To freeze or not to freeze?

[bramblina]

We have just began to wean our ds and of course want nothing but the best etc etc so plan to make everything fresh- I was always led to believe freezing food reduces the quality, however every book I read (incl. Annabel Karmel, local NHS booklet) never mentions this, and suggests preparing in bulk and freezing down. Does anyone know how mach quality is lost through freezing? Is it really not worth cooking every day when I can make it all in batches? TIA

Everything I've read on nutrition says that frozen veg are often more nutritious than 'fresh' because the time between harvesting and freezing is dramatically shorter than the time between harvesting and buying, IYSWIM. That would imply to me that freezing automatically captures all the vitamins etc and hangs on to them ready for the day you defrost. That's how I've always seen it - I'm surprised you think freezing reduces quality. Maybe you associate freezing with low-quality food like frozen turkeys and nasty stuff from Iceland?? I froze tons of stuff in ice cube trays for DD1 when I weaned her and will do the same for DD2 - it'd be a full-time job doing it all every day. HTH!

Don't think you get me- I totally agree with you, (picturing the bird's eye pea advert right now, LOL) what I mean is if I were to cook loads with fresh veg etc, then freeze it, then defrost it, say, couple of weeks later and give to ds, would that food be of a lower quality if I just cooked every day and fed him straight away?

Yes I realised you meant cooking and freezing (rather than feeding him Birdseye!) but think the same principle applies - if frozen peas don't deteriorate in quality between picking and eating, why should your food lose any quality between cooking and eating? Annabel Karmel has quite a useful list of how long you should keep stuff in the freezer for, I seem to remember.

Thanks. I think I need to relax a bit on the obsession of nothing but the best, I can already see how different baby no. 2 will be raised!

You are so right

you'll have a cupboard stacked with organic jars in no time

Don't swear at me! I bloody hope not, then I really won't be speaking to myself...

no problem freezing as far as I know