How often do you make big batches of food to freeze?

I looked at one of those vacuum freezer. It’s expensive and the plastic bags are really pricey. I didn’t know you have to freeze it first.

Ziploc sells plastic bags that don’t seal for keeping food separate. I freeze a chicken breast in each one and then store store in a real freezer bag.

Ziplock Portion and Freeze is the name.
 

I cook people-food for my 2 dogs. I buy 2 Costco rotisserie chickens that are each twice the size of any other stores on the planet and only pay 4.99 for each. I remove all the fat, skin, and bones, cut them up in bite-size pieces, put it in about 6 glass containers (anchor glass with rubbermaid lids that I get at TJMaxx and Homegoods), and freeze all but what I use for the first 2 or 3 days. I do this about every 2 or 3 weeks (I don't pay much attention...just whenever I'm out, I'm out).

To that I add fresh baked sweet potato, steamed wholegrain brown rice, spinach or broccoli, and chicken broth.
 
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Besides freezing the normal soups and casseroles like lasagna, like to chop fresh herbs like basil and oregano and freeze it with olive oil in zip lock bags - lay the bags flat on a pizza box or flat surface to freeze and then just break off what you need to put in soups and stews and Italian dishes.

Also blanch and freeze asparagus. Never seem to eat all the asparagus before it starts to whither...lol.
 

I used to buy more kale than I could eat in time before expired. I like buying a lot at a time when I find it fresh at the store so I rinse it well, remove the leaves from the stem, cram the whole leaves into an anchor glass bowl, use a plastic top, and freeze.

When it's frozen it's crisp and brittle, so then I take a fork and jab the leaves all over with the points of the fork tines....the kale quickly and easily breaks into little pieces. Then I put it back in the freezer until I want to use it. It's like fresh! You know how they say you should massage kale before using? Well, now you can skip that step.

I sprinkle it in soup, omelets, sandwiches, the beef stroganoff I had tonight, casseroles or any dish you want to add color and nutrition. It makes for beautiful plating too if you just sprinkle it around the plate and a little on top of entree.

It's a super-green of health!!
`
 
Marie5656 said:
I went shopping today, and bought ingredients to make slow cooker batches of Chicken Soup and beef stew, to divide up to freeze in single servings.
Just wondering how many of you do that? I usually do chili and the soup. This will be my first time trying beef stew...a friend told me how simple it is to make. I love having home made stuff in the freezer as I like to think it is better for me than the premade, pre packaged frozen items. I also like the convenience of just taking a container out to thaw, and have a fast meal
If you do freeze, what do you make?
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Before I retired, I worked 12 (+) hour shifts. I would always have packages of precooked meals in the freezer for my husband to eat while I was at work.

Also, when making soup, I always use 1/2 of the amount of liquid that the recipe calls for, so that the soup is condensed. I then freeze single portions. When it's time to eat it, I thaw out the condensed soup and heat it up with whatever liquid I want to use. This takes up less room in the freezer!
 
Jules said:
I looked at one of those vacuum freezer. It’s expensive and the plastic bags are really pricey. I didn’t know you have to freeze it first.

Ziploc sells plastic bags that don’t seal for keeping food separate. I freeze a chicken breast in each one and then store store in a real freezer bag.

Ziplock Portion and Freeze is the name.
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I didn't know about those. It's a good idea. I've been putting each chicken breast into a separate ziplock bag, which is what I did just a little while ago. I made like 12 breaded and fried breast filets and bagged each one separately after using two in chicken parmesan dinners. Tomorrow, I'll use two for lunch as chicken burgers. Easy meals with little to clean up.
 
Marie5656 said:
My niece got me one of these, as she knows I freeze a lot. It is a vacumn sealer. I rarely have used it...as you have to freeze the food first..then take it back out to seal. I do not keep stuff for so long it needs to be preserved in this way. But for people with families who buy more in bulk this may be handy

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The food no doubt stays fresher vacuum packed. Are the bags cheaper than if you were to store the food in Ziploc bags?
 
Ruthanne said:
I've never gotten in the habit of freezing batches of food except for meat and poultry. I'd like to though. I don't know the right kinds of containers to use to freeze things like soup and chill. What do you use?
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I use hillbilly Tupperware. Plastic containers, glass jars, and plastic bread bags, rescued from the recycling bin!

For me, the hardest part of cooking for the freezer is remembering to work the items into my weekly meal plan.

If you aren't careful, the freezer can end up being another hungry mouth to feed.
 
Purwell said:
I've still got my "L" plates on when it comes to freezing food, so any tips would be appreciated.
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It took me a minute! ;)

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Alligatorob said:
Mostly using fresh stuff from the garden, fruit trees, and farm next door. Peaches, applesauce, tomato sauce, things like that.

Oh, and a lot of fish from my fishing trips...
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that sounds like a superfood diet... very healthy... most people are not lucky enough to eat like that.. My daughter used to eat straight from her garden in Spain, all her veggies , and her Almond trees, and Orange & lemon trees, as well as the strawberries and melons she grew, all Organic
 
Aunt Bea said:
I use hillbilly Tupperware. Plastic containers, glass jars, and plastic bread bags, rescued from the recycling bin!

For me, the hardest part of cooking for the freezer is remembering to work the items into my weekly meal plan.

If you aren't careful, the freezer can end up being another hungry mouth to feed.
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I 💗 the way you said that!!!! And it is too true! By nature, I'm "a saver".....I accumulate things. This includes things in the freezer!!!!! My husband (🐐 guy) has reached the point where he refuses to ever go into the chest freezer. If he wants something, he calls me to go on an archeology dig until I find the item! 😁 Usually, this involves me unloading the whole thing. After all, isn't the item wanted always buried at the bottom?!!!!!!
 
I have two big chest freezers and I'm way beyond doubling a recipe. I triple and quadruple.

Four meat loaves fit great in the oven. Eat one save 3. I have casseroles galore.
Veggies and herbs from the garden and extra milk.
When the price of eggs are really cheap I scramble up a few dozen and freeze them in packages of four or 6 since we eat them every morning. They must be scrambled though and defrosted in the fridge.
Extra mashed potatoes work well. They look separated when they are defrosted but if you get them really hot in the micro wave it all comes together again.
These meals I put away are a nice break for me since we don't go out much for dinner.
When we both were sick with covid last year they were a lifesaver.
As for containers, I save everything that comes in plastic. Margarine tubs, cool whip containers, lunch meat containers. and I do buy plastic bags and reuse them as long as they haven't had raw meat in them.
 
Trish said:
I usually don't cook meals specifically to freeze but, if I have some over I will freeze it. When I bake scones, I always make extra so I have some for the freezer because they freeze really well and are handy if you just fancy a snack with a cup of coffee (y)
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Yes...same here, I make breakfast bran muffins and will freeze some.
 
Ruthanne said:
I've never gotten in the habit of freezing batches of food except for meat and poultry. I'd like to though. I don't know the right kinds of containers to use to freeze things like soup and chill. What do you use?
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The dollar store here sells Betty Crocker plastic containers in a variety of sizes for a pittance. They all stack nicely then.
 

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