Help me batch cook and freeze please! Ideas thread.

[fuzzpig]

It's for the sake of my health as well as my wallet!

I am RIDICULOUSLY disorganised and I am totally sick and ashamed of wasting food because I don't get round to using it, and of never having anything to cook easily when I'm ill, and therefore relying too much on junk food... or not finding the time or energy to make sandwiches before we rush off to wherever, which results in the same. Endless Happy Meals anyone?

So today we will be ordering a massive Tesco delivery so we can batch cook and stock the freezer. Planning to do this on the first shop after payday, spend the first week cooking in bulk and then just top up on fresh stuff for the rest of the month.

So I'm looking for ideas, please - maybe this could be a helpful thread to others planning the same too.

Annoyingly our oven doesn't work so can only grill/use the hob at the moment, so can't do lasagne/shepherds pie all in one (but freezing the separate elements works well as I can reheat in microwave, then assemble and grill). I also really need to learn to love my slow cooker. I've used it once and not successfully so it's languished in the cupboard! But it's massive (6.5l) so I could cook much bigger batches of stuff in there which would presumably make it more worthwhile.

Here's what I've batch cooked successfully in the past:

Tomato sauce - I make a lovely one with heaps of veg, then blend it.
Cheese sauce - separates and looks really gross during reheating, but it does come back together and works brilliantly.
Bolognese - I add lentils and grated veg to bulk it out.
Marinated chicken - for stir fries
Shepherds pie base
Leek and potato soup
Lentil stew
Burgers
Mash
Pesto

Here's what else I'm thinking of freezing:
Sandwiches
Potato wedges (especially sweet potato)
Muffin pizza
Lamb burgers stuffed with feta
Pancake batter (I do peanut butter/banana ones)
Chicken curry (I'm no good at making my own but really want to learn)
Chili con carne (as above)
Casseroles/stews

I'm hoping the above would work! If anyone has any advice or ideas, please share! :)

[decisionsdecisions123]

Haven't read all the messages so perhaps someone has written this but you can get tin foil disposable food trays like you get from an Indian/Chinese takeaway from the poundshop in a few different sizes. I recently discovered them and find them really good. Maybe not so helpful for a non working oven. I have found them particularly helpful for making a lasagna straight into one and then being able to just throw the packaging away once it has been reheated and eaten.

[AdoraBell]

Fuzz if the curry isn't spicy enough you could add some Chilli powder when you reheat it.

Afriad I can't add to these fab ideas, sorry.

[fuzzpig]

Thank you I'll definitely look into that! TBH our house is a bit of a state ATM (not structurally, just clutter) so not too keen on having LLs round right now

Another question - just read about mashing cauliflower in with mash, I'd love to try that, would it freeze ok do you think? (half cauli half spud)

[MiaWalker]

Our oven element broke last month and dh bought a new one for £20 quid and fitted it himself if that was an option to get your oven working again :)

[NeuNewNouveau]

Just realised you may have it fixed by now, didn't spot the post was a week old.

[NeuNewNouveau]

As an aside, a replacement oven element only costs £15-20 on the Internet and can usually be fitted within 30mins following a YouTube video. I have replaced ours twice.

I know you mentioned waiting for the landlord but if you're in a hurry see if he'll pay you back for doing it?

[fuzzpig]

Wow thanks for all the new replies!

Since the other day I've made more stuff:

Chicken curry - not too bad, but think I made it too liquidy and could've been braver with the spices!
Bolognese (more veg/lentil than beef - worked pretty well in the SC)
Pesto
Cheese sauce (although only managed to freeze enough for one meal - I never cook enough!)
Mini beef burgers
Quesadilla (for me - going to make plainer ones for DCs with tuna/cream cheese and cheddar)

I've not frozen sandwiches yet as we don't really need them ATM but before term starts again I definitely will.

Pretty much run out of room now as there's also some regular frozen veg in there. But still on the hunt for ideas so all posts much appreciated!

[frangipani13]

Spicy red lentil and veg soup- this would be great for your slow cooker. Chicken curry, potato cauliflower and pea curry, paneer (with either peas or spinach or peppers) curry, mung bean curry are all meals we tend to cook and freeze (well my darling mum makes for our freezer! ) if you Google those dishes you'll find some simple recipes. Good luck!

[soloula]

Just remembered this recipe that I use all the time - pizza dough that you can freeze then defrost and cook on the day you need it. Means you can make a large batch of dough at the one time so less time and ££.

www.annies-eats.com/2010/04/29/perfect-homemade-pizza-crust-tips-and-tricks/

[Orangeisthenewbanana]

^ Tikka masala obviously - tikka nasal sounds gross!

[Orangeisthenewbanana]

Sorry, bit late too here but we do this chicken tikka nasal from the Good Food website. It is delicious and freezes really well.

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/12798/chicken-tikka-masala

We also do double portions of spag bol and chilli con carne to freeze. Chilli is great in the slow cooker. I second the Schwartz slow cooker powder sachets, the sausage casserole and beef and ale stew ones are particularly good.

[soloula]

Cheese sandwiches freeze great Tolly. Most fillings freeze well. Only thing you need to watch is stuff that might have been frozen already.

[Tollygunge]

Sorry, late to the party here, but can you really freeze sandwiches? Cheese ones?

[soloula]

Marinated chicken is ideal for the freezer as the flavour really develops while its frozen. I do a few chicken thighs in a poly bag with the marinade and then defrost and either bung in the oven or fry them.

If you're wanting to use your slow cooker more there are some great recipe ideas on Pinterest if you search for slow cooker or crockpot. Lots of meal ideas to chop everything up and bag it for freezing then just tip the bag into the slow cooker in the morning and it'll be ready for dinner. Whole chickens are lovely in the slow cooker. You can crisp the skin up under the grill if you want. You can add your favourite herbs and spices and the flavour really goes into the whole chicken so it's great if you're using leftovers and the carcass for other meals and stocks (which freeze great too).

[Tartanthrifty]

[wipes drool off chin]

[fuzzpig]

Annoyingly Tartan I can't actually remember the ratios of ingredients or anything I just experiment really. Anyway, I can't do it for a couple of days - I deliberately ordered some 'Eat Me' bananas that are supposed to be ready straight away... they are just as green as the others

Anyway yesterday I did leek and potato soup in the SC (learning that I put a bit too much potato compared to leek, and didn't cut the potatoes small enough - I've made a note of it), chili con carne in the SC, tomato veg sauce, minty lamb burgers stuffed with feta, lamb/mint/feta meatballs, and chicken marinated in honey/soy/garlic/ginger/lime. Freezer looking nicely full already, but got plans for a few more things over the next couple of days. Except that I didn't order anywhere near enough onions so will have to rectify that!

[BertrandRussell]

"If you save empty squeezable sauce bottles you can freeze the pancake batter in them and just shake and pour then."

This has just completely blown my mind!!!!!!

[Tartanthrifty]

Those pancakes sound fantastic - off to try that today!

[fuzzpig]

And thanks everyone for all the lovely ideas! I've got my cooking underway and going to carry on after a rest :)

[fuzzpig]

The peanut butter is mixed into the batter. I need to practise making it before I freeze but I think what I did last time was egg, mashed banana, 100% peanut butter, a little flour and some baking powder all mixed together. I do sometimes add oats to pancake batter as well.

[Tartanthrifty]

Doreen that pizza idea is genius. Fuzz is the peanut butter in the cooked pancakes or mixed into the batter?

We use a packet of curry powder (Schwarz korma is good) mixed into yoghurt and oil, dollop it into freezer bags with sliced chicken breasts, give it all a wee squish (highly technical expert term) and then freeze in the bags. Defrost, fry the chicken in a pot with frozen chopped onions, top up with water and a chicken stock cube, add a can of coconut milk, a tin of chickpeas and some frozen spinach and let it bubble gently for ten minutes. Quarter of an hour to prepare several bags, then you can have a curry faster than you can order take-away.

[meglet]

fluffy yes, dauphanoise potatoes are ok to freeze.

[DoreenLethal]

You can make pizza dough as usual, and cook it on the hob on a large frying pan, like flatbreads - freeze and when you need a pizza, take them out, add the toppings and grill.

[fuzzpig]

It's the oven heating element that's gone. The grill and hobs are fine so we are just putting up with it for now (while we get the house tidy enough to have landlords round - it's got a bit out of control since my health deteriorated)

Could I make and freeze quesadillas I wonder? Bit of tuna mixed with cream cheese, mozzarella and some veg... I think I read avocado freezes surprisingly well if you don't expect to keep it in large slices.