freezer storage

[octobermoon]

what do you use to freeze your prepared meals???

[SoHappy]

I freeze things on cookie sheets, baking dishes, even bowls. Then I pop them out and wrap them in wax paper, then into plastic bags. That way, the bags stay clean and can be used a jillion times, and the plastic isn't touching our food. I hate the plastic, but it's a big-picture thing.

[octobermoon]

ooo'h very savvy.

[MomToKandE]

How do you pop them out? Do you have to warm the outside a bit so it releases? I think the wax paper is a great idea, I'm definitely going to try it!

[clarinetb]

Good idea with waxed paper!

How about the bags? What kind do you use? Do you go for brand name for the freezer? We keep getting freezer burn

[SoHappy]

Most things will just pop off a cookie sheet or out of a bowl. Every now and then I have to run a little water over the outside of a container to get it to loosen. (If you do this, don't melt the outer layer of your item, or it will stick to the wax paper when it's frozen.) I forgot to mention that I freeze lots of things like chili or cooked beans in muffin tins, too, so we have lots of little servings ready to heat.

Somebody gave me a bunch of big Ziploc freezer bags, so that's what I've been using. I'm careful to squeeze all the air out of them before sealing and they've worked really well. I've found the chest freezer is much better for long term storage than the auto-defrost freezer in my side-by-side. I think the auto defrost freezers are more prone to freezer burn. I also keep my freezer really cold.

[holidaymama]

I just started the Once a month cooking or OAMC. I am super stoked and it wasn't that gruesome! I just planned a month of meals with most things being able to be premade and popped into the freezer and pulled out on the day we are going to eat them.

Yes, unfortunately, I just don't see any other way then some plastic to freeze. For my liquids, I used Ziploc brand freezer bags. I would recommend using the name brand freezer bags as you are spending less money in the long run if you do not have to throw things out. For my casseroles and meatloaf, I bought the disposable tin cake pan and bread and square pans...I do plan to reuse them though. I used Glad Press and Seal over the pan and really got a nice seal to prevent air, and then i wrapped them twice in tinfoil.

Another thing with the OAMC is that you eat out of your freezer everything you put in for the month instead of freezing a whole bunch of food and then only getting to it once every 2-3 months...when it could go bad.

[chantald]

Originally Posted by SoHappy

I've found the chest freezer is much better for long term storage than the auto-defrost freezer in my side-by-side. I think the auto defrost freezers are more prone to freezer burn. I also keep my freezer really cold.

I was told this has to do with the fact that a "frost free" freezer brings the temp above 32 to defrost and then refreeze on a regular basis.. to keep things frost free..and this is why food gets freezer burn and also does not keep as long.

I keep and eat food up to a year or more (depending on the food) in the sub zero (not the brand, the temp settings) freezers that need to be manually defrosted once or twice a year.

[sunnysandiegan]

I do a variety of things:

~ Wrap in freezer paper, then slide into brand name freezer zipper bag. Squeezing all the air out is key, IMO, along with the double wrapping.

~ Quick-freeze on cookie sheet, then double-bag. I tend to put single servings in sandwich baggies and put like items into gallon-size freezer bags.

~ When something will mostly fill a rigid container that has a seal-tight lid, I use it as is. I have used plastic and glass with seal-tight lids. I find freezer burn occurs most often when the food is farther from the lid. I freeze liquids like this.

~ With casseroles, I put a layer of something (plastic wrap or waxed paper or foil) directly on the food and then another layer over the top of the container. Some of our casserole dishes have plastic lids, so I just use the inner layer on top of the food directly and then the lid as the second layer.

Basically, no matter what I use, I double wrap it all. The only time I get freezer burn in our side-by-side is if we forget about the food for a long time. Long is subjective, based on the food.