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This post is a follow up to my 10 Frugal Tips for the Holiday Hostess article. Many of you had questions about freezing foods for the holiday season so I thought a "part 2" to that article would be helpful. In this article, I've tried to address some basic freezing techniques. I've also included a sample holiday menu with information and guidelines on freezing as well as thawing.
Basic Freezing Tips
What can you freeze? There are tons of items that freeze with no problem so if you find a good deal, stocking up on these types of foods can save you a lot of money. I regularly look for these items to freeze:
Shredded Cheese – My local grocery store was having a sale on Kraft cheese and there was a good coupon that went with the sale. I was able to get 15 bags of shredded cheese very cheap and I have them all in the freezer.
Meat - My meat comes from a local farmer already frozen. If you find meat at the grocery store (hamburger, chicken, pork or fish), you can take it home and freeze it. When I bought meat at the store, I always divided it up into smaller portions before freezing. That way I could just take out what I needed for one meal. A note about meat – you can freeze raw meat, but once it is thawed, refreezing it will cause it to taste terrible once you have thawed it out again and cooked it. However, you can thaw the raw meat, then cook it and freeze the cooked meat with no problem. This is great to do for things like tacos, chili meat, roast beef, seasoned chicken etc. It can help you save time on busy nights since it is already cooked.
Milk – Yes, you can freeze milk in the plastic jugs or glass jars. I do this because I do not like to drink milk, I just use it in baking. If you do freeze it, make sure to pour some off the top for expansion. Since I cook for one, I usually divide up a jug of milk into clean glass jars so I can freeze smaller portions. The same rules apply for glass jars, make sure you leave about an inch of space at the top of the jar for expansion.
Bread – A loaf of bread will get moldy before I can use it all so I freeze it. I usually divide a loaf of bread in half as soon as I get it home from the store. I put ½ of the loaf in a gallon size ziploc bag and keep the other half in the bread bag. I freeze the bread that is in the ziploc bag. When I have finished up the other half of the loaf, I thaw the frozen bread. It tastes just the same and means less waste for me!
This is by no means a complete list of what you can freeze. To find out more, check out the Freezing Basics publication from the University of Missouri Extension office.
Just as there are many items you can freeze, there are also many food items that you don't want to freeze. Some things just turn out poorly when frozen. Here is a short list of items not to freeze.
Cream Cheese – The consistency is not the same when it is thawed.
Lettuce and/or other Leafy Vegetables – They turn to mush when thawed.
Cooked Spaghetti or Macaroni Noodles – Cooked noodles also turn mushy after they are frozen then thawed. If you have leftover spaghetti sauce, it is best to freeze it by itself, then when it is thawed you can add the cooked noodles.
Mayo or Salad Dressings – let’s just say eww!
Again, this is no where near complete list of items not to freeze. Please reference the University of Missouri Extension Freezing Basics publication for further information on items not to freeze.
Types of Containers to Use
The best type of containers to use for freezing are food storage containers, ziploc freezer bags or casserole dishes. If you are using food storage containers, it is best to use the single portion size containers since they will thaw faster and take up less space in your freezer.
If you use
