Tuesday, October 5, 2010

What Can I Freeze and How Long?

While I was writing this post I started a list of everything that freezes well. The list quickly grew to be way too long. I figured a better place to start the conversation is to list things that don't freeze well.



If you are looking for meals to freeze...start here

1. Write down the meals that your family loves and regularly eats.

2.Make sure that none of the ingredients are on the list below, and they will probably freeze well.

3. Take a look at my
freezer recipes...they have proven to be successful in the freezer for me.


What doesn’t freeze well:

Eggs in shell
Whipping Cream (won’t whip, but can be frozen for cooking)
Raw Potatoes (I freeze twice baked potatoes)
Sour Cream (I use in casseroles with success)
Cottage Cheese (I use in lasagna with success)
Lettuce, Celery, or Cucumbers (become limp and watery)
Raw Onion and Green Pepper (Great frozen is you intend to cook them)

(Now, these are just the things I could come up with on my own. If I missed something...by all means, let me know and I will add it to the list! )


Freezing Timeline:

Bacon/Sausage 1-2 months
Hot Dog and Lunchmeat 1-2 months
Beef, uncooked 4-12 months
Beef, ground uncooked 3-4 months
Beef, cooked 2-3 months
Poultry, whole uncooked 12 months
Poultry, part uncooked 9 months
Poultry, cooked 4 months
Baked Goods (muffins, cookies, breads) 2 months
Casseroles 3 months
Fruit 8-12 months
Soups 3 months



What is your favorite meal to freeze?






This post is linked to Works for me Wednesday @ www.wearethatfamily.com

10 comments:

LouAnneL said...

This is extremely helpful! Thank you!

Misty said...

Wow! What a helpful post! Thank you so much. I know this will be one I will be coming back to time and time again! :)

Katie said...

LouAnne,

I am so glad you found some helpful information! I appreciate your comments!

Katie said...

Misty,

That is my hope for this series...that it will be a lot of information that everyone can come back to when they have questions!

Tightwad Mom said...

I love this post! I love to freeze chili, beef barley, and veggies soup. It's great to throw them frozen in the crockpot in the morning and come home to hot dinner! I a big fan of freezing muffins and sliced banana bread,too. That way the family can grab a quick breakfast on the go.

Katie said...

Tightwad Mom,

You know, I freeze soup all of the time, but it never occured to me to throw it in the crock pot frozen. What a great idea :)

I also LOVE freezing muffins and breads...they freeze great and it is so nice to just grab it when you want it.

Thanks for the input...you are always full of great ideas!

Michele said...

Can you freeze cooked turkey? What about lunchmeat?

Katie said...

Michele,

Cooked Turkey: YES! I do it, I will just dice it up or whatever and freeze for casseroles and stuff. I would follow the same timeline as for freezing cooked chicken.

Lunchmeat: I have never done this, but I read of a lot of people who do. I think you can only freeze it for a month or two. The texture may change a little...and that is why I don't do it...but like I said...I hear a lot of people who do it.

Kristen said...

I freeze butter and sour cream with great success. One thing I learned that doesn't freeze well is block cheese. I buy block cheese and shred it myself (cheaper than buying pre-shredded) and used to buy it when it was on sale and would freeze any blocks that I didn't have plans to use for the week. I found that when I would go to shred a pre-frozen block of cheese that it would just crumble. Not that big of a deal, really, but when you need shredded cheese for the top of a casserole, it's sort of frustrating. Just thought I would put that out there. :)

Katie said...

Kristen,

Everything I have read says sour cream doesn't freeze well. I am glad to hear you have frozen with success...I may have to try.

Good idea to shred and then freeze. I will have to try that!

Thanks for the input!

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