Storing freezer meals?

[jensb]

What do you use to store freezer meals? I am planning to buy a freezer and start stocking up before our baby comes, but I'm not sure what to put meals into.

I have been storing homemade broth in Rubbermaid take-alongs, but those don't seem to like being frozen and become quite brittle after a time or 2 in the freezer.

What about casseroles? The least expensive would be those disposable aluminum pans, but I'm reluctant to use them because of the potential link between aluminum and Alzheimer's (and 2 family members that had it).

Glass storage containers and casserole dishes/lasagna pans would be great, but are very expensive, not to mention harder to store when not in use. Not to mention my butterfingers tendencies.

[lisalu100]

I've been saving glass jars to store things like red sauce, stock etc. I haven't tried it yet, but the advice is to chill first, and leave an inch gap at the top to allow for expansion in the freezer. HTH.

[TX Mama]

Depending on how many you are feeding I think glass is best. Check out Pyrex. They make smaller dishes for inexpensive and have have BPA free lids. I got mine for less than $5 a piece and they are great for storing leftovers when not being used for freezing. Sauce jars are good for freezing soups.

[SaraCate]

Here's a link for how to use glass/Pyrex for freezing casserole-type dishes in less space:

http://www.tammysrecipes.com/node/3704

Basically, you line the pan, freeze your food, then lift out the food, seal, and store in the freezer w/o the pan, thus saving space. It also means you don't a million pans to freeze things in and store later. Pyrex can often be found secondhand for very little $$...

Hope this helps!

~Sara

[jensb]

Brilliant, Sara - I love it. Hadn't thought of it!

Also, the glass jars - I use them for homemade pasta sauce, RRL tea, etc, but hadn't thought of freezing soups in them. Thanks!

[bjorker]

I use a mix of Sara's suggestion and plain ol' freezer bags. Even casseroles can be put in the gallon sizes if you make them small enough/split the dish in two.