Learn how to freeze anything! Having a well stocked freezer is the quickest way to cook from scratch in a moment, always be ready for a guest to walk through your door, and just be girl scout ready for everything!
This blog is all about how to cook from scratch with confidence. How am I able to cook from scratch confidently everyday? I am Geshickt in the kitchen. Geshickt is the Yiddush word for savvy. Let me teach you how to be a Geshickt Kitchen Goddess. Rule number one, always have a well stocked pantry and freezer.
Seems pretty simple. But I’m not talking about a freezer full of store bought ravioli…which definitely is delicious. I am talking about bags of frozen berries, vegetable stock, meatballs, cookies. Cookies? Oh ya, cookies, man.
Having a well stocked freezer is the quickest way to cook from scratch in a moment, eliminate waste, and always be ready for guests.
After all, waste not, want not.
Below is a simple guide to freezing just about anything. The list below is just a sample of the contents I keep in my own freezer at all times.
Meatballs:
This one has saved my so many times. During the week I sometimes get caught up with work, errands, you name it….but I want to make a really hearty dinner, fast. Some days I like to take a moment, or two, and prepare meatballs especially for the freezer. I freeze my meatballs par-cooked, so all you need to do it pop them into your favorite sauce, soup, or a frying pan and finish cooking them.
Here is how you do it! Preheat your broiler. Place raw meatballs on a broiler safe pan and cook the meatballs under the broiler for 1-2 minutes until the meatballs are nicely browned. Remove the meatballs from the oven and carefully flip them over and return them to cook under the broiler for another minute (tops) until browned. KEEP AN EYE ON THEM! THEY COOK FAST!! Remove the meatballs from the oven and allow them to cool completely. At this point, add them to a freezer safe bag or container and store until needed. Use this method to quickly cook Tuscan Kale & White Bean Soup with Chicken Meatballs. My family loves this soup because it’s nourishing and filling and a complete meal in a bowl.
Tomato Paste:
Tubes of tomato paste are pricey and cans are often too much to use for one recipe. Here is my easy hack for always having paste at the ready!
Portion out 1 tablespoon portions of tomato paste from a can onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze until solid. Once frozen, you can pop the mounds of tomato paste into a zip top bag and freeze until needed. Viola! Use these pre-portioned tomato paste mounds for Everyday Red Lentil Bolognese.
Wine:
Oh, I know! Right?! Yes, my friends, you can….in fact….freeze wine. Do you ever have that 1/2 cup of wine left over in the bottle and it ends up sitting in the fridge and eventually goes bad? Well, to some of you the answer is absolutely no, there is never left over wine. But, for many, wine goes to waste.
I keep a jar for red wine and a jar for white wine in my freezer (keep in mind, I drink dry wines, so all the wines that go in the jars go well with another). When I have a little left over wine, into the jar it goes! That way, when a recipe calls for deglazing the pan with a 1/4 cup of wine, I simply scoop it out of my red or white wine jar! Because alcohol doesn’t freeze, frozen wine resembles a slushy, so it’s easy to scoop out and add directly to your recipe. This freezer tip is one I use often (just like the tomato paste) for my Everyday Red Lentil Bolognese.
Raw cookie dough and scones:
There is simply a time in one’s life when you always need to be prepared….with freshly baked cookies and scones. This way, you always have some freshly baked when that last minute company drops in or…..if you’re like me…..on a random Tuesday at 9 pm….you just really need a cookie…fast
To freeze raw cookies and scones, place portioned balls of raw cookie dough or portioned raw scones them (evenly spaced) on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze until frozen. Then transfer them to a freezer safe bag or container. Be sure to label the bag/container with the baking time and oven temp. Note – scones may need a minute or two longer in the oven when baked from frozen, especially in the middle)
Pre-sliced cake and brownies:
Listen, I’m only going to say this once….sometimes….ya just need a piece of cake.
Quickly.
For those moments in life, the answer is simple. Next time you bake a cake or brownies, bake up an extra one. Use one for the here and now, and one for later. Slice the cake in thick slices and cut the brownie sheet into quarters. Wrap each cake slice and each brownie slab in aluminum foil and place all that into a freezer safe container or bag.
When the spirit moves you, simply take out a slice of cake, and if unfrosted, unwrap it and pop in the microwave for fresh, warm, yum cake or brownie. If its frosted, sorry folks…let it defrost on the counter. But down worry, because it’s a slice of cake, that happens quickly. My Petite Hiwaij Walnut Coffee Cakes are perfectly portioned for freezing.
You’re welcome.
Freezer-jam:
As the name suggests, freezer jam/preserves are not canned but frozen for preservation. This is my preferred method for storing jam I cook up over the summer because canning is a hassle and I can use less sugar than you would normally add for proper canning. Try cooking up a batch of Small Batch Strawberry Rhubarb Preserves. (Freezer Friendly Version).
Herbs:
The growing season up here in New England is a short one and I always make sure to harvest extra herbs for winter storage when they are lush and plentiful in my garden. Some herbs, like oregano, mint, and rosemary, we dry and store in jars on the shelf. There are other herbs like sage, parsley and dill that I prefer to freeze because their flavor remains intact better frozen. Wash and dry you herbs and lay them flat on a parchment lined cookie sheet and freeze until solid then transfer to freezer safe bags or a container. They are ready to toss in a pan and woken up with a little cooking. I love to use my frozen sage for butternut and sage baked pasta.
Odds and ends:
Save those fennel fronds, carrot greens and dark leek tops! While they aren’t always great to eat, they are amazing to steep and infuse flavors into your next soup or broth. Wash and dry them well and freeze them in a freezer safe container or bag. When you need them, just throw them on into your pot and let them work their magic! Throw them into your next pot of Mizrachi Style Chicken Soup.
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