MAKING FRIENDS WITH YOUR FREEZER

MAKING FRIENDS WITH YOUR FREEZER

For some, their freezer is just a place for ice cubes and to store ice cream and other store-bought convenience foods. For me, my freezer is one of my best friends. I cannot imagine living without one.

Having a freezer is like having a bank account! A place to make deposits and withdrawals as needed. You make deposits when you cook ahead and save it. You make withdrawals when you need something fast and convenient…

Through the years I learned to cook for a larger family. Now, the family nucleus has shrunk, but I still cook as if for a large family…so it is a simple matter of saving the extra portions and freezing for a later day.

I remember buying ground and cubed beef in bulk through a wholesaler and then going through a cooking marathon for a couple of days making several meals ahead. I would make batches of spaghetti sauce, meatballs, meat loaves, hamburger patties, stews, casseroles and chili sauce. I still do this when I find good bargains in quality meats.

Or when we would buy sacks full of just picked fresh corn…I would shuck, clean, blanch and freeze them in packages of six since there were that many of us to feed per meal.

Many recipes are quite convenient to double or even triple, making it a simple matter of going through the prepping and cooking process just once, but having portions available for serving later. This also saves time in the long run as you would be using, dirtying up and washing up equipment only once!

It makes sense to bake two cakes or two casseroles; two quiche or two pies at one time, since not only will you have one for now and one for later, but it also saves energy by using your oven to best advantage.

When wrapping cooked food for the freezer, make sure that the food is cool and does not cause condensation when wrapping. Also take extra care that the wrap is snug and all air out before sealing. This will prevent air pockets, which can cause freezer burns on the food.

Freezers should be kept full for best use of energy. Food should be tightly packed and empty spaces should be filled with bags of ice cubes. We keep frozen water bottles in ours, which we use in coolers for picnics or for transporting perishables from the market.

Always remember to rotate older items to the front as you add to your freezer's stash.

You should plan ahead when defrosting food. Food should be thawed in the refrigerator and not at room temperature. This will reduce the chance of spoilage. Putting the item in a plastic bag, if not already stored in one, will guard against leakage in the refrigerator.

Here are some simple tips that will help you in using your freezer a breeze. Always remember to label and date contents. When ready to use, thaw and follow the original recipe instructions for completing the dish, if applicable.

Freezing Casseroles:
To freeze a casserole without losing the use of the dish for weeks, line the inside of the dish with several overlapping sheets of parchment or plastic wrap, long enough to overlap over the food when folded over. Add the cooked food, fold and seal the parchment or plastic wrap. Cover the entire dish with heavy-duty foil. Freeze for at least 12 hours.

When frozen, unwrap the foil, pop the food loose from the dish, still wrapped in parchment or plastic wrap. Cover tightly with the foil, seal and label (including date) and store in freezer for future use.

When ready to use, unwrap and discard the inner wrappings, place back in the dish and proceed to heat or bake.

Freezing Pies:
My friend E from M. L. in California, uses this neat trick…."I line my pie plates (glass) with heavy-duty foil before I put the bottom crust in. Then make the pie as usual and put in the freezer UNCOVERED. When it's frozen solid, take it out of the pie plate, peel off the foil and put the pie in zip-top freezer bags. OR you can put enough foil in the bottom of the pan to start with, then
finish wrapping when the pie is frozen. The only problem with this second method is that I haven't found a good way to label so I know what kind of pie is in the package. Even indelible markers rub off or get covered with frost."

Freezing Meats:
If buying meat for later use, discard the store wrapping and divide the meat (if applicable) in smaller portions. Wrap steaks and chops individually in plastic wrap and place in freezer quality sealable plastic bags. Portion out chicken pieces for each meal and place in seal top freezer bags.

Freezing Fish:
Fresh fish is best cooked fresh, but if it is not going to be used right away, then dip it in lemon juice to help preserve the original taste and texture before freezing. Wrap it snugly in plastic wrap and then several layers of heavy-duty foil or in a plastic zip-top freezer bag.

Freezing Egg Whites:
Many recipes call for egg yolks leaving you with a mess of egg whites. You can collect and freeze egg whites for making Angel Food cakes or other recipes later on by filling ice cube trays with the whites, one per cube. When solid, transfer the frozen egg-white cubes to freezer bags.
Thaw and use as you would fresh egg whites.

Freezing Egg Yolks:
Unlike egg whites, egg yolks need a little bit of TLC before freezing. To prevent them from coagulating, just stir 1/2 teaspoon salt or 2 teaspoons sugar into each 1/2 cup of egg yolks before freezing. Remember to adjust recipes accordingly when using salt or sugar.

Freezing Whole Eggs:
Remove them from their shells and mix the egg whites and yolks together. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt or 2 teaspoons sugar per every half-dozen eggs frozen.

Freezing Cheeses:
Hard cheeses freeze better than soft cheeses. They will keep better if grated and stored in portions of no more than 1 pound per plastic bag. The best cheeses for freezing are Cheddar, Swiss, Gouda, mozzarella, Parmegiano and Romano. They can be used as ready-made toppings for casseroles, tacos and soups.

It is also less expensive than buying the cheese already shredded and packaged.

Freezing Homemade Stock and Broth:
Stock and broth are not only used as the base for soups, but can be used for flavoring sauces or meat and vegetable dishes and even risotto or paella.

Food such as chicken necks that you might not use on a regular basis, or bits and pieces of discarded parts can be used to make flavorful stock or broth. Chicken or beef bones are, as we all know, excellent, as well as the chicken skin or excess beef fat…but did you know you could use shrimp, crawfish or lobster shells for making fish stock?

When using bones or the shellfish discards, they will impart a much better flavor to the stock or broth by roasting them in the oven just long enough to brown.

Even discarded peelings or wilting vegetables (as long as they are not slimy) can be boiled for a flavorful vegetable broth.

Your freezer can be a big help in this project as you can save bits and pieces in separate plastic bags until enough is collected to make a good amount of stock.

When I make large quantities of vegetable, chicken, beef or fish stock I freeze them, after cooling and skimming off the fat, in one cup portions in clear, disposable plastic drink cups. When frozen, its simple to discard the cups (which can be washed and re-used for the purpose) and place the frozen broth chunks in large plastic bags. Most recipes call for broth or stock in cup measurements, so all I need do is pull out the quantity needed.

Other Frozen Conveniences:
In past articles I have mentioned freezing citrus and passion fruit juices in ice cube trays, which I later use in cooking or for adding to iced teas, colas or even seltzer water. Always remember to pop them out of the trays and store in plastic zip-top bags though, since they evaporate if left in the trays for long.

You can also freeze excess fruit, like berries, mangoes or bananas to use in baking and other dishes. Remember to freeze them individually, on a cookie sheet or jellyroll pan and then storing in plastic bags.

Foods that do not freeze well:
Cooked egg whites will get rubbery
Soft meringues and gelatin will weep, (except in frozen soufflés)
Cakes or pies with custard fillings will get grainy
Cake icing with egg whites will weep
Mayonnaise
Cloves and imitation vanilla
Sauces thickened with flour or cornstarch, (except when used as a binder)
Milk, light cream or sour cream
Heavy cream (except when whipped)
Vegetables high in water content such as celery, fennel, tomatoes, leafy salad greens, cucumbers, radishes, potatoes, zucchini and eggplants (except when cooked and finely chopped or puréed)

Check out my food and garden blog

(c) By Sonia Martinez
(September 23, 2003 - The Hawaii Tribune-Herald of Hilo)