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Cooking for the freezer.
madpenguin
Posts: 2,543
I have been cooking for the freezer today and have been using Schwartz or Colmans packet mixes to make casseroles,curries,chili etc.
Looking at the ingredient list and they seem to be basically herbs,spices and thickeners,nothing 'nasty' and nothing that I wouldn't use in anything else.The reason is mostly because they taste good and if I had to make entirely from scratch I would need a plethora of herbs and spices that would be used once in a blue moon.I use fresh meat,vegetables and tinned beans etc,sometimes 'stretching' the meat with more veg.
Most meals also served with fresh veg,rice or potatoes when used.
I can usually get 5 and sometimes 6 meals out of a recipe for 4,so we don't overeat or waste food.
I do make a lot of other meals that don't use packets.
So am I cheating or being sensible?
Thoughts please!!
Looking at the ingredient list and they seem to be basically herbs,spices and thickeners,nothing 'nasty' and nothing that I wouldn't use in anything else.The reason is mostly because they taste good and if I had to make entirely from scratch I would need a plethora of herbs and spices that would be used once in a blue moon.I use fresh meat,vegetables and tinned beans etc,sometimes 'stretching' the meat with more veg.
Most meals also served with fresh veg,rice or potatoes when used.
I can usually get 5 and sometimes 6 meals out of a recipe for 4,so we don't overeat or waste food.
I do make a lot of other meals that don't use packets.
So am I cheating or being sensible?
Thoughts please!!
“Every day is ordinary, until it isn't.” - Bernard Cornwell-Death of Kings
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Posts
If you like the taste, why not? @madpenguin. It frees up the time to do something even more virtuous than grinding your own spices and milking your cow 😇
I sometimes cheat with m&s sauces. The long life liquid ones in the pouches. The peppercorn, stroganoff and cheese sauces are particularly good. I know I could make them easily enough, but sometimes I can't be a***d.
My son has Aspergers and is very fussy with his food and I know he will eat these meals!
I also adjust ingredients for instance I replace mushrooms,which my son hates,with peppers or adding diced cooked potato.
I also use microwave rice as there is just enough for the 2 of us and we also have a choice,pilau,plain,egg fried etc.It suits us because doing such small amounts is a faff whereas my sister who has a large family and entertains buys her rice in 5kg bags!
Also now buy baked beans and tuna in small cans as I found we tended to waste what was left over in larger ones and I hate waste!
Chili con Carne x 5 portions
Thai Green Curry x 5 portions
Venezualan Coconut and Lime Curry x 3 portions
Morrocan Apricot and Coriander Tagine x 5 portions
Ran out of onions! so tomorrow I shall cook:-
Chicken in White Wine Sauce x 5 portions
Somerset Pork Casserole x 5 portions
Chicken Chasseur x 5 portions
Lemon Chicken x 5 portions
I bought 2 x 650g of chicken breasts from Morrisons and can get about 15 meals from that which works out at about 47p per portion so with the other ingredients I can generally do a meal for less than £1 per portion plus a few fresh veg.
It is possible to buy a useful sauce flour (which I use a lot of the time). The brand is Carr's - and it can be added to hot liquids without lumps forming, and it holds up after freezing.
I have spent the morning making a lot of different dishes for the freezer. Make one freeze one is the norm - and occasional batch cooking means I have a freezer full of ready meals, home-cooked and tasty, and frozen in portions that suit us rather than over-large portions, which is expensive and wasteful imo.
I shall look out for that flour tomorrow!
I do make a lot of other meals for the freezer from scratch,soups,cottage pie,fish pie etc.A roast chicken goes a looooooooong way from the actual roast right through sandwiches,stir fries to a soup from all the bones,I only ever throw away the bones,I cut up the skin etc and give to the birds.