to Freeze or Not to Freeze
 

Hi you guys,

I've been collecting recipes I could make in 'bulk' to save cooking time during the week (the only way I can do LC without living on pepperoni & ppshakes). I'm trying to invent a few which I will post here if they turn out edible.

I have a few questions about what can or can't be frozen, and prior to wasting a lot of time, money and food by screwing it up, I thought I'd ask someone more experienced (anyone! -- though I expect Karen is the most expert at all things food).

This is like the FAQ of freezing I think. It's actually pretty important on an eating plan where many peoples' time is very limited and most the foods are expensive and perishable...

1. If a recipe contains sour cream, mayonnaise, cream cheese, melted cheese, or (cooked in some form) eggs, can you freeze it? I hear no in some places, but then I hear certain things that have some of those freeze well in another.

2. Are mushrooms, garlic, olives, pickles, within a recipe okay to toss in the freezer as part of the leftover?

3. Is it dangerous to fully- or mostly-cook meats and freeze and then take them out and finish cooking them later when you want to eat them? I'm thinking like, cooking tons of beef and chicken in the crockpot, freezing stuff in 4oz increments in ziplocs, then defrosting in the Microwave and tossing into the frying pan or omelette or whatever. Or taking several bags out to keep in the fridge that I'll eat for the next few days. In any case having longer-term storage than just a few days in the fridge.

4. How long can you freeze foods that have eggs or dairy or melted cheese? Or is there no real time limit on any freezing as long as it stays frozen?

5. The little GLAD plastic disposable freeze/store/nuke dishes, are those sufficient for freezing? Or should everything be wrapped in butcher paper and then also stored inside ziplocks?

6. If something has got ice crystals all over it inside the bag and looks like it's getting "freezer burn" (whatever that is technically), is there any solution to this short of eating it immediately or throwing it away? I mean would rinsing it off, then wrapping it tightly in butcher paper and bagging, and putting back in the freezer, be ok to 'salvage' it?

7. Maybe this is a stupid question. I never see salad frozen. Yet I see broccoli frozen. Is there some reason that mixing up a salad (like romaine, red leaf, spinach leaves, broccoli, sliced bell pepper) and putting it in a big ziploc and freezing it isn't done? Of course it'd have to thaw in the fridge (nuking a salad would be yucky, lol) but... is it all the water in lettuce or something?

Part of my interest relates to my income, which varies wildly. I often don't have much money for food. So I'd like to make and freeze a lot of stuff during times that I do.

Many, many thanks to anybody who can find the time to answer one or more of these.

Best regards,
PJ

Oh, these would be good things to know. Anyone?

1. If a recipe contains sour cream, mayonnaise, cream cheese, melted cheese, or (cooked in some form) eggs, can you freeze it?
A: In my experience, Yes. I freeze quiche and cheescake okay.

2. Are mushrooms, garlic, olives, pickles, within a recipe okay to toss in the freezer as part of the leftover?
A: Of course!!

3. Is it dangerous to fully- or mostly-cook meats and freeze and then take them out and finish cooking them later when you want to eat them? 4. How long can you freeze foods that have eggs or dairy or melted cheese? Or is there no real time limit on any freezing as long as it stays frozen?

Meat should be frozen either raw or completely cooked. Partially cooking meat and freezing may allow bacteria to breed when cooking is completed. If meat is fully cooked, and then you toss it in a frypan to warm it up it should be ok - as long as you are not completing the cooking process. Be particuarly wary of chicken.

For the same reason NEVER deforst meat in the microwave that you aren't going to cook straight away - microwaving at defrost setting will partially cook the meat.

6. If something has got ice crystals all over it inside the bag and looks like it's getting "freezer burn" is there any solution to this short of eating it immediately or throwing it away?
Freezer burn can be cut off. On chicken the freezer burn area's are grey, and can be cut of before cooking. On other food stuffs it is harder to tell.

Remember, not all icecrystals mean the food is freezer burn.

I mean would rinsing it off, then wrapping it tightly in butcher paper and bagging, and putting back in the freezer, be ok to 'salvage' it?
Makes problem worse. Becuase it is wet, then that freezes.

7. Maybe this is a stupid question. I never see salad frozen.
You CANNOT Freeze lettuce. I don't know why it doesn't work, but in my experience it wilts and goes dark when defrosted in fridge. It's also near impossible to not freezer burn.

mb and PJ, lettuce cannot be frozen because of the high water content and the delicate cells. The water expands when it freezes and ruptures the cells. That's why it goes limp.

mb, thanks for info about freezing (or rather not freezing) partially cooked meat. I wasn't aware of that.

Cheers, ya'll.