Freezer Queen

[paulg]

Well, to stimulate the economy, patronize my local appliance dealer, resolve a food storage issue, enhance our sense of health and well-being... AND have a new toy I took the plunge and bought a new freezer.
Of course I bought CROSLEY upright freezer (made by WC Wood). Bought it from my local CROSLEY/SPEED QUEEN dealer. (Yes, they still exist) Like the freezer a lot. Coils-in-shelf, freezes to 0f, has a fast-freeze shelf and not expensive.
Yes, I tried to find a vintage unit... And DID look at quite a few. Really wanted an old R22 unit but all the old ones were really dingy.
I REALLY would like any freezer tricks you wish to share.
I did not buy it to make the dollar go farther. Main reason was because the sliver-of-a-freezer on our Kitchenaid side-by-side was not enough! Actually it is half-full of frosted Martini glasses and Grey Goose (not kidding) and there is no room for anything else but some peas and 8-O-Clock coffee.
My still-working 1954 Crosley Shelvador is a single-door fridge not really designed for long-term freezer storage. We were both always coming home to a house full of condiments but no real food. Ate out too much. Went to COSTCO and butchered up some meat and stuff and now have some food so we don't have to run out at the last minute all the time.
Additionally, we do tend to entertain large groups. What got me going on this freezer kick was Helen Quat's Hotpoint Freezer Cookbook (estate sale find). Haven't made anything out of that book yet but her methods really spoke to me and seem still relevant and modern even though the book was written in 1964. It's quite a sophisticated book that instructs how to use the freezer to prepare things in advance and spread large tasks over time. Love it.
At any rate, any FREEZER TIPS of any type you can share will be most appreciated.

 

[polkanut]

Invest in a roll of good quality freezer wrapping paper, and a permanent marker. This way when your local grocers have a meat sale you can't pass up, you can buy ahead. A good quality wrapping paper will help delay freezer burn, providing you use the contents within a reasonable amount of time. The marker is to write the contents on the package, eliminating the guessing game.

 

[xraytech]

I absolutley love my freezer, I have a 22 cu. ft. Coldspot chest freezer packed full, plus part of grandma's coldspot for additional storage.

Some tips are:
-try to keep the freezer full, it makes it more effecient, and in the event of a power loss, food will stay frozen longer
-like mentioned above invest in freezer paper and a marker, I only buy meat every other month from our local slaughter house, and I buy 30 lbs of ground round, 3 rolled rump roasts, 2 london broils, 4 boneless pork roasts, several pounds of slab bacon, and lbs of stew meat. It is good to have a nice variety of meats on hand.
- I also like to make large batches of spaghetti sauce, vegetable soup, wedding soup and freeze them in gallon ziploc bags or in tupperware containers so it is easy to have a meal in short notice, just thaw and reheat.
-I also like to pre roll meatballs, freeze them on a sheet pan and when frozen package in a container or ziploc, so all you do is thaw and cook.
-I also like cabbage rolls and stuffed peppers, I stuff them and put in food saver bags and freeze, to use remove thaw and cook.
-I also when baking like to make several fruit pies and bake and then double wrap in freezer paper and freeze, just remove thaw and bake at 350 degrees for 15 min and just like fresh baked.
This is handy for company on short notices and also a life saver to have something to send to a funeral when you dont have time to bake or cook anything to send.
-I like to keep a log of what is in m freezer so I know at a glance if I have it, also most things stay for about 6 months well wrapped in the freezer.
I also bake and freeze containers of cookies in advance for the holidays.
- and of course keeping my bottles of Fire Fly Sweet Tea Vodka chilled and ready to mix with iced tea and lemon when the mood strikes.
- I also freeze containers of strawberries and black raspberries after harvesting them divided into containers and ready for when I have time to make jellies or fried pies.
Also freeze bags of tomatoes that have been cored, just thaw and skins peel off easil and then can be cooked down for sauce.
-I also like to keep m surplus flour and sugar in the freezer so they dont get bugs in them.

Having a home freezer is great and the possibilities of use are endless, hope some of my techniques and suggestions help you.

 

[polkanut]

Coffee also keeps very nicely in the freezer also. It doesn't matter if it is ground or not, freezing helps to preserve the flavor.

 

[perc-o-prince]

Hey Paul,

In addition to the above, get a FoodSaver vacuum sealing system, or similar. They're indispensible! I buy the savings packs of meat when they're on sale, portion them out, and vac seal several meals together, say 3 stacks of 2 boneless center-cut pork chops. I space them so they're not touching in the bag, vac-seal and freeze. When I want two for our dinner, I cut the seal off, dump out a stack of 2 to defrost, and re-seal the bag. When the bag's empty, I wash the inside w/ hot soapy water, hang it to dry, and use it again and again! The bag with the chix breast in it originally had 4 in it, and was a re-used bag.

I have yet for anything in the vac seal bags to go bad, and it lasts at least double the time of well-sealed zip bags. Just make sure there's a little room on each side of the meat (or whatever) so the vac can pull the air out of the bottom as well. And if something's squishy, as mentioned before for the meatballs or like the cabbage rolls in the picture, freeze them first on a cookie sheet, then vac seal them.

You can also take advantage of seasonal sales, like when corned beef is on sale in February. I bought two extras and tossed them right in the freezer in their cryo-packs to use later for hash!

Also, when I make a big batch of something more liquidy like sauce or chili, I store it in quart Mason jars. A quart of chili is perfect for dinner for 2 with or without a small salad, and a quart of sauce with some sausages in there is good for dinner for two with leftover for lunch the next day.

Happy freezing!

Chuck

 

[xraytech]

I see you do your freezing similar to me Chuck,
I bought the Kenmore Ultra Seal n Save instead of the FoodSaver brand, it uses the same bags and works just as well as Food Saver at a fraction of the cost, bags are the same price for both brands though.
I have had my cabbage rolls and stuffed peppers frozen in my food saver bags for 14 months without freezer burn. I too freeze in Quart Mason jars, I keep my coffee beans in them in the freezer and have berries portioned out for pies in mason jars too.

 

[volvoguy87]

Writ it down!

Always put dates on your frozen goods. I recently found a chicken in my grandmother's freezer wrapped in its grocery store packaging dated 1996! Also, keep a log of what you have. Sometimes you might forget what is in the back and you don't want to play a guessing game about whether it is still good.
Dave

 

[maytagbear]

I used to have a freezer,

and oh, do I miss it!

Lots of good freezer management ideas here so far.

One more to remember is "Garbage in, garbage out." The freezer only maintains food quality, does not improve it, so if it wasn't that delicious when fresh, it won't be that delicious 4 months down the road.

Potatoes do not freeze well in HOME freezers. Nor does mayonnaise.

I like to freeze soups and sauces in bags. Lay them flat while freezing, stand them upright while frozen.

Enjoy your new toy and time bank!

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[danemodsandy]

LOL!

"Actually it is half-full of frosted Martini glasses and Grey Goose (not kidding) and there is no room for anything else but some peas and 8-O-Clock coffee."

Well, isn't that the four basic food groups right there? What more do you need?

Couldn't resist!

 

[brisnat81]

I make up meals in bulk and freeze for work lunches, my MIL and the such.

We've got a 200L Fisher and Paykel Chest Freezer which at the moment is almost totally full.

I dont use freezer paper for meat, but freezer bags, push out the air and tie a knot. I've extracted some meats that are comming up to 12 months old, with no freezer burn in sight.

I put the meals in 500mL containers and usually make up 40 portions at a time. At the moment there is Beef Burgundy and Rice, Salmon and Zucchini Slice, Pumpkin soup, Pea and Ham Soup, Minestrone, Spaghetti, Beef Stroganoff, Beef Stir Fry, Lasagne, Cannelloni, and Macaroni Cheese (A non US Version)

I also buy tomatoes in bulk, blanch and peel and freeze in 1cup containers. Broccoli and Beans are the other vegetables I freeze, but I'm nearly out of those at the moment. A Quick blanch and their done.

 

[paulg]

Thanks a ton!

Thanks much. Great tips! and much appreciated too.
First of all, the Tupperware tip was great. One whole bin in the kitchen is full of dormant Tupperware. I really like to eat and drink with glass but plastic is freezer-fine with me so out it comes with renewed purposes in life!
Must get a vacuum food-saver. Apparently they are the bee's knees according to y'all. I guess if you suck out the air AND freeze something it'll apparently holds up real well.
The corned-beef tip hit home. Every year at Costco we buy our one corned beef and sigh that it'll be "another year" before we have it again. NO MORE! I'm liking this freezer more already. Thanks again for the tips. I'm printing out this stream and attaching it to the CROSLEY with magnets. Merci!

 

[countryguy]

I have a Food saver also and use it all the time. I also have several different containers that work with it. One is for marinating meat. You put the meat and marinate in the container, suck the air out and that forces the marinade into the meat. The other containers I use for storing crackers, brown sugar, anything that dries out quickly. The brown sugar never gets hard any more. It is also great for resealing potato chip bags, storing cheese, etc.

Gary

 

[paulg]

Gotta get a Foodsaver

I'm sold on the Foodsaver. Thanks for the info. We do marinate meats sometimes but I didn't think anything would stop brown sugar from getting hard!

 

[countryguy]

I don't use a lot of brown sugar so sometimes a container full will last several months, even up to a year but with the Foodsaver it doesn't get hard.

Gary

 

[maytagbear]

If a person takes sugar in his or her coffee-

brown sugar is wonderful in coffee! In fact, our family name for brown sugar is coffee sugar, which raises questions when I write out a recipe on autopilot.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[paulg]

Never tried

Love coffee, never tried brown sugar - but I will!

 

[xraytech]

I do think that brown sugar would keep well in a food saver canister or bag without getting hard. I buy 4 2 lb bags of brown sugar at a time and I keep it in an older Tupperware canister with the servalier lid and it lasts all year with no clumps and is never hard.

 

[charbee]

Definitely get a FoodSaver (we call it "The Suck-n-Seal" ;-)

It really does make what you freeze last longer. One thing about using it, though: I found that you should definitely pre-freeze most things (like steaks and chops, or baked goodies) until they're solid first, before you use the vacuum sealer. Otherwise you'll either crush some things beyond recognition, or else, like with fresh meat, you'll vacuum all the juice out of it.

We've been looking for a small chest-type "deep freeze" and haven't really seen anything in the "new" department that we like yet.

 

[alr2903]

If you garden or go to a farmers market get some fresh corn on the cobb. Mom froze her corn on the cobb nicely washed not blanched in hot water like many recomend. She froze it in ziplock bags and cooked in the microwave tastes like freshly picked.... ice cream kept in a real freezer over a period of time does not get that dark slimey layer as it does in the freezer of the frost free fridge, anyone else notice this phenomenon?