Freezing meals / Batch cooking

[HTT10]

Hi everyone if you batch cook here is some stupid questions for you 😄

If you make something such as spaghetti bolognese do you freeze the pasta to? Then when you want to eat it do you defrost it and heat it in the oven or a pan!?

If someone could give me general advice on batch cooking, freezing, defrosting and reheating and also how long certain foods keep in the freezer for it would be so helpful 😍

Watching with interest as I'd love to get into batch cooking.

The only thing I cook and freeze is spaghetti bolognaise and I wouldn't freeze pasta with it

You can freeze pasta, but it doesnt re-heat/hold very well. I would freeze your Bol and make your Spag as you re-heat your Bol.

Some basic batch cooking tips...
Get yourself some decent stacking containers that actually fit in your freezer (we use take away tubs) Or sturdy ziplock bags, freeze flat on a tray and when frozen you can stack the bags.

I make 3 meals from one BIG lot of mince... big pan or slow cooker with onion,celery,carrot and garlic & beef stock. when its cooked and cooled, seperate into 3. Freeze one as is... (cottage pie filling). In an other mix in tinned tomatoes & italian seasoning (spag Bol/Lasagne). In the third mix in tomato puree, chilli & beans (chilli!). I some times seperate the chilli into tea cup size portions for burritos.

If you can... always make double & freeze.

woops, pressed too soon.

Most things will freeze well for up to 3 moths if sealed correctly. Always fully cool before putting lids on and freezing.

I take stuff for out for the next day the day before and defrost in the fridge (put kitchen roll under your tub to catch water) Or take out of freezer in morning and defrost at room temperature if your kitchen is not too warm.

You can warm thing through in a pan, a dish in the oven or in the microwave. Whatever is best for you.

Oh, and its ok to cheat ;) I sometimes freeze cottage pie filling in its oven dish, defrost and put (or get the kids to) put frozen mash on the top... you dont even have to make/cook it first, just lay those handy little pellets down & bung in the oven.

We freeze curry sauce, bolognese, chilli, etc and cook pasta, rice, etc when reheating it. Lasagne portions can be frozen too

I freeze pasta, mash and rice

They all reheat fine, brilliant when you need something really quick

You can freeze pasta but it reheats soggy and breaks up really easy, but I've never had a problem with lasagne. I normally freeze Bol sauce in a Tupperware container, I find the click and lock containers great, (cook pasta whilst reheating) lasagne, I'll cook it whole and then portion it up into square containers and steak pie filling freeze in containers and transfer to pie dishes and normally top with shop bought pastry (which can be portioned up and individually frozen in freezer bags.

Also I love Mary Berry's banana bread so I make double and freeze one.

As for defrosting, someone gave me some plastic trays for cooking bacon in the microwave so I use those and all the water drips between the grooves.

www.amazon.co.uk/KitchenCraft-Microwave-Bacon-Crisper-Plastic/dp/B000ZU4CRW/ref=pd_lpo_201_img_2/258-8873761-2664529?psc=1&pf_rd_p=7b8e3b03-1439-4489-abd4-4a138cf4eca6&_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_wg=VqD3a&pf_rd_r=J18QKHM7X4DWEGZSWJVS&pd_rd_i=B000ZU4CRW&pd_rd_w=lkWvo&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&refRID=J18QKHM7X4DWEGZSWJVS&pd_rd_r=dcd44852-c9a6-4d38-bdb1-e5ff48011ecb

Brill thanks all 🙏😄

It's quite useful to look at things you can buy ready-frozen, to give you an idea of what you definitely can do. And if you're not sure, you could just freeze a mini-portion for the first time with each meal, to see how it fares. Bit tedious in the beginning, but once you know, you know every time.

Also, keep 2 portions in the fridge, and when you use one, pull one out of the freezer to replace it. That way you've always got a defrosted one, a defrosting one, and some in the freezer. This works as long as you take something out of the fridge every 2 or 3 days. Nothing gets chance to go off.