Anyone have any tips on freezing?
 

With summer around the corner and fresh fruits and veggies abounding, I am looking for freezing tips. I would like to do this without adding any sweetners or preservatives as much as possible. I also need to know how long things usually last in the freezer before it starts to taste like the freezer. Recently, strawberries were on sale and I washed, sliced, and froze 20lbs. in one pound bags. We are going through them like water! Hopefully I will be able to do this with all sorts of berries this summer. I have purchased frozen peaches at the store, but they have preservatives in them. Any tips? How about other fruit? Tips for veggies?

I have also recently shredded and froze cheese, and it turned out great! I get a ton of cheese thru the WIC program and really needed to do something with it. It is really convienient and not at all mushy like I thought it would be.

Oregon shrimp meat was also on sale, so I bought 5lbs. and froze it in 6oz. packages. Perfect size for a shrimp louis. I freeze all sorts of meats, I just need to remember to take it out in time to defrost for dinner! :daze: What about freezing precooked meats or lunch meats? How do they turn out?

Thanks in advance! :wave:

During strawberry season I gently wash the strawberries, cut off the green end and single layer them on a jelly roll sheet (cookie sheet with low sides). I put the cookie sheet in the freezer and then after the berries are frozen I gag them and put them back in the freezer. They can easily be removed from the bags and added to blender drinks.

I also cook a lot of ground beef when it is on sale, rinse it to get rid of extra fat, cool it and then wrap individual portions in foil, bag it and freeze. Makes wonderful taco salads or any other recipe that needs browned ground beef.

See if you can check out a copy of the cookbook called "The Joy of Cooking" from the library. It is an amazing reference encyclopedia for preserving foods, including freezing and canning. It also includes tables of how long things can be kept. Try to find the older, big, thick, hard copy version.

Thanks AngelaR! I am heading to the library this afternoon. :thup:

I bought one of those food bag sealers from HSN that sucks the air out of the bag. Then the bags can be frozen, boiled and microwaved. The bags are also washable and reusable. I found that cooked and frozen meat taste just as fresh as when I froze them. It also eliminates freezer burn.

Also check out the Food Network website, foodtv.com.

I'll be doing the same...freezing everything in sight. I throw out SO much food because it's in the fridge... strawberries and green beans are my favorites to keep in the freezer. And it's just about that time...
:wave:

I have some strawberries that I froze like mustlosenw said. They have been in there for 2 years and I was surprised to find they were are still good. I've been eating them with a little full fat yogurt and a sprinkle of Splenda. They taste better than the ones from the grocery.