by Meredith Robinson and Lois Fulton, Consumer and Food Economics
Institute, Agricultural Research Service
Introduction
============
Vacant space in your freezer? Put some of it to use by freezing main
dishes--prepared, ready to heat, or cooked and ready to serve. Frozen
combination main dishes can add variety to your menu, offer quick
meals for unexpected company, and provide appetizing, mutritious
foods on busy days.
It is more economical to make your own frozen prepared foods than to
purchase commercially prepared foods. You can cook enough for several
meals when you have the time and then serve the family favorites even
on busy days.
When you are preparing a main dish, it takes little more effort and
time to make enough for several meals. You can freeze all of the
prepared food in meal-size packages or serve part of the food
immediately and freeze the rest.
This bulletin contains recipes for combination main dishes suitable
for freezing as well as tips for preparing your own recipes for
freezing.
The recipes in this bulletin are for 24 servings. Directions are
given for dividing the prepared food into four parts of 6 servings
each. One part may be completely cooked and served at the time of
preparation. The remaining parts may be frozen.
Directions for freezing are given below. Directions for thawing or
reheating the frozen food for serving are given with each recipe.
The following recipes are included [in separate Master Cook files]:
* American Lasagna
* Baked Beans
* Baked Frankfurters and Rice
* Barbecued Lima Beans
* Beans and Sausage
* Beef Loaf
* Beef Pie
* Cheese Rarebit
* Chicken a la King
* Chicken-Corn Casserole
* Curried Ham and Turkey
* Ham-Bean Scallop
* Ham Turnovers
* Jellied Cottage Cheese-Fruit Salad
* Jellied Turkey-Vegetable Salad
* Lamb Patties
* Liver Loaf
* Meatballs
* Meat Sauce
* Mushroom Sauce
* Pork Savory
* Turkey-Macaroni Casserole
* Veal Loaf
* Vegetable Sauce
Food Quality
============
Use only fresh, high-quality food ingredients because freezing does
not improve the quality of food. Select fruits and vegetables at
their peak of eating quality. Underripe fruits and vegetables lack
flavor and overripe ones are flat and tough or soft and mushy after
freezing. Meat and poultry that is tender before freezing will stay
tender after freezing if it is properly prepared, packaged, frozen,
and stored.
Cleanliness
===========
Observe strict cleanliness in preparing food for the home freezer.
Keep all food to be frozen--and everything that touches it--clean.
Freezer temperatures of 0°F or below do not kill the bacteria in
food; they simply stop bacteria multiplication. After the frozen
food is thawed, bacteria will grow and multiply. Therefore, the
number of bacteria in foods must be held at a minimum before foods
are frozen.
Using Your Own Recipes
======================
You may use your own favorite recipes for freezing. Prepare the food
in the usual way and cook it until alomost done. Frozen meats and
vegetables easily become overcooked when reheated if they were
completely cooked before freezing. Season lightly when you prepare
the recipes, because pepper, cloves, and synthetic vanilla tend to
become strong and bitter when used in frozen foods. You can always
add more seasoning just before serving.
Crumb and cheese toppings should be added to the frozen food just
before reheating.
Here is some information to help you select combination main dish
recipes for freezing:
* Cooked chicken or turkey in casseroles freezes well.
* Almost any type of cooked meat, stew, ragout, or goulash--beef,
lamb, pork, or veal--can be frozen. Most vegetables used in
these combination foods, such as peas, carrots, celery, or onions,
also freeze well.
* Add a rich, flaky pastry topping to a good meat and vegetable stew,
and you have a delicious meat pie. The unbaked pastry topping may
be added before freezing, or it may be made fresh and placed on the
pie when it is heated for serving.
* You can freeze meat loaf. Make enough for several meals and freeze
the extra loaves. Meat loaf has better quality if frozen baked
rather than unbaked.
* Cooked dry beans freeze especially well. Because freezing softens
beans somewhat, cook them until barely tender for the best quality
frozen product.
Certain foods should not be frozen because their flavor or texture
changes during the freezing process. For example:
* Cooked egg white toughens.
* Salad greens lose their crispness and become soggy.
* Raw tomatoes change in flavor and color and become limp and watery.
* Raw apples and grapes become soft and mushy. [But raw grapes eaten
while still frozen are delightful! So are blueberries. Rosie]
* Fried foods tend to have a warmed-over taste when reheated.
Other foods may be successfully frozen if you follow some guidelines:
* New potatoes are better than mature potatoes in most frozen dishes.
Mature potatoes tend to disintegrate or become watery when boiled
and then frozen. [But mashed potatoes freezes fine. Rosie]
* Gelatin mixtures should be made stiffer than usual to lessen the
chance of separating.
* Thoroughly combine the flour and fat in sauces and gravies. These
foods may appear curdled while thawing but will usually recombine
when stirred.
Cooking Equipment
=================
You probably have most of the equipment you will need--such as
measuring cups, measuring spoons, and spatulas. Preparing and
freezing combination main dishes listed in this publication will be
easier if you also have four 8x8" baking pans about 2" deep, a 10 qt
or larger saucepot, baking sheet, and a 1 qt liquid measure.
Packaging Materials
===================
Be sure to wrap food carefully before freezing to prevent exposure to
air and loss of moisture during freezing and storage. Exposure to air
will cause changes in color and flavor and will permit delicate foods
to absorb strong flavors and odors given off by other foods. Suitable
packaging is particularly important in frost-free freezers that have
a fan blowing air over the food, drawing moisture from the package.
Coated or laminated freezer paper, polyethylene films, and
heavy-weight aluminum foil are good materials for freezing. Rigid
plastic containers may be used for food that is cool when poured into
the containers. Ceramic, metal, or glass containers may be used for
hot or cold foods.
When freezing combination main dishes in baking pans, line the pans
with a freezer wrap. Allow enough extra wrap to fold over the top.
Use a nonmetallic wrap for acid foods such as tomatoes.
Cooling And Packaging Food
==========================
When hot food is ready to be frozen, it must be cooled quickly to
stop the cooking, to retard growth of bacteria, and to help retain
the natural flavor, color, and texture of the food.
To cool food quickly, put it into 8x8" pans lined with heat-resistant
freezer wrap. If 8x8" pans are not available, use any ovenproof pan.
Use one pan for each 6 servings. Pack food tightly to avoid air
pockets. Then let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
Boiling food should not be poured into pans with polyethylene films
because the films might melt.
Complete wrap as follows:
* Pull paper up over top of food. Put edges of wrap together and
fold several times so paper lies directly on top of food.
* Fold ends of freezer wrap over the top and seal with freezer
tape.
* Label with name of food, date of freezing, and last date the food
should be used for best eating quality. (See Storage)
Freezing
========
The freezer temperature should be 0°F or below. Unfavorable changes
in eating quality take place more rapidly in foods stored at
temperatures above 0°F. Slow growth of microorganisms may occur at
temperatures above 10°F, causing foods to lose color, flavor,
characteristic texture, and nutritive value.
Spread the pans or packages of food in freezer so food will freeze
rapidly. Allow a 1" space around packages for air circulation. Follow
freezer manufacturer's directions for placing food in the coldest
section. You can freeze 2 or 3 lb or one 8x8" pan of food per cubic
foot of freezer space at one time. Leave the food for 10 to 12 hours
until it is completely frozen. Then remove wrapped food from the
pans. Check the wrappings to make sure they are airtight and secure
before stacking.
Storage
=======
Store the frozen food at 0°F or below. All combination main dishes in
this bulletin may be stored in the freezer for as long as 6 months
with little loss of quality, unless the recipe states otherwise.
Preparation For Serving
=======================
Preheat oven as directed in the recipe before heating frozen main
dishes. Remove wrappings from the package and place the food in an
8x8" baking pan or the same-size ovenproof pan used for freezing
the food. Put the pan in the oven and heat the food as directed in
the recipe.
Thaw salads in the refrigerator before serving. Thawing at room
temperature is not recommended.
Leftovers may be kept in the refrigerator for a day or two but should
not be refrozen after thawing.
Notes:
The 25 recipes listed in this file, are in separate MasterCook files.
All are catagorized only as "Freezes Well" and "USDA".
