Creative Cooking Tips - Freezing: Prepared Foods

Cooking Tips
Freezing Prepared Foods

[ Advantages of Freezing | Do not Freeze Well ]
[ Special Foods and Baby Food | Thawing and Preparing ]

Breads - Quick

Biscuits, bake to light brown. Cool. Package in Ball plastic freezer bags. Seal, label, and freeze.

Fruit and nut breads. Muffins, and Waffles - Prepare and cook as usual. Cool. Package same as biscuits.

Breads - Yeast

Loaves and rolls, baked - Prepare as muffins.
Brown and serve rolls - Bake 20 minutes at 275 degrees F. Cool. Package same as biscuits.

Rolls, unbaked

Shape rolls. Freeze on baking sheet. Put in Ball plastic freezer bags for storage.

Pizza

Prepare. Do not bake. Freeze. Wrap in freezer film, foil or paper. Seal, label, and freeze.

Cakes - Baked

Layer, Loaf, Cupcakes, Angel, Chiffon, Sponge, and Fruit - Prepare, bake and cool. May be frozen whole or in meal-size portions or slices. Package in Ball plastic freezer bag. Seal, label, and freeze.

Frosted Cakes

Prepare, bake and cool. Place in freezer to harden the frosting. Then remove and place in Ball plastic freezer bag. Seal, label, and freeze.

Candies

All homemade candies such as fudge, divinity, brittle, taffy, creams and caramels may be frozen. Wrap each piece individually in freezer film and pack in Ball plastic freezer box to avoid crushing. Allow to thaw in the package.

Chicken (also Turkey & Fish)

Frozen creamed chicken, chicken a la King, pies, baked chicken, broth, chicken chopped for salad, barbecued ... all keep well. Do not freeze stuffed poultry. Cover chicken with a cream sauce or gravy if possible. Cool the product and package in Ball Can-or-Freez jar or Ball plastic freezer box.

Combination Dishes

Creamed meat, poultry, and fish: Prepare product. Cool quickly. Package in Ball Can-or-Freez jar or Ball plastic freezer box, leaving head space. Seal, label, and freeze.

Baked beans, stew, ravioli, and meat sauce casseroles: Prepare as usual, keeping fat to a minimum. Cool quickly and package same as creamed meat.

Cookies

Baked: Prepare, bake and cool quickly. Package in Ball plastic freezer or box, using moisture-vapor resistant paper between layers. Seal, label, and freeze.

Unbaked: For bar or refrigerator cookies, form into long roll. Wrap in freezer film and put in Ball plastic freezer bag. Seal, label, and freeze.

Doughnuts: Fry in high quality fat and cool. Package same as baked cookies.

Desserts

Mousse: Needs only to be mixed and poured into Ball Can-or-Freez jar, leaving head space. Seal, label, and freeze.

Cheese cake, baked: Cool and wrap in freezer film and store in Ball plastic freezer box. Seal, label, and freeze.

Pudding, steamed: Cool and package in covered can or baking mold and seal with freezer tape; or put into Ball plastic freezer bag. Seal, label, and freeze.

Fruits

Such cooked fruits as baked apples, baked pears, and applesauce may be prepared for the freezer. Cool quickly and package in Ball Can-or-Freez jar or Ball plastic freezer box. Seal, label, and freeze.

Gravy

It is better to freeze broth and thicken while heating. Pour cool broth into Ball Can-or-Freez or Ball plastic freezer box, leaving head space. Seal, label, and freeze.

Meats

Stews, creamed meats, meat sauces, casserole dishes, meat with vegetables, pies, roasted and baked meats, meat balls, and meat loaf may be frozen. Package the same as chicken.

Pastry Circles

Roll out circles large enough for pie or tart shells. Place on a cardboard circle covered with foil or film. Separate circles with double thickness of freezer paper. Freeze, then package in Ball plastic freezer bags.

Pies

Double-crust fruit and mince pies, raw or cooked, as well as single-crust, coconut, nut, potato,and similar pies may be frozen. The filling for pies to be frozen should be slightly thicker than usual. Freeze pies before packaging. Package the same as breads.

Potatoes, Irish

Baked or Stuffed: Prepare as usual, top with melted cheese. Cool quickly. Wrap individually in freezer foil or film. Freeze. Put in Ball plastic freezer bag.

French Fried: Cut and scald potatoes two minutes, cool, and dry in clean cloth. Fry in fresh, first grade fat (370 degrees F.) until a very light brown. Drain. Cool quickly and package in Ball plastic freezer bag. Seal, label, and freeze.

Scalloped: Prepare and bake as usual until pale in color and not quite done. Leave in baking dish and cool quickly. Slip dish into a Ball plastic freezer bag. Seal, label, and freeze.

Salads

Fruit: Salads which freeze well are those served frozen with a base of cream or cottage cheese, whipped cream, mayonnaise or gelatin combined with one of these. Prepare in large or individual molds. Fit a piece of freezer paper over the top and wrap in freezer paper. Muffin tins can be lined with a freezer film, fill with mixture, freeze, wrap individually and store in Ball plastic freezer bag. Pour mixture in Ball Can-or-Freez jar, leaving head space. Seal, label, and freeze.

Meat, poultry, and shell fish: Prepare the meat. Cool. Package in Ball Can-or-Freez jar or in Ball plastic freezer box. Seal, label, and freeze. When ready to use, thaw meat and mix with other ingredients.

Sandwiches

Sandwiches suitable for freezing include those made with cheese, chicken, meat, peanut butter, nut pastes, egg yolk mixtures and fish. Use day old bread spread with butter. Wrap sandwiches individually in freezer film or foil. Freeze and store in Ball plastic freezer bag.

Open-face canapes: Make as usual. Be sure to spread to very edge. Space out and freeze. Pack in layers in top-opening box separating layers with freezer paper.

Sauces

Both dessert sauces and meat sauces freeze successfully. Package in serving portions in Ball Can-or-Freez jar or Ball plastic freezer box, leaving head space. Seal, label, and freeze.

Soups

Most soups freeze well. These include dried beans, split pea, oyster, and those made from chicken, meats, and vegetables. They should be concentrated before freezing to about one-half the strength at which they are to be served. Cool. Package in Ball Can-or-Freez jar or Ball plastic freezer box, leaving head space. Seal, label, and freeze.

Vegetables

Some fully-cooked vegetables, such as baked beans and candied sweet potatoes, when frozen, keep in excellent condition for many months; but most fully-cooked vegetables lose flavor rapidly and should be stored for only a few days. Loss of flavor may be retarded by covering vegetables with a cream sauce.

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Advantages of Freezing

It will be to your advantage to freeze those prepared foods which:

are seasonal and/or plentiful.
require a little more time to prepare in quantity than in small amounts.
require a long time to prepare or to cook.
use a variety of ingredients.
demand certain skills and care in preparation.
demand little time and attention from freezer to table.
maintain their quality for a reasonable storage period.

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Do not Freeze Well

Cake icings made with egg whites become frothy or "weep" when thawed.
Cream fillings and soft frostings are unsatisfactory when frozen.
Custards and cream pie fillings become watery and lumpy.
Egg whites become cracked, tough and rubbery when frozen.
Fat may separate from gravy if too much is used in proportion to the starch or flour. Use less fat when making gravy to be frozen. Stir it well when reheating.
Foods fried loose their crispness and become soggy. (Exceptions are French fried potatoes and onion rings.)
Fruit jelly in sandwiches may soak into the bread.
Macaroni, spaghetti and some rice (frozen separately) has a warmed-over flavor and often is mushy.
Mayonnaise (not in salads) separates during freezing and thawing.
Meringue toughens and sticks to paper after a few days of freezing.
Pepper, onion, cloves and synthetic vanilla become strong and bitter when used in frozen prepared food.
Potatoes (Irish) cooked in stews and soups become mushy and may darken.
Salt looses flavor.
Sauces tend to separate unless beaten or stirred when reheated.
Vegetables (raw) lose their crispness.

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Special Foods and Baby Food

Foods for diabetics can be prepared and frozen without sugar or sweetened with a non-caloric sweetener. Consult physician and follow manufacturer's instructions.
Dietetic It is often a convenience to freeze individual portions without salt or without fat for persons on special diets. These can be frozen in ice trays, then removed and stored in Ball Plastic freezer bags or boxes.
Purees of vegetables and fruits and meats for babies and convalescents may be made and frozen when the foods are in season. The Ball 1/2 Pint Can or Freez jars are excellent containers for storing these items in the freezer.

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Thawing and Preparing

Prepared or cooked foods may be thawed and made ready for serving by either one of the following ways:

Served while still frozen: layer cakes, fruit, pies, cookies, candies, ice cream, salads, and similar foods.
Served immediately after thawing: (at room temperature): cakes, sandwiches, and similar foods.
Heated only to serving temperature: soups, meat dishes, stews, and similar dishes.
Cooked frozen: Uncooked pies, rolls, and combination dishes.

Source: Ball Corporation

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