OK so I will be away for 2 wks and my hubby will be home alone *gasp!* and he doesn't want to eat out everyday (too expensive anyway!), so he suggested I freeze a few casseroles for him. My questions are: do I just fully cook the casserole, then freeze it? I know if I freeze them in glass dishes, he will have to thaw it before placing it in a hot oven to prevent cracking...would it be easier to just buy foil pans, could he put it directly from the freezer to the oven? (he won't remember to take the casserole out before he goes to work or something...he needs something he can come home and throw in the oven LOL) and if he takes it straight from the freezer to the oven, how long will it need to cook at what temp and should he leave it covered with foil or uncovered?
Thanks in advance for any tips!!
You can do either. If you do not cook it before you freeze it, it will take longer to cook. I do recommend foil pans. You can get them in any size so you don't have to make too much at one time and waste the leftovers.
Cook them fully and put them in the fridge overnight to congeal. They're easier to cut that way. Cut them into individual servings and place those servings into Ziploc-type bags...and freeze. This way, the whole dish doesn't have to be thawed to cut out only a portion. It'll also save space in the freezer.
Do you use a microwave oven for thawing or reheating? If so, he can pop it into the microwave oven. How you heat it up in the conventional oven will probably depend on what type of casserole you have. If it's still slightly frozen, then he'll need to cover it, so it won't cook too fast on the outside before the inside is done. Make sure that he knows to put it on the top rack to bake, so it doesn't burn on the bottom.
I'll be watching. Just went to work full time and am trying to figure out how to feed my hubby and children because I won't be home at dinnertime...
Now living by myself husband dies last month, hormel has a meat dish that can cook in the microwave in 5 min. He can open some vegetables and zap them at the same time. HEB has them for about 5 dollars.
Or make up casseroles in microwave containers cover with plastic wrap (food can be cooked ahead of time) and then put into the containers That was 1 casserole may make maybe three meals for him. Make a list so that he can when he takes one our of the ref. he also puts one in, that way there will be one defrosted for him..One or two frozen pizza's also, just for a change of eating.
most casseroles you just follow the recipe until the point where you would put it in the oven, then just stick it in the freezer instead, unless it is hot already, then it needs to be cooled first. i would advise to thaw the casseroles before baking but if not possible then, cover them and bake at 350-375 for an hour and a half to two hours then uncover and bake about 15-20 minutes, yes it takes that long so i really would advise to thaw first for times sake. also for freezer to oven directly i would think foil pans would work the best, definitely no glass or ceramic or anything like that.
I would love to know that one too!
You've already gotten great ideas on the cooking - I'll tell you what I do to "remind" my husband what to do. I put sticky notes where he will obviously see them. On the front door as he goes out, on the bathroom mirror, on the refrigerator, etc. If I want to make sure he (or I) doesn't forget to do something before I leave the house, I just put a sticky note on the door to remind me. It works great for me. Good luck - I don't know how they would survive without us.
Hi A.,
I freeze meals often when I cook for a month to make life easier. Here are some tips:
casseroles: yes, cook then freeze, if you use pasta only cook the pasta aldente so it doesn't become mushy when reheating. I freeze egg casseroles uncooked and use a disposable foil loaf pan for egg casseroles.
meatloaf/balls: you can season and freeze raw then cook when ready to eat. I line my loaf pan (mini loaf pan or regular size loaf pan) with foil and place my meat mixture inside to help form the loaf. Then pull it out of the pan and wrap it up with the foil and freeze. So whe I'm ready to bake it, the loaf fits inside my pan. This saves space in my freezer.
reheating: if you forget to thaw something out, you can take it from the freezer to the oven IF you put it in the oven COLD so that is heats up slowely with the oven and you'll be fine.
If you have any questions, you can email me: ____@____.com
C.
Is he capable of microwaving:)? That would solve the glass pan problem. Will kids be with him? Stouffers makes some nice casseroles that you can pop right in the oven for an hour. The lasagna is great, and reasonably priced. You can also wrap a hamburger patty with some potatoes and carrots in foil with spices and a dab of butter, freeze that, and then cook in the oven. (Old camping trick). If you line your pan with foil, cook it, then put only the foil packet in the freezer, he can take it out and cook it in the oven back in the pan. Good luck!
A., did you know that there are over 9 thousand casseroles that you could make? And yes, they should be fully cooked-ALWAYS! Begin by pre-lining your casserole dish w/heavy duty foil. Cover & Seal. Bake, then let cool.Once you are ready to freeze. Freeze in small portions. When freezing. Double wrap and if possible in plastic ziplock. When re-heating, it must be thawed first! Then placed in oven. If micro- be sure it is really fully thawed, if not it can be done in micro, but, be sure to place it on something, that will not break. And place a paper towel. And if nothing else; start looking in the paper for coupons on those frozen meals. With a variety of them you can whip up a whole meal for cheap! Good luck!
To freeze casseroles, all you need to do is prepare them according to the recipe and then freeze before heating. Most casseroles have you add cooked meat (i.e like lasagna or king ranch chicken) and you are basically heating through the rest of the ingredients to blend the flavors. You can freeze cheese any time so it is no problem for it to be in the casserole. If you are taking it from freezer to oven directly, he will just need to add 20-30 minutes to the cooking time. Also, if you are using a glass dish for baking, it should be tempered glass anyway (like Pyrex) so it is designed to go from freezer to fridge to oven (or directly from one to the other). Another trick is to line your pans with foil and then freeze the casserole. When it is frozen you can pop it out and wrap it all up in foil. Label what it is and also write on there the cooking instructions (i.e. bake at 350 for 45 min.) and perhaps what pan to put it back in like "use glass 9x13 casserole dish in cabinet by sink--or whatever (it can stay in the foil).
I have a ton of freezer cooking links at my blog if you want to check it out...it is www.mealplanningmagic.blogspot.com You can freeze SO MUCH more than casseroles--those are just the beginning! Good luck!
