Author Topic: What not to freeze? (Read 558 times)

Valiant · « **on:** May 05, 2012, 10:00:23 AM »

Got a freezer in the office now so in a bid to replace takeaways with home cooked food thats frozen in tupperware. What can't I freeze? If it helps most of the stuff I imagine bringing in is curry and bhaji based. Is dhaal ok to freeze? Mushroom, onion & pototatoto bhaji? Cooked fish?

How much longer do I need to microwave for frozen?

Never frozen stuffs before (big family = little left over).

delthebike · « **Reply #1 on:** May 05, 2012, 10:07:31 AM »

Quote from: Valiant on May 05, 2012, 10:00:23 AM

What can't I freeze?

Vodka jellies, unless your freezer is really quite cold indeed!

Biggsy · « **Reply #2 on:** May 05, 2012, 10:10:18 AM »

Things like cooked dhaal is fine to freeze. Crispy things can end up soggy, and foods with a high water content aren't good when ice crystals are a problem.

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #3 on:** May 05, 2012, 10:54:31 AM »

I regularly make a quantity of curry and dhal and freeze them in portions, although I thaw them in the fridge before reheating. Last night macbobb and I had blackeyed bean and spinach curry, panchmael dhal and sweet and sour butternut squash, all of which had been frozen, with pilau rice and yogurt. Macbobb said it was "fucking delicious."

Valiant · « **Reply #4 on:** May 05, 2012, 04:22:42 PM »

How long to thaw?

Feanor · « **Reply #5 on:** May 05, 2012, 04:41:36 PM »

Depends on how big a lump of ice you have.

I tend to use the microwave on a low power setting for perhaps 5/10 mins, inspect, nuke again as required. I may up the power if I though the low power setting was being too feeble.
You can then either bring it up to final eating temp by nuke, or transfer to conventional cooker for added faff.

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #6 on:** May 05, 2012, 04:44:29 PM »

Quote from: Valiant on May 05, 2012, 04:22:42 PM

How long to thaw?

I find overnight is fine. If you have stuff in the freezer and you want it for lunch the next day, put it in the fridge before you leave the day before.

Martin109 · « **Reply #7 on:** May 08, 2012, 09:56:13 PM »

Being organised enough to thaw frozen stuff slowly in the fridge is a great way of saving electricity over time, as the thawing food cools the fridge down!

Pickled Onion · « **Reply #8 on:** May 08, 2012, 10:16:30 PM »

Lettuce

hellymedic · « **Reply #9 on:** May 08, 2012, 11:12:54 PM »

Quote from: Pickled Onion on May 08, 2012, 10:16:30 PM

Lettuce

Almost any salad; cucumber etc
Mayonnaise, cream.
Most mushy cooked dishes freeze fine as do uncooked meat, fish & poultry.

Valiant · « **Reply #10 on:** May 08, 2012, 11:21:51 PM »

Thawing the day before? Trouble is I'll be in on the Monday and then won't come in til Wednesday or Thursday and then I might want lunch. Why can't I just nuke it for 10m rather than 1m?

hellymedic · « **Reply #11 on:** May 08, 2012, 11:37:51 PM »

Quote from: Valiant on May 08, 2012, 11:21:51 PM

Thawing the day before? Trouble is I'll be in on the Monday and then won't come in til Wednesday or Thursday and then I might want lunch. Why can't I just nuke it for 10m rather than 1m?

Things don't defrost evenly in a microwave.
Some parts may defrost fast, boil upand explode whiilst others remain frozen. Others may dry up into inedibilty whilst some burn...

mcshroom · « **Reply #12 on:** May 09, 2012, 12:22:19 AM »

You can just nuke it - but you have to keep taking the food out and stirring it to try and even the heating. Defrosting first works better with most things though.

Valiant · « **Reply #13 on:** May 09, 2012, 12:33:26 AM »

Heatgun for the uneven bits ftw lol

Julian · « **Reply #14 on:** May 09, 2012, 08:09:57 AM »

Reheat from frozen & keep stirring. Heat for 4 minutes, then stir, back in, stir every minute until done.

You might be unpopular with your colleagues as the queue for the microwave grows longer and longer and longer though...

Julian · « **Reply #15 on:** May 09, 2012, 08:11:04 AM »

Most microwaves also have a defrost setting, so you could whack it in to defrost in the morning, stick it in the fridge, then heat up for lunch.

Butterfly · « **Reply #16 on:** May 09, 2012, 09:10:15 AM »

Don't freeze boiled eggs. Or non-baked eggs at all. Cake and pancakes freeze really well though. Be careful about rice- cool it down fast and make sure it's hot right through when defrosted. Eat it immediately. Lentils frees really well as does soup and stew type things.

Generally use the defrost setting on the microwave and stir regularly.

rafletcher · « **Reply #17 on:** May 09, 2012, 10:37:36 AM »

Quote from: Valiant on May 08, 2012, 11:21:51 PM

Thawing the day before? Trouble is I'll be in on the Monday and then won't come in til Wednesday or Thursday and then I might want lunch. Why can't I just nuke it for 10m rather than 1m?

There will be a "thaw" setting on the microwave, or if not, use the lowest setting for 10-15 mins at a time. Best to get stuff out as soon as you get in, to assist the de-frosting. Warm radiators in winter, or sunny windowsills in summer, help too.

mcshroom · « **Reply #18 on:** May 09, 2012, 12:15:10 PM »

Or as was common in our old lab, stick it in the 100^oC drying oven for the morning then it will be cooked through nicely

Valiant · « **Reply #19 on:** May 09, 2012, 02:13:24 PM »

Quote from: Julian on May 09, 2012, 08:09:57 AM

Reheat from frozen & keep stirring. Heat for 4 minutes, then stir, back in, stir every minute until done.

You might be unpopular with your colleagues as the queue for the microwave grows longer and longer and longer though...

I'm the only one here so no queue ever!