossing them after using.
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It may have something to do with not reusing plastic because it release chemical the second time around. This is the case with reusing plastic water bottles and we are not supposed to refreeze them. I couldn't find out anything for sure on this on the internet either but I still think it would be easy to take the liner out of the crock pot and put it right in the freezer.
 
The liners seem to me to be a thinner plastic than what you normally would see for a freezer bag. I believe they are meant to be disposable. I agree they are somewhat expensive but I suppose that's true of anything that is a convenience item.
 
I never used liners. I usually add olive oil when cooking. It helps to prevent sticking. but I would try the liners, it seems to help with the clean up.
 
I do use cooking spray on the crock pot before I add anything. It seems to make clean up easier but I am wondering how healthful it is.
 
TheresaL said:
I do use cooking spray on the crock pot before I add anything. It seems to make clean up easier but I am wondering how healthful it is.
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Dr.Oz says that canola oil or olive oil is good for us. I would use those and stay away from vegetable oil and corn oil. Since you are using such a small amount to coat the crockpot it more than likely wouldn't matter that much anyway.
 
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