* Exported from MasterCook * Freezing Combination Main Dishes (USDA) Recipe By : USDA Bulletin #40, 1973, (0100-02712) Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- ***** NONE ***** by Meredith Robinson and Lois Fulton, Consumer and Food Economics Institute, Agricultural Research Service INTRODUCTION Vacant space in your freezer? Put some of it to use by freezing main dishes -- prepared, ready to heat, or cooked and ready to serve. Frozen combination main dishes can add variety to your menu, offer quick meals for unexpected company, and provide appetizing, mutritious foods on busy days. It is more economical to make your own frozen prepared foods than to purchase commercially prepared foods. You can cook enough for several meals when you have the time and then serve the family favorites even on busy days. When you are preparing a main dish, it takes little more effort and time to make enough for several meals. you can freeze all of the prepared food in meal-size packages or serve part of the food immediately and freeze the rest. This bulletin contains recipes for combination main dishes suitable for freezing as well as tips for preparing your own recipes for freezing. The recipes in this bulletin are for 24 servings. Directions are given for dividing the prepared food into four parts of six servings each. One part may be completely cooked and served at the time of preparation. The remaining parts may be frozen. Directions for freezing are given below. Directions for thawing or reheating the frozen food for serving are given with each recipe. The following recipes are included [in separate Master Cook files]: American Lasagna Baked Beans Baked Frankfurters and Rice Barbecued Lima Beans Beans and Sausage Beef Loaf Beef Pie Cheese Rarebit Chicken a la King Chicken-Corn Casserole Curried Ham and Turkey Ham-Bean Scallop Ham Turnovers Jellied Cottage Cheese-Fruit Salad Jellied Turkey-Vegetable Salad Lamb Patties Liver Loaf Meatballs Meat Sauce Mushroom Sauce Pork Savory Turkey-Macaroni Casserole Veal Loaf Vegetable Sauce FOOD QUALITY Use only fresh, high-quality food ingredients because freezing does not improve the quality of food. Select fruits and vegetables at their peak of eating quality. Underripe fruits and vegetables lack flavor and overripe ones are flat and tough or soft and mushy after freezing. Meat and poultry that is tender before freezing will stay tender after freezing if it is properly prepared, packaged, frozen, and stored. CLEANLINESS Observe strict cleanliness in preparing food for the home freezer. Keep all food to be frozen--and everything that touches it--clean. Freezer temperatures of 0°F or below do not kill the bacteria in food; they simply stop bacteria multiplication. After the frozen food is thawed, bacteria will grow and multiply. Therefore, the number of bacteria in foods must be held at a minimum before foods are frozen. USING YOUR OWN RECIPES You may use your own favorite recipes for freezing. Prepare the food in the usual way and cook it until alomost done. Frozen meats and vegetables easily become overcooked when reheated if they were completely cooked before freezing. Season lightly when you prepare the recipes, because pepper, cloves, and synthetic vanilla tend to become strong and bitter when used in frozen foods. You can always add more seasoning just before serving. Crumb and cheese toppings should be added to the frozen food just before reheating. Here is some information to help you select combination main dish recipes for freezing: * Cooked chicken or turkey in casseroles freezes well. * Almost any type of cooked meat, stew, ragout, or goulash -- beef, lamb, pork, or veal -- can be frozen. Most vegetables used in these combination foods, such as peas, carrots, celery, or onions, also freeze well. * Add a rich, flaky pastry topping to a good meat and vegetable stew, and you have a delicious meat pie. The unbaked pastry topping may be added before freezing, or it may be made fresh and placed on the pie when it is heated for serving. * You can freeze meat loaf. Make enough for several meals and freeze the extra loaves. Meat loaf has better quality if frozen baked rather than unbaked. * Cooked dry beans freeze especially well. Because freezing softens beans somewhat, cook them until barely tender for the best quality frozen product. Certain foods should not be frozen because their flavor or texture changes during the freezing process. For example: * Cooked egg white toughens. * Salad greens lose their crispness and become soggy. * Raw tomatoes change in flavor and color and become limp and watery. * Raw apples and grapes become soft and mushy. [But raw grapes eaten while still frozen are delightful! So are blueberries. Rosie] * Fried foods tend to have a warmed-over taste when reheated. Other foods may be successfully frozen if you follow some guidelines: * New potatoes are better than mature potatoes in most frozen dishes. Mature potatoes tend to disintegrate or become watery when boiled and then frozen. [But mashed potatoes freezes fine. Rosie] * Gelatin mixtures should be made stiffer than usual to lessen the chance of separating. * Thoroughly combine the flour and fat in sauces and gravies. These foods may appear curdled while thawing but will usually recombine when stirred. COOKING EQUIPMENT You probably have most of the equipment you will need -- such as measuring cups, measuring spoons, and spatulas. Preparing and freezing combination main dishes listed in this publication will be easier if you also have four 8x8-inch baking pans about 2 inches deep, a 10-quart or larger saucepot, baking sheet, and a 1-quart liquid measure. PACKAGING MATERIALS Be sure to wrap food carefully before freezing to prevent exposure to air and loss of moisture during freezing and storage. Exposure to air will cause changes in color and flavor and will permit delicate foods to absorb strong flavors and odors given off by other foods. Suitable packaging is particularly important in frost-free freezers that have a fan blowing air over the food, drawing moisture from the package. Coated or laminated freezer paper, polyethylene films, and heavy-weight aluminum foil are good materials for freezing. Rigid plastic containers may be used for food that is cool when poured into the containers. Ceramic, metal, or glass containers may be used for hot or cold foods. When freezing combination main dishes in baking pans, line the pans with a freezer wrap. Allow enough extra wrap to fold over the top. Use a nonmetallic wrap for acid foods such as tomatoes. COOLING AND PACKAGING FOOD When hot food is ready to be frozen, it must be cooled quickly to stop the cooking, to retard growth of bacteria, and to help retain the natural flavor, color, and texture of the food. To cool food quickly, put it into 8x8-inch pans lined with heat-resistant freezer wrap. (If 8x8-inch pans are not available, use any ovenproof pan.) Use one pan for each six servings. Pack food tightly to avoid air pockets. Then let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Boiling food should not be poured into pans with polyethylene films because the films might melt. Complete wrap as follows: * Pull paper up over top of food. Put edges of wrap together and fold several times so paper lies directly on top of food. * Fold ends of freezer wrap over the top and seal with freezer tape. * Label with name of food, date of freezing, and last date the food should be used for best eating quality. (See Storage) FREEZING The freezer temperature should be 0°F or below. Unfavorable changes in eating quality take place more rapidly in foods stored at temperatures above 0°F. Slow growth of microorganisms may occur at temperatures above 10°F, causing foods to lose color, flavor, characteristic texture, and nutritive value. Spread the pans or packages of food in freezer so food will freeze rapidly. Allow a 1-inch space around packages for air circulation. Follow freezer manufacturer's directions for placing food in the coldest section. You can freeze 2 or 3 pounds or one 8x8-inch pan of food per cubic foot of freezer space at one time. Leave the food for 10 to 12 hours until it is completely frozen. Then remove wrapped food from the pans. Check the wrappings to make sure they are airtight and secure before stacking. STORAGE Store the frozen food at 0°F or below. All combination main dishes in this bulletin may be stored in the freezer for as long as 6 months with little loss of quality, unless the recipe states otherwise. PREPARATION FOR SERVING Preheat oven as directed in the recipe before heating frozen main dishes. Remove wrappings from the package and place the food in an 8x8-inch baking pan (or the same-size ovenproof pan used for freezing the food). Put the pan in the oven and heat the food as directed in the recipe. Thaw salads in the refrigerator before serving. Thawing at room temperature is not recommended. Leftovers may be kept in the refrigerator for a day or two but should not be refrozen after thawing. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES: The 25 recipes listed in this file, are in separate MasterCook files. All are catagorized only as "Freezes Well" and "USDA". MasterCook electronic format by Rosie Winters.