The freezer is not just for ice cream and ice cubes. There are reasons to also consider it as an extension of the pantry since we can take full advantage of its space to prepare recipes and fill it with our favorite foods that we can use whenever we need them.
Freezing not only helps us reduce food waste – in Spain, households wasted more than 1.2 billion pieces of food in 2022 – because it allows us to preserve sliced vegetables or leftover chicken for later. It can also be a shortcut to cooking dishes like rice or stews, especially if we cut washed and chopped fruits and vegetables and have the most popular recipes or culinary bases on hand.
But what are these culinary preparations that we should always have in the freezer and do they resist freezing better?
Can I freeze any preparation?
Almost any food can be frozen. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says you can freeze almost everything except shelled eggs and canned goods. However, some foods like mayonnaise, cream sauce, and vegetables may not hold up well to thawing because, while they are safe, the texture can change.
This is also the case for raw vegetables such as lettuce or tomatoes, mushrooms or fruits that we eat as they are, but not those we use to make smoothies or fruit purees. Foods with a high fat content, such as cream, are also not good friends with freezing because they tend to curdle, as do dairy products or foods with a high starch content.
Therefore, we must keep in mind the following: many cooked foods can be frozen as long as they do not contain ingredients that “drink” water, such as potatoes, pasta or rice – unless they are part of a more complex type of meal such as stuffed vegetables or meatballs -. If we do, once defrosted, their consistency will not be very pleasant because the water they have absorbed during cooking will freeze and, once defrosted, will give them that unappetizing texture.
Basic Freezing Recipes
We have already seen which recipes are better not to freeze. Now we will see which recipes and basic preparations we can keep in the freezer without any problem and that, once defrosted, they will be perfectly reheated and will taste the same as if we had just prepared them.
But not before remembering that freezing maintains quality, but does not improve it, which means using products and preparations in good condition: underripe fruits and vegetables, for example, lack flavor, and those that are overripe or soft will remain soft after freezing.
Basic Stir Fry
It could be the king of the “freezer bottom”. A basic sofrito allows us to use it to quickly prepare a delicious dish, whatever it may be. We can take advantage of it when we prepare sauce for a dish and prepare an extra, in good quantity, to freeze and store in small containers. It will be enough to defrost it a little at room temperature and use it with the dish we want.
A basic sauce – finely chopped onion, grated or chopped tomato, red or green pepper, finely chopped garlic and other ingredients to taste – can be made with a little olive oil and then frozen and stored for future dishes. They are perfect to freeze and always have on hand.
You can also freeze a Bolognese stir-fry, that is, with minced meat. This preparation is very versatile and we can use it in countless dishes: pasta, stuffed eggplant, zucchini, lasagna, among others.
Ketchup
Like sofrito, tomato sauce is another basic recipe that we can use in countless recipes and that we can freeze in small containers, calculating more or less the amount we will need in each of them to only remove what is necessary.
Chicken and poultry, vegetables or fish
If we cook them in sauce, this liquid element will act as a protective layer and prevent the cold air from drying out the rest of the food. But we can also make things simpler. In the case of chicken, we can use breasts, season them with salt and pepper and bake them in the oven without overcooking them, but without them being pink inside either.
Stews, stews or broths
Liquid or soft preparations – broths and stews of all kinds – keep well in the freezer because, once defrosted, they are able to preserve their initial flavor and texture to a large extent. We can prepare meat or lentil stews and freeze them without any problem.
Broth, whether meat, chicken or vegetable, is another essential “freezing broth.” Most of the time, when we make broth, we usually make more than we eat, so it’s a great idea to store it in containers according to our needs. You can also take advantage of a day to prepare different types of broth and freeze them, preferably in glass jars. You just have to make sure it’s very cold before putting it in.
Generally speaking, you could say that the foods best suited to freezing are those that contain enough sauce or liquid to create a protective layer around the food and prevent it from drying out. Meat in tomato sauce, for example, is better suited to freezing than a stew.
Fresh fruit in pieces (or whole if small) and aromatic herbs
If we want to have fruit ready at any time, we can freeze fresh fruit, cut it into slices on a large plate covered with paper and freeze it until it is solid. Then we can put it in bags and label it. This is a very good way to quickly freeze anything in individual pieces.
A method that can also be used for vegetables: first boil them in uniform-sized pieces, cool them in cold water, drain them and freeze them.
Fresh herbs are another essential part of any freezer, and are always good to have on hand to prepare a delicious recipe. Basil, chives, mint or parsley can be frozen to preserve their aroma and flavor, but not before removing the stem and wrapping them in small packages or well-labeled plastic bags.
Homemade pizza dough
We can prepare it and freeze it in portions, wrapped in paper. movie or packaged in a container, so that when we want to make homemade pizza, we can get the exact portions.
Be careful not to overseason
When seasoning a dish, it should be taken into account that some condiments become stronger or bitter when frozen; while others weaken. For this reason, it is best to add the seasoning just before serving.
Tips for freezing these ingredients
When freezing food, it is essential to cool the prepared dishes before putting them in the freezer, but within two hours of cooking them. The same goes for the type of container we choose. What we must keep in mind is that the container we use is as airtight as possible: exposure to air causes the food to lose quality.
Labeling food is also another essential point. The easiest way to do this is to write on the container or bag the name of the dish and its contents, the number of portions and the date of freezing, which will allow you to know exactly how long it has been in the freezer.
