Disclaimer: My mom gave me the following information, and I'm not sure who to credit the information to. However, there is good information found below.
To freeze or not to freeze?
The following are some foods that often do not freeze well.
• Cooked eggs, including meringue toppings, may become tough and rubbery.
• Cooked chunks of potatoes, such as in potato salad, may become soft and crumbly. Mashed and twice-baked potatoes may freeze more satisfactorily.
• Custards and cream puddings, by themselves or in pies may separate.
• Pasta may become mushy. Pasta shapes used in baked recipes -- such as lasagna, jumbo shells, ziti, and manicotti -- may freeze best, especially if the recipe is prepared and frozen before baking.
• Raw, watery vegetables such as lettuce, cucumbers and radishes; tomatoes, celery and cabbage may become limp.
• Yogurt and sour cream may change in texture. Some prepared dishes made with them may be frozen successfully; experiment with a small amount.
• Mayonnaise may separate during freezing and thawing.
• Sauces and gravies thickened with flour or cornstarch may separate and break down when frozen.
• Fried foods may lose their crispness. Exceptions are French fried potatoes and onion rings.
• Crumb toppings, such as on casseroles, may become soggy after freezing.
• Gelatin may weep.
· Cooked rice may become soggy. Slightly undercook your rice before freezing it.
Sometimes you will see these foods in commercially frozen products because food companies have equipment that freezes food faster and helps retain quality better. Also, various ingredients,generally unavailable to home cooks, are used commercially to help prevent frozen foods from breaking down.
Before you double a recipe for frozen "planned-overs," experiment by freezing a small amount the next time you make the recipe. If you're satisfied with the results, prepare extra food for freezing when you make the recipe again.
As a general rule, foods with a high water content, such as the vegetables in our list, do not freeze well. The water in food expands during freezing and breaks down the food is structure, making the food mushy when thawed. This is why frozen fruit packages often advise eating the fruit while still slightly frozen.
“Pre-Cooking”
Have a lazy afternoon? Boil up some chicken. Having ground beef for supper? Fry up 5 pounds instead of 1. Fantastic sale on ground beef? Make up a big batch of meatballs. Having a few things started in the freezer will save you a ton of time in the kitchen.
Examples of things that can be “pre-cooked”:
· Ground beef- seasoned and portioned according to your wants and needs
· Chicken- shredded or cubed, packaged in appropriate portions
· Meatballs
· Chicken Broth- for quick soups and sauces
· Sautéed onions or mushrooms- make a quick onion soup, over steaks or burgers, etc.
· Diced ham- for omelets, baked potato nights, pizza toppings, etc.
· Cooked and crumbled Bacon- same as above…
Things not cooked, but handy to have on hand:
· Cheese- shredded- packaged in 1-2 cup portions
· Diced onions- package in small sandwich bags then toss in a freezer bag
· Diced or sliced bell peppers- package in small sandwich bags then toss in a freezer bag
Freezing Helps and Guidelines
A Friendly Freezing and thawing guide for basic meals with out instructions...
For the most part it is best to freeze in Zip bags in my opinion as you can get a huge amount of things in your freezer if frozen flat. There are a few exceptions to this though. Layered casseroles such as lasagnas do best frozen in the pan. If you are short on pans and can not spare one kept in the freezer you can use either the disposable foil pans or simply pop the frozen block of lasagna out of the pan and either put in a large zip bag if it will fit or double wrap it in foil. Also some people think that soups do best in rigid plastic containers.. use what works best for you and your situation.
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LIQUIDS or LIQUIDS WITH CREAM SAUCE (not cream of soup sauce)
To freeze: Pour into a plastic container leaving 1/2 inch (one cm) of space at the top to allow for expansion of liquid during freezing. Cover, seal, label and freeze.
To serve: Allow to thaw a little to make it easier to remove from the container. Put into the top of a double boiler and heat gently, stirring constantly. Or you may transfer to a microwave safe bowl and microwave on 50% power, stirring to mix up frozen chunks every 30 seconds, until heated through.
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DELICATE (PASTA) WITH CREAM SAUCE (not cream of soup sauce)
To freeze: Place in an airtight container. Seal, label and freeze.
To serve: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or for six hours at room temperature. Place in a saucepan, stirring gently, and heat through. Or you may transfer to a microwave safe bowl and microwave on 50% power, stirring to mix up frozen chunks every 30 seconds, until heated through.
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HOMEMADE BROTH BASED SOUPS, including soups with noodles
To freeze: Skim any fat from the top of the soup. Put into a plastic container and allow 1 inch of head space at the top to allow for expansion of the liquid during the freezing process. Seal, label and freeze.
To serve: Nuke long enough to be able to loosen soup from container. Put the frozen soup in a saucepan and thaw over a very low heat. Or you may transfer to a microwave safe bowl and microwave on 50% power until heated through.
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QUICHE AND OTHER EGG DISHES
There are 2 ways to do this. One is to freeze the egg part of the quiche, including the broccoli, ham or whatever if you wish, in a ziploc bag or clean milk carton (that's what they do at the store) or other container you could pour from. Thaw in the refrigerator and pour into your crust.
The other is to bake it and freeze it complete. Thaw and serve warmed in the microwave or chilled (for summer dining usually).
You might want to consider using a brown rice crust instead of a pie crust because of the fat. To do this, Pam your pie plates and pat the rice in pie plates,, really compress it. It needs salt, BTW. It won't get soggy, even if you pour liquid into it.
POTATOES Potatoes freeze in some ways and not in others. Mashed potatoes freeze well. Raw Potatoes turn nasty and black. Smaller Pieces and those cooked in sauces seem to have less texture changes. Some people believe that different varieties freeze with different results.
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BURRITOS
To freeze: wrap in either wax paper sheets or a paper towel and bag together in a ziploc bag
To serve: heat in microwave 1 1/2 - 2 minutes on high
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FROZEN YEAST DOUGH
Using your basic recipe and make it into the shape you want for roll's or loaf's, put it on a sprayed cookie sheet and flash freeze it. Then bag it. Thaw on sheet and let rise, bake as usual.
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FREEZING FROZEN YEAST DOUGH
I have tried freezing yeast dough a few times and had not-so-great luck. It took FOREVER for the dough to rise after it was out of the freezer (and thawed). I suspect it was the yeast (regular instead of my beloved INSTANT), since I had trouble on occasion getting the dough to rise in general. I have read that when freezing yeast dough, you should increase the amount of yeast in the recipe a bit (add an additional 1/4 tsp. yeast). Freezing yeast weakens it a little. Frozen dough should be used within one month. It is just as quick for me to whip up some dough in my abm than to thaw the dough from the freezer, so I don't freeze dough.
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FREEZING POCKETS MADE WITH BREAD DOUGH I make pizza pockets, tuna/cheese pockets, chicken/salsa/cheese/onion pockets, and ham and cheese pockets. I bake completely and cool. Wrap well with plastic wrap, then toss all pockets in a freezer bag. To heat, loosen plastic wrap and micro on medium for a minute, then micro on high until heated through. If you are planning to heat them up in the oven, you should bake them until they are SLIGHTLY browned, so you don't burn them when you bake them again. You should thaw them first before baking in oven, either at room temp. or in micro. Another option is to heat them in your toaster oven.
· Freezer baggies, freezer Tupperware, casserole dishes (regular or disposable aluminum)
o Materials specifically labeled freezer are better equipped to protect your food
· They also make freezer paper, freezer tape, and freezer foil
· Avoid round containers because they create unusable corners in your freezer, corners that can be utilized with square or rectangular containers
· For freezer meals that include tomato sauce (i.e. lasagna), avoid using metal pans and separate tin foil coverings from dish by using a layer of plastic wrap first. The acidity in the tomatoes will eat away at the foil leaving a funny taste in the sauce.
Here are some basic instructions for freezing with different types of containers. It is always a good idea to allow your dish too cool in the refrigerator before freezing to help keep your freezer cold enough to keep its contents frozen.
Using Ziplocs and Tupperware
1. Squeeze all air out of container
2. Seal well
3. Label with contents and date prepared (or use by date)
4. Lay flat and stack in freezer. Once frozen, you can rearrange the Ziplocs to fit in crevices around other contents in your freezer.
Using Casserole Dishes
1. Cover with freezer foil (or a double layer of regular foil). If desired, plastic wrap may be used underneath foil.
2. Place dish in freezer bag, if possible.
3. Label with contents and date prepared (or use by date)
4. Allow to completely freeze in freezer before stacking. If you stack before completely freezing, the middle of your dishes may not freeze in a safe amount of time.
Another idea is to make a list of all the contents in your freezer so you know what you have rather than having to open the freezer and rummage through everything, allowing all the cold air out. And it just makes your life easier!
How to Use Freezer Contents
Precooked foods:
Allow to thaw and then use in recipes as normal.
Freezer Meals:
Allow to thaw in refrigerator 24-48 hours. Then bake, or prepare, as normal.
If using soups or other frozen liquids, you can partially thaw them in microwave (or refrigerator), then place contents in a saucepan or pot and continue to warm.
Remember: Do not refreeze after thawing meats and meals!
Food Storage Chart for Refrigerator and Freezer:
| Product | Refrigerator | Freezer |
| Eggs | | |
| Fresh, in shell | 4 to 5 weeks | Don't freeze |
| Raw yolks, whites | 2 to 4 days | 1 year |
| Hardcooked | 1 week | Doesn't freeze well |
| Liquid pasteurized eggs or egg substitutes, opened | 3 days | Don't freeze |
| Liquid pasteurized eggs or egg substitutes, unopened | 10 days | 1 year |
| Mayonnaise, commercial
| 2 months | Don’t freeze |
| | ||
| Product | Refrigerator | Freezer |
| TV Dinners, Frozen Casseroles
| | 3 to 4 months |
| | ||
| Deli & Vacuum-Packed Products | Refrigerator | Freezer |
| Store-prepared (or homemade) egg, chicken, tuna, ham, macaroni salads | 3 to 5 days | Don’t freeze well |
| Pre-stuffed pork & lamb chops, chicken breasts stuffed w/dressing | 1 day | Don’t freeze well |
| Store-cooked convenience meals | 3 to 4 days | Don’t freeze well |
| Commercial brand vacuum-packed dinners with USDA seal, unopened | 2 weeks | Don’t freeze well |
|
| ||
| | ||
| Raw Hamburger, Ground & Stew Meat | Refrigerator | Freezer |
| Hamburger & stew meats | 1 to 2 days | 3 to 4 months |
| Ground turkey, veal, pork, lamb | 1 to 2 days | 3 to 4 months |
|
| ||
| Ham, Corned Beef | Refrigerator | Freezer |
| Corned beef in pouch with pickling juices | 5 to 7 days | Drained, 1 month |
| Ham, canned, labeled “Keep Refrigerated,” unopened | 6 to 9 months | Don’t freeze |
| Ham, canned, labeled “Keep Refrigerated,” opened | 3 to 5 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Ham, fully cooked, whole | 7 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Ham, fully cooked, half | 3 to 5 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Ham, fully cooked, slices | 3 to 4 days | 1 to 2 months |
| | ||
| Hot Dogs and Lunch Meats | Refrigerator | Freezer (in freezer wrap) |
| Hot dogs, opened package | 1 week | 1 to 2 months |
| Hot dogs, unopened package | 2 weeks | 1 to 2 months |
| Lunch meats, opened package | 3 to 5 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Lunch meats, unopened package | 2 weeks | 1 to 2 months |
| | ||
| Soups and Stews | Refrigerator | Freezer |
| Vegetable or meat-added & mixtures of them | 3 to 4 days | 2 to 3 months |
| | ||
| Bacon and Sausage | Refrigerator | Freezer |
| Bacon | 7 days | 1 month |
| Sausage, raw from pork, beef, chicken or turkey | 1 to 2 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Smoked breakfast links, patties | 7 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Summer sausage labeled “Keep Refrigerated,” unopened | 3 months | 1 to 2 months |
| Summer sausage labeled “Keep Refrigerated,” opened | 3 weeks | 1 to 2 months |
| | ||
| Fresh Meat (Beef, Veal, Lamb and Pork) | Refrigerator | Freezer |
| Steaks | 3 to 5 days | 6 to 12 months |
| Chops | 3 to 5 days | 4 to 6 months |
| Roasts | 3 to 5 days | 4 to 12 months |
| Variety meats (tongue, kidneys, liver, heart, chitterlings) | 1 to 2 days | 3 to 4 months |
| | ||
| Meat Leftovers | Refrigerator | Freezer |
| Cooked meat & meat dishes | 3 to 4 days | 2 to 3 months |
| Gravy & meat broth | 1 to 2 days | 2 to 3 months |
| | ||
| Fresh Poultry | Refrigerator | Freezer |
| Chicken or turkey, whole | 1 to 2 days | 1 year |
| Chicken or turkey, parts | 1 to 2 days | 9 months |
| Giblets | 1 to 2 days | 3 to 4 months |
| | ||
| Cooked Poultry, Leftover | Refrigerator | Freezer |
| Fried chicken | 3 to 4 days | 4 months |
| Cooked poultry dishes | 3 to 4 days | 4 to 6 months |
| Pieces, plain | 3 to 4 days | 4 months |
| Pieces covered with broth, gravy | 1 to 2 days | 6 months |
| Chicken nuggets, patties | 1 to 2 days | 1 to 3 months |
| | ||
| Fish and Shellfish | Refrigerator | Freezer |
| Lean fish | 1 to 2 days | 6 months |
| Fatty fish | 1 to 2 days | 2 to 3 months |
| Cooked fish | 3 to 4 days | 4 to 6 months |
| Smoked fish | 14 days | 2 months |
| Fresh shrimp, scallops, crawfish, squid | 1 to 2 days | 3 to 6 months |
| Canned seafood
| after opening
| out of can
|
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