Freezing Cooked Food for Future Meals: Freezer Bag Tips (2024)

FAQs

How do you freeze cooked food for future meals? ›

Using containers: Divide cooled leftovers among plastic containers, leaving enough room at the top for swelling. Cover with plastic wrap (this helps prevent freezer burner), then the lid. Label and date top and side of container. Using sealable bags: Place sealable place in a bowl to help stabilise.

Aluminum foil, freezer paper, plastic containers, and plastic freezer bags will help food maintain optimum quality in the freezer. Plastic wrap alone will not provide enough protection by itself, but can be used to separate foods within another package.

A few foods we suggest you not freeze include: eggs, creamy soups, sauces and dressings, pre-fried foods, lettuce or cucumber, to name a few. The best-suited recipes for freezing include meats/seafood, broth-based soups, stews, casseroles, and curries.

Don't put hot food in the freezer: If cooked, allow food to cool completely. Placing warm food in the freezer can cause your other foods to thaw. Wrap and seal food tightly: Foil, plastic wrap and plastic freezer bags help protect food from freezer burn. Try to remove as much air when wrapping to prevent freezer burn.

Choose from dozens of delicious freezer meals including casseroles, baked pasta dishes, gumbo, pot roast, slow-cooker soups and stews, and more. You guests will never guess that you just popped that Turkey-Noodle-Poppy Seed Casserole out of the freezer.

Use "freezer" bags, not "storage" bags for storing food in the freezer. Freezer bags are thicker than storage bags and will keep the food fresh longer. Speed freezing and hasten thawing by freezing foods in a thin, flattened shape in freezer bags. A rounded shape takes longer to thaw through to the middle.

To prepare a meal for the freezer, you'll want to fully prepare it ahead of time. Be sure to let it cool fully, and then transfer it to an airtight container or freezer bag. Date it, pop it in the freezer, and it'll be ready to go in a pinch! Most freezer meals keep for around 2 months.

Food grade materials, such as aluminum foil, heavy freezer-weight plastic bags, heavy plastic wrap and parchment or freezer paper are excellent choices. It is safe to freeze meat or poultry directly in its supermarket wrapping, but this type of wrap is thin and lets air in.

Rigid containers and flexible bags or wrapping are two general types of packaging materials that are safe for freezing. Rigid containers made of plastic or glass are suitable for all packs and are especially good for liquid packs. Straight sides on rigid containers make the frozen food much easier to remove.

FOR STORING LEFTOVERS IN THE FRIDGE & FREEZER: GLASS

For storing food in the fridge or freezer, glass, particularly OXO's set wins. The containers are freezer-safe so the glass won't break, leakproof with a tight seal (no mysterious liquids sticking to your refrigerator shelves!), and easy to clean.

How to freeze meals properly? ›

To freeze your food quickly, expose as much surface area as possible to cold freezer air. Distribute foods you're trying to freeze (like meatballs) on sheet trays, then transfer them to freezer bags. Freeze soup in multiple freezer bags, not one large container.

To prepare a meal for the freezer, you'll want to fully prepare it ahead of time. Be sure to let it cool fully, and then transfer it to an airtight container or freezer bag. Date it, pop it in the freezer, and it'll be ready to go in a pinch! Most freezer meals keep for around 2 months.

Rigid containers and flexible bags or wrapping are two general types of packaging materials that are safe for freezing. Rigid containers made of plastic or glass are suitable for all packs and are especially good for liquid packs. Straight sides on rigid containers make the frozen food much easier to remove.

A simple quick-cooking technique is to make extra food at one meal and freeze for future meals. Or, to prepare food ahead and freeze for enjoying at a later time. One easy method of freezing foods, including liquid foods such as soups and stews, is to freeze them in freezer bags.