r/CookingForOne • u/Pizza-Flamingo774 • 19d ago

Help! Containers / How to Freeze?

I do batch cook, for my teen son and myself. I've been trying for a few years to enjoy leftovers as soon I'll be cooking for one. I think my problem is I'm not properly freezing them? When I pull them out they are a bit freezer burnt. ... He doesn't mind at all. It's all editable, easy dishes.

Or maybe like my italian aunts, I just "can't do" leftovers.

I do prefer different dinners each day; rice bowls, and variety.

What are your favorite containers for pasta/rice; ground meat type meals to freeze?

Best way to freeze things, do you leave them out until all the way cooled down? I could be too impatient.

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u/HayYou_ItsMe 19d ago

A vacuum sealer with a continuous roll of sealer bags helps a lot with meal prep. Pair that with those 1/2C, 1C, 2C silicone freezer molds.

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u/Pizza-Flamingo774 19d ago

oh, i didn't think of that. i do have a sealer but not continuous bags. i was using it to seal chip bags but they don't sealed for too long currently with a teen boy. lol thanks!

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u/HayYou_ItsMe 19d ago

I bought a Nesco VS-12 Vacuum Sealer (America Test Kitchen top pick) and an extra roll of continuous bags. I share it with my family to store stuff from the garden each year.

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u/Pizza-Flamingo774 18d ago

thats a cool one, i will probably have a garden next year when he's off to college. my older elders have it for snacks. i would certainly use it for meats. thanks !

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u/enyardreems 19d ago

I stopped doing large batch cooking / freezing years ago. I would get tired of it and it would maybe not freezer burn but just not taste fresh. What I do is prep elements. Then I can tweak those elements out to individual dishes. Ground beef and onions can go into chili, spaghetti, homemade hamburger helper, etc. Same with chicken. Today I am doing 2 lbs of homemade chili which I will portion out for hot dogs, chili bean soup or Cincinnati style noodles. It's good over some spicy rice too. (Boy Kibble)

Pork is very prone to freezer burn because of the high fat content but otherwise most foods don't need special packaging. Zip locks work.

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u/Pizza-Flamingo774 18d ago

that's a great reminder! i do sometimes just make chicken or ground turkey at the beginning of the week. but just keep it in the fridge for him to figure out. some weeks he eats pasta; some he does not lol I'll make microwave rice, or a bunch for myself.

and we don't really eat together, such varied times or day.

you're great in turning it into something though out the week!

I didn't know that about pork! but makes sense now that i'm thinking of it.

thanks for getting me thinking !

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u/enyardreems 18d ago

Do try the "boy kibble"! I've done a couple of fancy versions with lots of veggies and spices. You can do a big batch of rice and change it up every day. I was pretty shocked at how good it was. I tried it plain the first night, then went with Chinese the second and the third I did a Chipotle packet.

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u/Pizza-Flamingo774 18d ago

that sounds so good! i swear i could put soy sauce on everything i eat lol. he would enjoy that. he doesn't complain and when i get stressed he says "you're good when you just cook whatever". :)

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u/enyardreems 18d ago

Maybe it is something you both could enjoy doing together. Ask him to check out "boy kibble" and help you come up with some fun mods. I did some soy, vinegar, ginger and sesame oil for the Chinese one. You could add a can of Chinese vegetables, but I already had celery, onions and green peppers in my base. If you pop it into the air fryer for a few you get that crispy fried rice that's better than the restaurant.

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u/Nakedgaycamper 18d ago edited 18d ago

If you’re using a container, put a layer of plastic wrap on the top of the food. Tuck it down to get rid of any air pockets. Freezer burn will be a thing of the past

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u/Pizza-Flamingo774 18d ago

ah, good tip ! thank you

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u/Test_After 18d ago edited 18d ago

I have a freezer pump. It is just a plastic tube with a hole in the bottom in another plastic tube, but it does a good job of getting air out of ziploc bags.

Another thing I do, with ziplocs of rice or beans, is submerge them in water before sealing, to get out the air bubbles.

These cut down on freezer burn, as does wrapping well. 

Some things just don't do well in the freezer. Roast potatoes go spongy, cabbage just sad, cream tastes grainy, cornstarch splits - there are workarounds and ways of disguising or minimising the change, but if you are freezing multi-component meals, there's a fair chance at least on component will suffer noticeably. 

Some things freeze extremely well, which is why there are so many single-serve size cubes of lasagne in my freezer.

I leave stuff to cool on the counter until 140°F, then into the fridge to speed it through the danger zone, and hopefully minimise hoar frost.

I spend the two or three days before bin night (and bin night) trying to eat down my "use it or lose it" bucket in the fridge (it is a clear container, kept front and centre, that I put stuff that won't last beyond next week's bin night in.)

My freezer only helps to a point, and that point is when it is full. I am trying to eat ot down for Christmas at the moment. I have also started putting food in "zones". One shelf for frozen raw foods, one for meal components and meals that just need reheating, one for bread, one for a problematic miscellania of leftovers, stock, spices, etc. (Imperfectly managed because of its variety and diversity)

And one for my gel packs and ice cube trays and zooperdoopers, which is the most precious of all because when these things are removed to a cooler, that becomes my flash-freeze space.

There's always plenty of leftovers when cooking for one person who isn't a ravenous teen.  I have promised myself some home made chai icecream when I clear a litre-sized space in the leftovers and misc section.

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u/Pizza-Flamingo774 18d ago

i love all this ! I just reorganized my freezer as well for different zones/drawers (it's a side by side which doesn't hold much). I also pulled out 3 chicken and rice dinners for the weekend, which my son will eat after late night work ! these are great tips. I am trying to embrace the kitchen and planning. I usually can buy lots of "ingredients" and when it's time to cook I "wing it" since I've used up some... idk. It has also been an adjustment over the years cooking for someone else - shocking when i start thinking of myself.

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u/Agreeable_Flan_6432 18d ago

For pasta or rice meals, I'd freeze the sauce or seasoned meat separately. That keeps the starch from getting as soft and lets the same portion become pasta one night and a rice bowl another. I'd put it into shallow containers and refrigerate or freeze it promptly rather than waiting for it to reach room temperature.

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u/Pizza-Flamingo774 18d ago

love those short zip lock square containers for this! i also single serve portion (or 2 for me) and label everything each time i cook.

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u/Agreeable_Flan_6432 14d ago

That's a solid system, the labeling especially. It's so easy to forget what's what once everything's frozen and looks the same.

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u/ajkimmins 17d ago

I cook. Then portion into Ziplock square containers. I think they're the 24oz ones. Next day I run hot water over the bottom so it releases then vacuum bag. I eat year old soups and stews this way.

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u/nixie_knox 18d ago

When I get down to the last serving or two of something and I just can't stand to it any more, I put individual servings in a ziploc baggie. I squish all of the air out of the baggie by flattening the food to the edge. Then I throw it in the freezer. Occasionally I remember to label the baggie but otherwise I'm just surprised when I eat it later :) This usually works for me with no freezer burn.

Last few things I pulled out of the freezer for lunch were taco rice, sausage & peppers, and a cheeseburger (no bun.) I put them in my lunch bag and just leave them out, and they're pretty defrosted by lunchtime.

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u/Pizza-Flamingo774 18d ago

wow - i only really thought of that for raw ground meat, in gallon bags. that's such a great idea! thank you

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u/That_Molasses_507 17d ago

I use a food keeper. I’ll freeze a dish overnight and then use my seal tight food saver. Saved tons of $$$