Intro to Freezer Cooking and 50 Healthy Freezer Meal Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How do you batch cook and freeze meals? ›

Cool the food quickly after cooking and before freezing. One way of doing this is to split the food out into smaller portions. One of the simplest ways to approach batch cooking is to make one base recipe which can be adapted into different dishes.

You don't need to cook freezer meals before freezing! The meals in our database are prepared with fresh quality ingredients and are frozen raw. This saves you from having to cook meals twice, maintains better texture, and preserves nutrients.

If your maternity leave is short or you plan to eat out regularly, then 10-20 freezer meals should do the trick. But if you have more time before the baby comes or if you plan on eating at home most of the time, then 30-50 freezer meals might be more suitable for your family.

Briskets, pot roasts, and most other red meat dishes do freeze quite well. Cook the meat till it's just a few minutes away from being done, then freeze.

You can also freeze scrambled eggs after they have been cooked. This is a good way to meal prep for the week and to use in dishes like ham fried rice, or for a quick breakfast. They freeze well and taste really good. Let the cooked scrambled eggs cool completely.

Unfortunately food that is cooked already loses some quality and flavor in the freezing. No matter how you have packaged it. Your best bet is to seal the meat raw and airtight.

You can! Just make sure to cool the spaghetti completely before freezing, transfer properly in an airtight container or freezer bag, and label it with the date. Can you freeze cooked pasta with sauce? You can, but if possible, it is best to freeze the sauce and pasta separately for best texture.

How healthy are freezer meals? ›

While frozen meals are a convenient way to eat a balanced meal, it's easy to be led astray–they're also known for being packed with sodium, calories, and saturated fat, making moderation important.

On most days of the week, you'll want to rely on fresh meals — or tasty leftovers. “At the end of the day, I would limit frozen meals to no more than twice a week,” notes Taylor. But when you need the convenience of a frozen entrée, these tips can guide your choices.

According to the USDA, frozen chicken will be "safe indefinitely" as long as you keep it continuously frozen (i.e., you're not unfreezing it and then re-freezing it because you didn't have a chance to cook or eat it).

Frozen rice can be kept in the freezer for up to 6 months and still be tasty. After that it loses flavor and dries out but won't be unsafe to eat. An airtight container is your best defense against losing quality so vacuum sealing is great if you have that tool in your kitchen.

Most meals will keep for up to three months in the freezer. 9. Bring the heat: once you've defrosted your food, check how to reheat depending on the ingredients, but the golden rule is always ensure your meal is piping hot all the way through. And only ever reheat once.

Batch cooked food left in the fridge will need to be eaten within a few days and meals that are frozen usually need to be eaten within three months. If you already have batch cooked food in the freezer, put newer food behind it to ensure you don't eat that first.

Our top batch cooking ideas include soups, casseroles, stews and curries as they can all easily be made in bulk and stored in individual portion containers or larger containers in either the fridge or freezer.

Yes. It is safe to reheat frozen leftovers without thawing, either in a saucepan or microwave (in the case of a soup or stew) or in the oven or microwave (for example, casseroles and combination meals). Reheating will take longer than if the food is thawed first, but it is safe to do when time is short.