Batch cooking...how/What/ when

[walkerandtexasranger]

I am 6 months pregnant and keen to fill my spare freezer with stuff for when the baby arrives so we can still eat well without too much hassle (I have another ds and my dh works long hours).

I have read a lot of batch cooking threads to try and help myself but they are often just lists of suggested meals rather than details... I don't know whether I can cook them frozen, need to defrost, how long to cook for etc. My husband has some gastric problems and I really really don't want to upset his stomach or give him food poisoning!

So my plea for help is, what is your fave batch cooking recipe and how do you cook/freeze/ re cook it?

Apologies in advance if I sound a bit dim- but you don't know what you don't know

[CaptainWarbeck]

I make double of whatever, spag bol sauce, chilli etc. Portion off excess into freezer tubs. Leave on the side to cool, put lid on, label and put in freezer.

If I'm organised and know I'm going to eat it one night, I get it out and put in the fridge to defrost the day before, or in the morning. If there are any frozen bits still, I bung it in the microwave on the defrost setting.

I also sometimes make whole extra macaroni cheese bakes, or lasagne or cannelloni. Make up until you would normally put it in the oven, let cool in dish, cover in foil or whatever, and put in freezer. Then you can bake it from frozen, just allow an extra twenty minutes or so.

I buy cheap foil trays for this sometimes so my dishes don't all end up in the freezer.

Freeze easy small portions of stuff for your DS in small freezer bags - curry/tomato sauce etc - quick to defrost in the microwave and can be put on pasta or rice for a easy meal.

[CaptainWarbeck]

Also, bread freezes really well. So you could freeze hot dog buns, burger buns etc and have the sausages and burgers in the freezer too. Defrost whatever you need, cook, add toppings and eat.

Cake/muffins also freeze well

[Ohyesiam]

Place marking, cos i don't know either op.

[Slartybartfast]

you could make shepherds pie and freeze. chicken casserole, beef casserole, spag bol, chili con carne.
i freeze bread
tell us what you normally cook?

[Slartybartfast]

i freeze sausages in bags of two

[Slartybartfast]

sorry, misunderstood op.
do you have microwave?
just weigh the meal and defrost by weight

[LaChatte]

If you have a slow cooker you can make up and freeze loads of meals (in sealable plastic bags, frozen flat to save space) to defrost the night before in the fridge and then dump in the s/c in the morning, just adding the liquid.

[walkerandtexasranger]

I do have a microwave yes.

I tend to cook a lot of fish, paella, meat and veg meals. We did eat a lot of pasta but dh is being tested for celiacs and since cutting it out he is doing a lot better.

I guess that was the main question- do i defrost and reheat, cook from frozen? I don't know and recipes on here rarely say. In batch cooking thread posters will often say 'oh I make spaghett Bolognese and freeze it' and it just leaves me thiking: you freeze pasta? Do you cook it from frozen? What if I poison everyone? What am I doing?

And then I cook the same old thing, safe I the knowledge we will all survive

[Slartybartfast]

you can defrost pretty much everything - and then cook, although i am willing to be corrected.
i would defrost bolognaise and make pasta fresh personally but not sure if it is necessary.

[Bluebellwoods123]

I cook homemade pasta bakes form frozen.
I make the dish as normal, sometimes in those foil dishes and freeze it. If it's shepherd's pie, fish pie, pasta bake I don't bake it before freezing. Toad in the hole is baked before freezing. Fruit crumbles are baked. Pastry pies can either baked or unbaked. Soup and lasagna freeze really well. Quiche if you use cream rather than milk.
There are excellent ideas and recipes on Pinterest especially the American recipes. If you're not sure about a recipe just cook two, one to eat straight away and one to test if it works after a week in the freezer.
There are recipes on Pinterest for baked spaghetti, it sounds like a weird way of making it but tastes great momsavesmoney.net/2015/11/bakedspaghetti.html

[pameladoove]

I freeze spag bol (pasta and all) in small freezer containers. All you need to do is microwave for about 7 mins and it's perfectly fine.

[Slartybartfast]

op some things only last 3 months in the freezer so you might want to wait a little bit

[CaptainWarbeck]

I wouldn't freeze pasta on its own. Only if it was in a sauce, in a bake or something.

[kateandme]

if you cook it then freeze you cant poison someone because it already cooked hun.so don't let that be a worry.the only one to worry on that point is cooking fillets,meats when you haven't previously had them cooked.so if u freeze cooked meals th only problem I firstly how many time you reheat them should be down to minimal.and secondly it will just need longer so you don't hit a froen bit in the middle with your fork :) so for example you mentioned spag.if you've froxen this after cooking it wont poison you.just wouldn't advice keeping reheating but the meat is cooked so safe.
with mince we usually do the tomato mice base then you can turn it into anything.chilli,tacos.nachos.gyros.enchilada.pie.
as a rule we get whatever out the freeer the night before or morning of.leave on side on a plate overnight then in fridge next morn
if it is not thoring quick enough or you've forgotten to take out,supmerge fully in cold water.amazing trick!
many a time have we defrosted chicken breasts like this.
freeze chicken thighs,salmon fillets in 2 pack portioned freezer bags then just take out as many as you need overnight
sat down in the evening cook a joint...voila ready in fridge for next day ease.
pre diced,cut bits of meat can be coked straight to wok from frozen
you can cook mince from frozen.start on very low wait til it breaks up then turn heat up till cooked.
remember as a rule things take 50%longer to cook from frozen
and meat must reach a core temp of 70 degrees for at least two minutes to kill bacteria
fish can be cooked as usual though from frozen
a frozen pasta bake or lasagne cooked from frozen for about an hour.test middle though to make sure
pasta can be cooked from frozen.we always have a pack of packed tortilin in there.great with a tom sauce or pesto for speedy tea yet yummy.

[Slartybartfast]

I think the meals need to be totally defrosted before heating