Freezing Main Dishes

imesavers in meal preparation are blessings to busy homemakers. And sometimes freezing a main dish can save time.

The home freezer was designed for freezing fresh meats, vegetables, and fruits. But if there is extra space in your freezer, it’s nice to have frozen cooked foods when you have limited time to prepare a meal. However, with some foods it is easier and quicker to start from the beginning than it is to thaw out a frozen dish and reheat.

Checking Your Recipe

Several foods, however, need special consideration:

• Hard-cooked egg whites are tough unless mashed through a sieve. Yolks can be diced or sieved.

• Cubed baking-type potatoes tend to crumble; add these when reheating. Mashed and restuffed baked potatoes freeze nicely.

• When using a spice, be sure it has not lost its characteristic flavor, color, and aroma.

• Before storing cooked food, remove as much fat as possible. Fat can give an off-flavor if stored too long.

• Cooked turkey sometimes becomes rancid after 2 months. Chicken has a slightly longer storage life.

• Freeze stuffing (dressing), cooked or uncooked, separate from the bird.

• Fried meats and fish lose their crispness when frozen. However, some people do not object.

• Meat loaf can be partly cooked or uncooked before freezing.

• Cover any meat with sauces or gravy to prevent drying out (freezer burn). Remove all fat.

• Completely cooked and deboned turkey, chicken, ham, roast, etc., do not dry out as easily when left in large pieces as when sliced or cut into small peices before freezing. Some homemakers prefer to cut meats into small pieces or slices before freezing. If this is done, package pieces to remove as much air as possible and use them within 6 weeks.

• Some gravies, creams, or white sauces separate when frozen but generally become uniform with slow reheating and continuous stirring.

Preparing Main Dishes

Quickly cooling precooked food that is to be frozen is very important to stop the cooking process and to help retain the characteristic flavor, color, and texture. It also slows down some bacterial growth that may cause spoilage. Transfer hot food to another container. Put it in a larger pan of ice and cold water until the food cools. Package, label, and freeze it immediately after cooling.

Packaging

You can freeze food in a casserole dish or the pan in which it is to be reheated. Package the dish in moisture-vapor-proof freezer material; then seal, label, and put it in the freezer. When ready to reheat, unwrap the dish and let it thaw in the refrigerator.

Another way to freeze cooked food is to line a casserole dish with aluminum foil and then put the food in the dish. After freezing, remove the food from the dish, wrap it in moisture-vapor-proof freezer material. Seal, label, and return it to the freezer. When ready to use, remove the freezer material and foil and return the food to the casserole dish. Let it thaw in the refrigerator before heating it in the oven.

A flat, shallow casserole will defrost and heat faster than a deep one.

Freezing and Storing

After freezing, store frozen packages as close together as possible. Use most frozen main dishes within 2 to 3 months.

Thawing and Reheating

Never thaw prepared foods by running hot water over them. Tap water, however, is safe to speed up defrosting if the container is not breakable and is moisture proof. Generally, it’s best to let cooked food thaw until only a few ice crystals remain and then reheat.

Follow directions that are given with the recipe for reheating. Some foods can be reheated in the oven and others on the surface unit, depending on the type of food. Heat food only long enough to finish the cooking process. Prolonged heating will give a warmed-over flavor.

Points to Remember When Freezing Cooked Foods

• Cook main dish to about three-fourths done.

• Cool food quickly after cooking.

• Package in moisture-vapor-proof freezer containers.

• Remove all air.

• Seal packages, label, and date. You may include number of servings, oven temperature, and length of time to reheat.

• Freeze in the coldest part of the freezer.

• Store at zero degrees or below.

• Do not keep food stored longer than 2 or 3 months.

• Thaw cooked food in the refrigerator until only a few ice crystals remain.

• Reheat main dishes only long enough to finish the cooking time. If completely cooked, reheat only till bubbly hot.