Frozen Foods

[Chetlaham]

Does anyone else like the connivance of frozen food and frozen meals? Does anyone else find themselves routinely splurging in the frozen section of their grocery store? I'm guilty of doing this. Love making frozen meals with frozen veggies and frozen dinner rolls. Love the easy breakfast burritos and frozen pancakes. Pizza rolls, mac and cheese, pita sandwich melts, hot-pockets,  all great for lunch. Stouffers frozen meals are wonderful for dinner. Sometimes I'll do cans or a microwaved potato, however I feel frozen items lock in the fresh flavor better. Cans get to salty.

 

 

Added bonus is a cool kitchen, easy clean up and time saved before and afterwards.

 

Does anyone else do this, like or make frozen meals?

 

[ryner1988]

I buy the Boston Market frozen dinners for lunch often. However, I really try to actually cook our dinners. The preservatives in frozen meals tend to aggravate my wife's indigestion if she eats them too frequently. But I agree, they are indeed convenient which is why I'm okay with using them for my lunches which Stacye doesn't usually touch. I really only want to dirty up the kitchen with real cooking once per day.

 

[ea56]

Nay!

Beyond frozen Chicken Nuggets, Frozen Chicken Breast Tenders and frozen vegetables, all of which I prepare meals from we don’t eat prepared frozen dinners or meals.

As far as canned foods we will occasionally have Tomato or Mushroom soup and we also like Hormel canned Chili for a quick dinner once in a while.

Eddie

 

[Chetlaham]

Same here, especially in the summer. Kitchen stays cool and no extra work cleaning up. I'll try the frozen meals you mentioned.

 

[ryner1988]

Reply #2

Eddie, I love the frozen chicken breast tenders too, if they're the same things I'm thinking of. I thaw them out and put them in a bag with Italian dressing to marinate for a couple hours. Then I put them on the Foreman grill to make grilled Italian chicken. Usually serve with some kind of roasted potatoes, sometimes vegetable pasta like Protein Plus.

 

[william8]

not anymore

I took early retirement a couple years ago (57). I used to take frozen meals to work for the convenience (mostly Stouffer's). Now that I don't have to, I won't eat that ever again. Not healthy at all.

I will make frozen REAL chicken tenders, fries, and a few other frozen foods occasionally, but I make them in the oven. Taste much better, and crispy. A/C keeps the house as cool as I want.

Microwaves are for thawing food, a can of soup/chili, or reheating leftovers.

 

[ea56]

Ryne,
I buy the Tyson Frozen Chicken Tenders (not breaded) and I cook them in the oven from the frozen state. I will either sprinkle a little Knorr Chicken Bouillon powder, onion powder, pepper, crushed rosemary and paprika on them and then drizzle about 2 tbs of melted butter on them and bake for 35 mins at 375 F, or sometimes I pour a little Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey BBQ sauce on them and bake for 35 mins at 375 F. For use in Chicken salads or sandwiches I just sprinkle them with the chicken bouillon powder and bake again 35 mins at 375. They always come out perfectly cooked and delicious. I discovered these frozen tenders when the store was out of fresh chicken breasts and I’ve never gone back to the fresh ones. These days the fresh chicken breasts are HUGE, like they came off of a dinasor and they don’t taste like chicken should IMO.

I prepare just about everything else from scratch, but if I find a connivence food that is better than fresh I’m all in.

I make oven fries all the time that are excellent and not greasy. Wash 2 or 3 med, potatoes, dry them and leave the skins on, then cut into french fry size sticks. In the broiler pan I melt 2 tbs of butter while the oven is preheating to 425 F. Toss the potatoes in the melted butter os theey are evenly coated, sprinkle them with salt and pepper to taste and spread them in a single layer. Bake for 20 mins, remove the pan and turn over each piece and put back into the oven for another 15-20 mins. These oven fries come out crisp and delicious. The secret is to use a DARK colored, shallow pan, like a broiler pan and to keep them in a single layer so the heat circulates around them well.

I really like to use the oven to prepare meals. Keeps the kitchen clean and free from splattered oil.

Eddie

 

[ryner1988]

Reply #6

Eddie,

Oh my gosh you are so right about chicken breasts being gargantuan. I thought I was the only one who noticed that. So I don't like to use them if I plan to just eat chicken as the main dish with a side. The only time I use full-size chicken breasts is if a recipe calls for them, i.e., white chicken chili.

I really like many of your ideas for cooking. Like you, I tend to use the oven a lot. As a VI person, it's much safer for me than using frying pans on the stove top and such. I'll do it occasionally, but the oven is my preferred method or the crockpot.

I'll have to give those home fries a try! Stacye bought me a set of knives that are ceramic and sheathed when not in use, so I feel very safe using them.

Ryne

 

[ryner1988]

Eddie, forgot to mention in my previous reply, I saw in reply #2 that you like to have Hormel chili sometimes. I used to as well, but then I started making chili in the crockpot and it blows Hormel out of the water! I like to prepare it the night before and let it cook all night, and it makes enough for two days easily. You should give it a try!

Ryne

 

[Chetlaham]

@William: I use my Sharp R-21LCFS for so much more than thawing food, a can of soup/chili, or reheating leftovers. I love it! I've never liked frozen foods the way I do now. I look forward to meal time. Only things I will use my Breville Smart oven for as cooking chicken tenders and melting cheese underneath its broiler.

 

The nice thing about frozen meals is that in the last 10 years the ingredients have started to shrink. The difference in quality is noticeable and its going up.

 

 

Eddie- I've noticed that, today birds and engineered to be as big as possible. No thank you, I like heirloom birds the best. They lean, petite and tasty as they should be.

 

[mattl]

I cook pretty much everything from scratch. I may have bought a frozen pizza once in the past 6 months. I was in Sam's the other day, I wandered up and down the food isles looking at all the highly processed food.  So much.  All filled with chemicals, all processed, all fairly pricey. I rarely buy canned products, mainly tuna and some beans for when I don't feel like soaking and cooking them. Veggies are either fresh or frozen in their purest form, no sauces or creamed concoctions.

 

I've always cooked from scratch and still can my own tomatoes. Make my own cakes, pies and deserts and usually bread. I'm stunned at seeing people paying $25-30 for a pie that I can make in 15 minutes for a tiny fraction of that cost. Mostly my cooking is fairly basic but I do have hundreds of saved recipes when I fee like splurging.

 

[combo52]

Hi love frozen foods and I love having a freezer

But it’s mainly used for things that I have bought in bulk or bought at the farmers market and frozen or for foods that I have cooked from scratch and then I freeze extra meals for use whenever I don’t wanna do a lot of cooking.

But I really try to stay away from all that frozen over processed chemical filled garbage Way too much packaging waste way too expensive and just not good for you or the environment.

We had five people over for dinner last night. It only took about 15 or 20 minutes to prepare a tasty from scratch meal for everybody and it literally took me two minutes to clean it all up and put it in the dishwasher. I don’t see what the big deal about cooking, if you have a good dishwasher, good cooking equipment. It’s As easy as can be.

John

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

I always bake my frozen meals in the oven...  

 

And these days it has to be something unique, otherwise it's pizza, or at least an old favorite like ribs, fried chicken or salisbury steak...

 

 

 

-- Dave

 

[mark_wpduet]

I do this all the time...but I usually stick with lean cuisine meatloaf/mash potatoes... then I add my own organic veggies... Also the spaghetti.... But I always add stuff to it and don't just eat it as is...

The way I heat them is I get two dinner plates... peel plastic off... turn the meal upside down and push so it comes out into one of the plates... put another plate on top and heat it in the micro.. I don't heat it in the plastic.

but I try to make sure to get healthy foods in other ways... such as real olive oil...walnuts....blueberries...greens... organic oats.. raw honey... etc.. things like that.

 

[gelaundry4ever]

frozen foods

I do enjoy frozen foods. I prefer the name brand foods that use nothing but quality ingredients.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Well I took the ribs out of this dinner and put them in their own buns even making additional instant mashed potatoes and corn to accompany them…

— Dave

 

[launderess]

As would imagine about someone who peruses domestic manuals

Answer to query is "no", one does not purchase frozen foods often for this household. That is leaving aside veggies and certain other bits like prepared pie crusts or pastry dough.

Overall processed foods of all sorts long have been a hard pass far as one is concerned.

Most prepared "meals" contain far too much sodium, fats and cholesterol to suit and thus don't wish to consume oneself of give to others. Then there is a vast and bewildering list of chemicals and other substances one would just rather avoid. High fructose corn syrup, artificial colour and flavors.. those sort of things.

For things one likes frozen such as various pasta dishes, waffles and so forth learned long ago from Mother, grandmother and other older females at the time about cooking in bulk and freezing.

 

[angus]

Genarally not a big consumer of frozen meals, but absolutely do purchase frozen vegetables or some fruits when "fresh" is out of season or the quality of what's in the markets just isn't up to par. For vegetables, mostly it's frozen peas (apparently there are no fresh peas in Connecticut!!), spinach, sliced carrots, corn, pearl onions and broccoli florets (though I do love to peel and cook fresh broccoli stems - lots of flavor there). I have found however that certain frozen vegetables don't work as well such as brussels sprouts, asparagus and broccoli rabe. For fruits, it's usually peaches and berries and usually for baking or other cooking applications.
That said, an occasional frozen waffle or frozen dinner doesn't hurt.

 

[Ultramatic]

Yes.

 

 

I grew up on frozen foods. I was a very picky eater since I was a toddler. I learned from a very young age how to use the oven and cook my own meals. Swanson, Morton, Banquet, Patio, Libbyland Kids Meals were far better quality back then. While I do cook from scratch on occasion, most of our meals are prepared. There are some very good, high quality frozen foods available. Specially Indian, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese and Taiwanese. I highly recommend Weee!. Fantastic variety. 

https://www.sayweee.com/en/category/snacks

 

[kenwashesmonday]

Frozen dinners are handy, affordable, and often pretty darn tasty, but for those who have to watch their salt intake, make sure you read the label.

 

[ea56]

There Are 365 Days in a Year

And I cook dinner from scratch 360 days a year. Yes, I’ll occasionally have frozen Chicken Nuggets for our dinner, but everything else that’s served with them is homemade, like oven fries and we always will have either a salad or raw carrot, celery and green pepper sticks with the dinner.

I make ALL of our salad dressings, bread, rolls, hamburger and hot dog buns, cakes, pies, cookies, EVERYTHING from scratch. Like I said earlier we do like Hormel Chili, but thats only occasionally when we have Hot Dogs for dinner because it’s an easy and tasty side with the dogs. But again we will have raw vegetables with that dinner to balance things out nutritionally.

Cooking isn’t difficult if you work smarter, not harder! Clean up as you go and use a minimal number of pots pans and bowls. Just because you may own every tool, pan and device known to man doesn’t mean you need to use them all to cook a meal. It’s the skill, thought and good ingredients that you put into a meal that makes it good, not the fancy tools and trappings. Learn to follow directions from a simple, basic cookbook.

We NEVER waste food! I carefully plan our meals by the week and shop accordingly to get the best deals on what’s in season and only buy what we can use before it spoils. Plus, we aren’t adverse to leftovers. If it’s good on the first night it will be good on the second, third and fourth nights too if it’s reheated properly and accompanied by a nice fresh salad on the side.

I can understand that some people don’t like to cook, or are intimidated by it. I would suggest that those people try to learn how to cook a few things that they really like and once they learn that its not that difficult and that their home cooked meals often taste better than frozen and cost less too they may become cooking aficionados. Start small and work your way up.

Eddie [this post was last edited: 8/4/2024-15:25]

 

[Chetlaham]

Reply 15- You at my house or something lol?!?

 

 

I do the same thing, hot dog buns and some onions. Kuhne pickle one the side. Extends and compliments the smaller frozen meal portions. Some BBQ sauce for dip. Wholesome and easy- you know how to eat! Yum. 

 

[gelaundry4ever]

bbq sauce

I love bbq sauce to go with hot dogs and even frozen ribs.

 

[mattl]

Both my parents cooked when I was growing up.  I started baking when I was 10 or 11 and baked and cooked ever since, kind of second  nature. Interestingly, my  dad WWII pow, never had an issue helping around the house. Cook, bake, scrub the bathroom, not a problem for him.  Very unusual for his generation.

 

[mrboilwash]

As much as I love to cook and bake occasionally from scratch not everyone has the time or is willing to live the life of a trad wife.
That`s when unhealthy convenience products like cans or frozen food come in handy.
I enjoy them but I also try not to have too much of it.

Some home made dishes require ingredients that won`t get used up at once and the rest of it might spoil until you need it again. In this case a convenience product comes out cheaper in the end and let`s not forget that wasting food is always a sin even if you`re not a believer just like me.

Of course everything highly processed is not healthy but at least in Europe there are no preservatives in frozen food and if your want you meals made from scratch to taste good you will find yourself to use lots of unhealthy things like butter, cheese, eggs, sugar, salt or whatever as well.
Well, that`s my 2 cents of sugarcoating an unhealthy lifestyle. Guess it`s all about finding the right balance then you`re fine.

 

[robbinsandmyers]

Frozen can have as much salt as canned or more depending on what you buy. On top of all the preservatives and chemicals. Once in a while I'll buy a Healthy Choice beef merlot frozen dinner but its rare. I try to eat fresh and Ive gone from 3 blood pressure pills a day to one and dropped from 243lbs to 218lbs. I cut out pizza and pasta as well and made them occasional treats.

 

[ea56]

Re:#24

“As much as I love to cook and bake occasionally from scratch not everyone has the time or is willing to live the life of a trad wife.”

I haven’t always had the time to be a “trad wife”. But I come from a generation when the family always ate dinner together and had a home cooked meal. My Mom cooked dinner every night, except Wednesday’s when my Dad had his Native Sons of the Golden West meetings. On Wednesday’s Mom took us out for fast food or picked up take out Chinese food as a treat.

Then after my Dad died when I was 11 I learned to cook and bake and started to help out with the meals. When I was a freshman in HS Mom had to go back to work full time and I came home every day from school after a 1 hour bus ride and prepared dinner for the family and we all waited until Mom got home from work to eat dinner together. I firmly believe that a healthy family life includes meals together so everyone can keep up to date with whats happening in their lives.

When I left home at 19 I lived alone for the most part ( my brother and sister lived with me off and on) until I was 30 when I met and married David. But even when I lived alone I still cooked dinner for myself most nights. Then after David and I became a family I cooked dinner for us every day. Most of our working lives David worked from 3 pm to 11 pm and I worked 7 am to 5:30 pm 4 days a week. I cooked dinner every night and ate by myself, then at 11 pm I picked up David from work ( we only had 1 car, never had a 2nd car) and I sat with him while he ate the dinner that I’d heated up for him. It was time for us to be together on work days. I also packed our lunches every night while I was also preparing dinner. I kept up this schedule for 31.5 years! Yeah, sometimes I was dead tired when I got home but it was a labor of love. Once I retired it was great to be able to prepare dinner at my leisure.

My point is that I think folks would all be a lot happier if families broke bread together daily and kept in touch with each other without devices at the table. I know it’s old fashioned as hell to many and as foreign a concept as flying to the moon, but sometimes there’s a while lot of wisdom in the quaint customs of yesteryear. Give it a try with your family and you may find that you enjoy it and become a lot closer too.

Eddie

 

[petek]

Just to be clear that plain frozen vegetables like peas, corn, broccoli, etc do not contain any chemical preservatives. They're frozen right away after picking and the next best thing to fresh. Frozen meals and some coated frozen vegetables and canned are a whole nother story.