How do you freeze things

[pbmom]

I am going to be buying a cheat freezer due to buying markdown meat and meat on sale. What the best way to wrap it so it will stay fresh longer and won't freezer burn?

[dancinmama]

When it comes to stockpiling meat, I try to stick to those items that are already pre-packaged in freezer-burn-resistant packaging: whole chickens, Hormel pork tenderloin, corned beef, Farmer John ribs, bacon, etc. These types of items keep indefinitely and when you defrost them they are no different than something you might have just picked up at the grocery store.

If I do buy chops or steaks, I portion them into Ziploc sandwich bags and then put those in a Ziploc vacuum seal bags in the hopes of reusing the vacuum seal bag. I have just started this though, so I can't say exactly how long it will protect anything or if I will be able to reuse the vacuum bags. We used to have one of those vacuum sealer things, but it broke and the bags for it were extremely expensive. I decided to try this before I invested in another one. I got the Ziploc vacuum seal baggies REALLY CHEAP after sale and coupons. ;D

[dakota4600]

I have a vacuum sealer and while the bags can be expensive, I can honestly say that I have not thrown out anything that has been vac sealed in the 2 years I have been using it. Before I probably ended up throwing out 25% of the stuff in the freezer in the course of a year. So to me the cost of the bags is worth it. It has also allowed me to buy things like a whole pork loin and DH will break it down into a roast, about 12-15 chops and some pork cubes for stirfry. And we don't have to eat pork for 2 weeks straight. I don't use it for every pc of meat that comes in the house. Only for those that we expect to freeze for more than 2 weeks. Anything short term, just goes in regular freezer bags, but I am very careful to use it quickly.

Some other ways to wrap for freezing is to wrap in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. then put those in a freezer bag.

[Apple]

My lastest way is using Glad Press and seal, getting all the air out, and then putting the wrapped food into a ziplock freezer bag. I've also wrapped things in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. The most important thing is to get all the air out that you possibly can.

Creamers--I use a little off the top of the bottle and then put the bottle in the freezer (leaves a little room for it to expand).

One thing with a chest freezer, it's nice to put things in baskets or boxes so that you don't have to dig a whole lot and shuffle everything around, you can just pull out the larger container and search through it for what you're looking for.

[newmummy]

Go to your local library, dig through the shelves. You'll find fantastic hints in some of the older cookbooks for almost any kind of food, including how to do things like blanch vegetables, etcetera.

But yeah, most of it boils down to prep it well, get the air out, wrap it tight, cool it fast.

[ses]

I have a hand held vacuum sealer (FreshSealer) that uses the reusable vacuum bags. The bags do not mention freezer usage, but I have successfully used them in the freezer for many months. And they are wonderful in the fridge.

[tcu2003]

Do you have a local meat market or butcher? If you get meat there, you often don't need to rewrap it. My parents buy half a side of beef every year, and the processing facility cuts it and wraps it into portion sizes that my parents want. Everything is wrapped in plastic and then butcher paper, and it doesn't get freezer burn, even at the end of the year when you're using the last of it.

[pbmom]

yes we do have a butcher. i never thought about that. thanks tcu!

[Agatha]

I've done it but make sure you leave enough room for the freezing liquid to expand. And be careful where it's placed in the freezer. I had one "jump out" just yesterday and fall. We won't be using that jar anytime soon. ;D

[bluecluessubtlety]

I was talking to someone about the abundance of lemons here at certain times of the year and how I don't buy them when not in season.

Can lemons be frozen? I routinely cut up berries and put them away in Ziplocs for winter. Can the same be done with citrus?

[twinmama85]

make a small investment in a vacuum sealer...they have the ziploc ones that arent too expensive and you can put the meat in there and suck out the air with a little vacuum!

[Moonblossom]

I just got 40lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts for $1.49/lb I'm going to use my vacuum sealer and see how that works it will be the first time I've used it for such a large amount sure hope my chicken stays fresh since it was so cheap and I got a ton of it.
btw: we'll be eating alot of chicken breasts can you tell ;D

~Moonblossom

[bluecluessubtlety]

Oct 14, 2011 10:49:16 GMT -5 Moonblossom said:

I just got 40lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts for $1.49/lb I'm going to use my vacuum sealer and see how that works it will be the first time I've used it for such a large amount sure hope my chicken stays fresh since it was so cheap and I got a ton of it.
btw: we'll be eating alot of chicken breasts can you tell ;D

~Moonblossom

Zaycon?

FYI I've gotten that twice before and get my next one Monday. I separate and put into regular ole Ziplocs with nothing special done. They've kept really well.

[Tiny]

You can freeze lemons and limes. I wash them off, dry well and then stick 'em in a freezer zippy bag. They will be alittle smushy when they come out - but you can still juice 'em or stick 'em in a chicken/duck or whatever you do with 'em. I sometimes cut a couple in 1/2 before I stick 'em in the freezer - for when I just need a tablespoon of juice.

I've found the cereal bag liners (or from crackers) to be excellent for wrapping meats for the freezer. They are more air tight than even freezer zippy bags - the wrapped meat still goes into zippy bag - there's just alot less air passing thru to the meat.

[bluecluessubtlety]

Thanks

[cranberry49]

Have you ever had potatoes that are going to go bad if you don't use them soon? Did you know that you can actually freeze them? Yes! You can. Section (cube or chunk them) the potatoes and boil for a few minutes until slightly soft. Then remove and place into ice water to cool. With a slotted spoon remove potatoes and place in a colander to drain. Place in freezer bags the amount you will use at one meal. When ready, You can then cook them any way you see fit. You can even make potato salad with them if you don't mind the potatoes being really softer than usual. (Which I don't)
For the baked potato lovers; boil whole potatoes (with skins on) until you can insert a fork about 1/4 of the way. Remove from water and place on clean kitchen towel and allow to cool completely. Wrap each potato in cling wrap and freeze until needed! When ready to cook place in microwave and cook each potato from 4-6 minutes, or until done. Delicious!