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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Freezing sandwiches

69 replies

MermaidTears · 15/08/2016 14:53

Very boring post, but DD is about to go into year 4 and school dinners are no longer free at her school.
Just in time for arrival of dd3.
I can't afford school dinners and to be honest dd1 is pleased at the idea of packed lunch everyday!
Does anybody actually freeze sandwiches?
It would massively save me time, but I keep thinking they will be awful and dry once it's defrosted?
Inspiration from eat well for less TV show

OP posts:

OreosAreTasty · 15/08/2016 14:55

They'll be fine if you defrost them in bags imo (to keep some of the moisture in) but I generally only defrost bread alone. Could you toast them? They'd probably be fine then, but I'm not sure your DD would enjoy cold toasties!

Amelie10 · 15/08/2016 14:55

I think they would be soggy rather than dry when defrosted, and not all fillings would taste nice after defrosted. I make them the night before and it's fine, would that be an option?

YelloDraw · 15/08/2016 14:56

Plain ham and plain cheese freeze and defrost fine.
Put cucumber, salad or tomato in a separate bag fresh every day as they do not freeze well.

Sparklesilverglitter · 15/08/2016 14:57

Why would you freeze sandwiches? It takes 5 minutes if that to make a fresh sandwich. They can be made the night before rather than in the morning

I wouldn't personally freeze sandwiches.

Eatthecake · 15/08/2016 14:58

I wouldn't freeze them either tbh. Why just why?

I can't see how it would save you time . It takes minutes to make sandwiches the night before or in the morning

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 15/08/2016 14:59

Ewwwwww I can't think of anything worse tbh. We make the night before and keep in the fridge. Takes less than 5 mins from start to finish and ds was often making them himself from year 4.

CremeBrulee · 15/08/2016 15:01

I know people on MN do this, but it sounds utterly grim. If you can't find 3 mins to make a fresh sandwich, think of other things that you can make the night before and leave ready in the fridge like pasta salad.

Disclaimer - soggy bread makes me gag, so I may be overly sensitive to this!

butterfliesandzebras · 15/08/2016 15:02

Some fillings won't make it (salad!), but I've successfully made sandwiches (things like ham or cheese), frozen them in individual bags, and then pulled them out the freezer (keep sealed in the bag), take it with you and by lunchtime it's defrosted. No sogginess or dryness issues (and I find bread defrosted on its own more likely to dry out).

redshoeblueshoe · 15/08/2016 15:04

When I was at school I wanted packed lunches, I was only allowed on condition I made them myself. Every Sunday evening I made enough for the week and froze them. They were fine, not dry, not soggy.

butterfliesandzebras · 15/08/2016 15:05

Oh, and previously frozen ones taste much fresher than ones kept in the fridge all night!

redshoeblueshoe · 15/08/2016 15:05

x post

Amythest001 · 15/08/2016 15:06

When we were little and at school we had to make our weeks sandwiches on a Sunday and freeze them...some days you were lucky if the whole thing had defrosted and had to nibble around the frozen middle, if they had completely defrosted they were often soggy!
Needless to say I usually threw them in the bin!!

Amythest001 · 15/08/2016 15:06

Haha redshoeblueshoe we obviously had different fillings!

Original poster

MermaidTears · 15/08/2016 15:09

I was thinking of doing it because Sunday is my batch cooking day. So I could make the weeks worth of sandwiches for dd1 and toddler dd3. I'm about to have a breastfeeding newborn. 3 kids. A house to run, pets to sort out, dogs to walk etc. I'm trying anything to help me out here. Few weeks left I may just do a few practice's, just wondered if anyone else had and which particular fillings worked best. No harm in asking.

OP posts:

OhFuds · 15/08/2016 15:09

I used to do this when my DC's had a packed lunch. On a Sunday I would make up a batch of sandwiches to last the week, DC's never complained. I also had a space in the fridge with packed lunch snacks and juice so in the morning I could make up the boxes quickly. I started doing that as I was finding come the end of the week I was giving the DC's whatever was left which was usually a lot of rubbish.

jazzandh · 15/08/2016 15:14

I freeze sandwiches or rolls with cheese or ham or a mackeral pate for DH. He prefers them as he says they are nice and cool when it gets to lunchtime and help keep the rest of his lunch from getting hot. Put and salad in a separate bag from the fridge.

I agree it's much easier to batch them up once a week.

SnotGoblin · 15/08/2016 15:17

I hated frozen sandwiches when I was a kid. I've seen other's say their kids are fine with them. I think maybe try it and see how your kids go and how the sandwiches react .

MrsJorahMormont · 15/08/2016 15:19

Rolls freeze better than sandwiches. Cheese and pickle, ham and cheese, chicken and coleslaw all freeze and defrost fine.

Has anyone ever frozen egg and onion rolls / sarnies? I was wondering how they would turn out.

snowgirl1 · 15/08/2016 15:22

My mum used to do this. Works well with plain cheese sandwiches, plain ham sandwiches, peanut butter sandwiches, date sandwiches (I was a fussy child, but like date sandwiches). It doesn't work at all with stuff like tomato. Frozen sandwiches weren't dry and weren't soggy (as long as they didn't have tomato in them).

I get why people would batch make their sandwiches. Although making a sandwich doesn't take long, when you take into account getting everything out of the fridge, making the sandwich, wiping the surfaces down after, washing up/putting stuff in the dishwasher, it adds up.

LunaLoveg00d · 15/08/2016 15:23

I wouldn't. It doesn't take 2 minutes to make a couple of sandwiches. At year 4, your daughter is old enough to start gathering together the fruit, crisps, cereal bar and whatever else you're giving her while you make the sandwiches. Or get her to make her own packed lunch.

GlindatheFairy · 15/08/2016 15:27

For me defrosting the sandwiches would be something else to remember to do and they'd end up with frozen ones. I'd just allow an extra few minutes in the morning. Couldn't your DH do it, or at least some mornings?

My DD1 could be sometimes persuaded to make her own lunch from that age too, or least make her own breakfast.

Fluffycloudland77 · 15/08/2016 15:28

I used to for my lunches. Cheese and sliced meats freeze well with pickles, stuffing, mustard.

acasualobserver · 15/08/2016 15:28

Rolls freeze better than sandwiches

Yes, definitely. Also agree with the many pps who've said cheese/ham & pickle etc all freeze well. I bet most people couldn't tell actually. Anyway, I've done it for years and it works.

roseteapot101 · 15/08/2016 15:30

why not get soup thermos.Make a little extra at dinner heat up in morning in microwave and place in thermos .That would take little to no effort then again so does a basic ham or cheese sandwich but what ever takes your fancy

you can put any meal in a soup thermos you get them from amazon

acasualobserver · 15/08/2016 15:30

For me defrosting the sandwiches would be something else to remember

Take them out at breakfast and they defrost themselves by lunchtime.

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