Hi ladies. I have a good friend who is recovering from breast cancer surgery. I've been lining up people to bring her fresh, hot meals for the last couple weeks, which have helped their family tremendously. A question I have is: I'd also like to make her some meals to freeze and pull out later on, but I've never done that before. I don't know the "rules". Do you bake them completely, let them cool and then freeze them? Then does she need to thaw and bake them w/the original baking instructions?? What's the best way to protect them from freezer burn. Like, if I make something in a disposable tin container, do you first wrap it in plastic and then in foil? What are some of your best ideas for meals that are easy to do this with? I don't necessarily need recipes, unless you have one that works particularly well for this. I can make them, but didn't know if just any old casserole would work or some aren't as good as others for doing this?? Any advice would be much appreciated. I'd like to help her out and just want to do it right. Thanks!!
Check out http://savingdinner.com/. For a few bucks you can download month long menus of frozen meals. Every recipe I've tried has been delish and their mostly pretty simple.
There are cookbooks and websites out there for frozen meals. The cookbook that I like and use is Once-A-Month Cooking by Mimi Wilson and Mary Beth Lagerborg. It was my mom's, but I found one on http://www.amazon.com. I also use http://www.allrecipies.com and have received good ideas from there. Not all foods have to be cooked completely, but a lot of them do. Pasta freezes well, just maker sure that you only cook the pasta to al dente or it will be too mushy after thawing and baking. I use tupperware, freezer bags, etc. to freeze them in. Don't put hot things directly into the freezer. Cool them in the fridge first. I do have specific recipies from the cookbook if you want them.
Most vegetables and meat that work well from the freezer will also work well in a frozen casserole. I've made casseroles and entrees with chicken, broccoli, lentils, pasta (be sure to cook it al dente or it will turn to mush), ground beef, turkey, etc. Most of the vegetables will work well, too.
I've cooked them through, cooled them, and either portioned them and frozen them in individual portions or frozen them whole. For individual portions, I wrap them in aluminum foil and write the heating instructions right on the foil. Almost anything can be reheated in the microwave (obviously take th foil off, first), but what I normally do is just pop it right in the oven from the freezer, bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.
Best meal ideas: baked chicken breast, veggie/meat/pasta casseroles, soups (lentil and root veggie ones work best, especially those without pasta), meatloaf, chili. I almost never use recipes. I just look in my cupboards, refrigerator, and freezer and see what I want to make.
You may want to look at some of the cookbooks where you "cook for a day and eat for a month". They are full of meals that are good for freezing and give alot of tips on what to do and how to do it. You don't need to cook her a month of meals, but you may find a receipe or two to try.
I hope her recovery goes well - you are a good friend for helping her out! (BTW- you can get these books at the library.)
I would strongly recommend Kraft Food & Family. They have great meals that you can freeze and give suggestions/tips on how to ensure they are not freezer-burnt, etc. The latest issue (December 2009, I think) is packed full of GREAT recipes! You can subscribe to the magazine or just go online and print the ones you want.
Tupperware is the best thing to keep away freezer burn. Yes, cook them completely, but no, not same directions, depending on what you make. Most soups and casseroles work well by double boiling them. Anything else works well in the microwave. Almost any meal can be done this way.
After I had my son, my girlfriend made us a few meals. She made casseroles and baked zitti etc. She froze these is aluminum pans that I could thaw and just pop in the oven to reheat. She wrote the heating instructions on the aluminum.
You could also make stews/soups and freeze them in ziploc bags. That way she can just run it under hot water to defrost alittle before putting it into a pot to reheat.
Good luck to your friend!
I'm going to gie you a couple of suggestion. First depending on the size of the family, small foil loaf pans work great for freezing cassaroles. They serve 2-3 people and fit into gallon size freezer bags. I also alot of partial prep and freezing. Like make speggetti meat sauce, chicken alfredo, or taco meat. I cook the meat and seasonings or sauce and then freeze it in freezer bags. Then I can just get a bag out and warm it up while getting the rest of the meal ready. This ides really helps cut down on the cooking time.
