Comments on: Q & A: Freezing Food

By: Jonah

Jonah — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 16:32:48 +0000

I followed these directions to the ‘T’. For the first time yesterday, I froze some turkey stock and it was a bust. I left room at the top of the jar for expansion, left the lid completely loose, and had the stock sit in the fridge for 2 days before. First jar cracked all over. I wouldn’t suggest freezing mason jars from my first experience.

By: Sara M.

Sara M. — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:50:09 +0000

I got this idea from a friend … when I make lasagne, we make it in a 9×13 pan, but never eat the whole thing even after 2 meals. So I take single servings and put them in smaller ziplocs (freezer ones work best). Then when just a few of us are eating, we warm them up in the microwave and its like a single serve frozen dinner. I also make double batches of pancakes and waffles and we eat one and the rest get frozen for a midweek breakfast. It’s great for my kids right before they go off to school, because all you have to do is pop them in the toaster like an Eggo. =)

I do freeze soups if there is leftovers still in the fridge after a couple days. Then it doesn’t go to waste. I just leave them in the tupperware rock’n serve containers. I’m not sure how safe those are in the microwave, but according to them, they are micro-safe.

By: M.I.A in Minnesota

M.I.A in Minnesota — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 03:44:19 +0000

Our kids are still small and don’t eat a lot,so a 9×13 hot dish is usually too much. I take two 8×8 disposable aluminum pans, bake one and freeze one. I always have these on hand anyway. They’re very handy to use these for meals to help people also. That way they don’t have to wash and return the correct pan. Anyway, when I freeze with these, I lay a a layer of plastic wrap, then aluminum foil on top. I write the instructions right on top of the aluminum foil with a sharpie marker. These are recyclable too. I like the idea of freezing in a pyrex and the transferring it to a ziploc. Sounds a little more cost effective than what I’ve been doing. Thanks!

By: Michele

Michele — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:15:34 +0000

I LOVE to freeze in Ziplocs. I freeze things flat then stack or file (like record albums)the ziplocs. I only store in them, never re-heat. The freezer is so much neater and organized when I freeze things this way.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:56:49 +0000

I love the idea of freezing in mason jars. My one concern- I had considered freezing baby food in recycled baby food jars (collected from others and sterilized). I found at the time (several years ago), many warnings that even without the entire glass breaking, small shards could break off into the food, if used for freezing. Have you ever experienced this problem? I have alot of canning jars, and plenty of freezer space so I would really like to use this. I wonder if perhaps there is a difference in the quality of the glass? Have you used other glass jars (ie old mayonnaise or PB jars)? I have plenty of these, and would like to avoid wasting them, but my girls only need so many crayon containers and marker holders! Thanks so much!

By: Sweetpeas

Sweetpeas — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:55:30 +0000

I’ve found that, for whatever reason, pint jars are less likely to break in the freezer than quart jars, might just be coincidence.

The other thing I try to do with things that freeze best in ziplocks, is to lay them out on a cookie sheet to freeze, and then put them in the ziplocks after their frozen, since the risk of leeching is greatest during significant temperature change, that allows the food to reach temperature before putting them in the bags (it also means cookies, muffins, fruit, etc freeze individually instead of sticking together), which at least seems to me, lessens the chance of leaching should they decide at some point in the future that ziplocks DO leech.

I also sometimes freeze casseroles or other things (that need to be frozen in a container) in pyrex and then transfer them to large ziplocks once frozen so I can have my pyrex back for other things.

By: Donielle @ Raising Peanuts

Donielle @ Raising Peanuts — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:41:56 +0000

I love to use my mason jars w/ the plastic lids on them to freeze liquids and sauces. They fit so nicely in the door! I just have to get into the habit of labeling them. Pizza and spaghetti can look a lot a like! I also use ziplocs more often than I probably should, but they’re just so convenient. I use them for pretty much anything non liquid. For any hot food item though (like meat), I normally put them in a bowl in the fridge until they are cold, before transferring to a ziploc and I never re heat them in the bag. I’ve tried to find a way around using them, but haven’t found anything that works as well. I feel better knowing others still use them too!