I have a question for those of you who either don’t like leftovers or have husbands who don’t like leftovers. This is not a “gotcha” question. I truly want to know the answers to these questions. After you read this post, would you please answer:
- Would you or your spouse (whomever is the non-leftover person) eat these potatoes if they had not been cooked and were in the freezer, taken out, defrosted and cooked as if they were freshly made?
- Would it make a difference if they didn’t know you hadn’t just stirred them up and baked them?
- Is this a “no way” situation or is there anything you could do to disguise them so as not to appear to be leftovers?
It may just be that it’s not worth the effort to try to make it work but I can’t imagine having to start from scratch every single meal.
Storage:
One of the most important aspects of successfully storing food is storage. Most often, I use 3 cup Pyrex glass containers.
They can be found at Walmart, Target, Amazon – most any place. For me, it’s important to have several dishes that are all the same size. It can be any size that works for your family. For us, the 3 cup size is about perfect for giving us two meals.
Depending on how long the food is going to be in the freezer, I will either:
- Simply place foil over the top and stick it in the freezer – storage up to a couple of weeks.
- Place foil over the top and stick the whole thing in a zipper freezer bag. These bags don’t get soiled and I use them over and over. This works for storage up to a month.
- Place foil or plastic wrap over the container. Freeze it at least 24 hours. Remove from freezer, dip the bottom of the container in room temp water for a few minutes until the contents are released from the container. Place the contents, still in the shape of the dish in a vacuum seal blag, vacuum and seal it. By doing this, when it’s time to bake it, I can remove it from the bag, place the whole chunk back in this same size baking dish and bake it. Food that is vacuum sealed should be good at least six months.
The vacuum sealing route also frees up the Pyrex dishes if you’re needing more of them.
Of course, you can dump 3 cup measures (or however much you want for your meal) in a freezer plastic bag and freeze it like that. The main concerns I have with freezing food are (1) the food will still taste good (and not like it’s been in the freezer too long); (2) that it’s labeled and easy to find when needed; (3) that I know what’s in the freezer and I use it in a timely manner.
The photo above shows a couple of storage options. The container in the back will be baked today. The front left container will be baked one day next week. The container on the right will be baked in two or three weeks.
Cooking Day:
If the food is frozen and not in the baking dish, the day before it will be cooked, place it in the appropriate baking dish, cover and stick it in the fridge. I always place these on a dish towel because there’s going to be condensation that may make a mess in the fridge. If the food is frozen in the baking dish, remove it from the freezer and place it in the fridge overnight. The next day, it should be ready to bake just as if it were freshly made.
Convenience:
In my opinion, storing food that’s basically already “put together” and frozen, and all I have to do is take it out and cook it, is such a time saver, as well as a money saver. I understand that not everyone has the freezer space to do this and not everyone wants to cook.
I’m hoping, now that we have the freezer space, that all the frozen, ready to bake type foods can be placed on one shelf in one freezer and I know where they are without having to dig!
Linda Enneking says
My husband would eat these as he eats whatever I serve. I wouldn’t try freezing potatoes because all I have ever read about freezing vegetables says it’s not a good idea.
Sibyl says
Linda one thing about this recipe–she starts out with frozen hash browns and then makes the casserole from th at–so with that being said I have made things like this using the frozen hash browns and they are fine. But if I were using “fresh” potatoes–no they do come out funky.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
This recipe starts with frozen potatoes and they’re delicious!
Not sure what you’ve read or the experience of others but I freeze and can potatoes and while I wouldn’t freeze a whole baked potato, I freeze them in soups and casseroles all the time and they’re fine.
I just checked the internet and everything I see says it’s ok to freeze potatoes that have been cooked or partially cooked.
Angie S. says
I like to freeze meals as well, but my husband will not eat fresh/cooked potatoes that have been frozen at home, i.e. twice baked potatoes, potato casseroles, potato soups, etc. He says the potato changes to a grainy texture that he doesn’t like. If I make anything with hashbrowns from the store and put it right back in the freezer, it’s fine. I think it’s all up to each person and their preference!
Teri says
Yes, my husband will eat anything! We are definitely a leftover family!
judy.blog@gmail.com says
We’re lucky! I can’t imagine not being able to have leftovers.
dwm1956 says
I eat leftover all the time that come out of my freezer. I mostly use the vaccum seal method and it taste as fresh as the day I cooked it.
Sibyl says
Judy another thing that I use is something called Souper Cubes. I put different types of foods in there, once frozen I can pop them out and then vacuum seal them. I do label them so I know what I have. Some of the things I love to put in there is individual servings of chicken & dressing, all kinds of casseroles prior to baking. Sausage and gravy for breakfast. They come in different sizes from 1/2 cup, 1 cup, and 2 cup sizes. I know I sound like a commercial for them. I’ve been using them for quite a few years now. They are a bit pricey, but to me worth it. https://www.soupercubes.com/
Teri says
There are all kinds of frozen potatoes in the freezer section. 🙂
Sheryl says
…I like the way you think. The key to frozen foods not tasting old is to remove all the air in the package. I frequently freeze stuff in zip lock bags. After it’s frozen open part of the seal and put it all in a Food Saver bag for sealing. The outer bag stays clean for easy re-use. I don’t have a dish to wash and the food stays good for a good long while.
Faye says
I have vacuum sealer – it works great, I package and freeze the leftovers in individual pouches. Now that we are empty nesters they come in handy for a quick dinner. I also make lasagna in 8 x 8 Pyrex dishes and freeze those, I take it out of the freezer the day before and it defrosts in the refrigerator then I heat it in the oven.
Nelle Coursey says
I don’t mind leftovers, but my husband is against them. So, I try not to fix more than we can eat at one meal. Unless it is a roast and I use it to make stew. If they were the frozen potatoes, I see no reason you can’t freeze them and reheat them when needed. And anyone visiting would never know they had been frozen if you did not tell them.
Cilla says
As a non left over person AT ALL (shiver) I would eat these. Yes, even me, the Queen of leftover aborhation!!!!!
That’s a word….right?
Linda Garcia says
I have several different sizes of the Pyrex pans that I use to freeze items for future meals. I have 3 cup, 6 cup, and 2.75 Qt. They are all rectangle shape and have the pop on lids that make them easy to use for freezing. I use masking tape and a sharpie to label all my frozen items and I date everything so I can easily see what has been in the freezer the longest. Love, Love, Love those days when I can just pop something out of the freezer and all I need to add is a salad or vegetable and dinner is done!
Cindy F says
We’re a leftover family and my adult son loves them so I almost never have to freeze anything. What I need to do is to start making freezer meals as that’s something I don’t currently do. Generally the only freezing I do is some things from the garden and cooking chicken and then freezing it in 2 cup increments as a lot of recipes I use call for that.
Barbara says
I can only eat the same thing as leftovers once or twice, so I make small portions. Most of the meals I make do not freeze well. I eat a lot of stir fry and salads. I do freeze soups and chili in the winter.
When I cook a chicken breast, I always cook extra and freeze it in strips, it’s easy to toss a few in a meal for protein.
I freeze chicken broth made from rotisserie chicken, but I haven’t had rotisserie chicken in four months — ever since the covid numbers started to climb.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
You’re right. Some things just do not freeze well. Sorry the covid numbers in your area are keeping you home. We do the same thing – watch the numbers and stay home when they get above a certain point. Here, the numbers are way down so I finally got a hair cut (which I hadn’t had since the first of November) and I went in Walmart with Vince a couple of days ago. Feels weird to be going inside places.