To freeze before or after?
December 28, 2014 12:17 PM Subscribe
We have leftover roast beef and roast vegetables. I would like to make a stew with this but we have no plans to eat it right away in the next week or so. Should I make the stew and then freeze it and then thaw the stew? Or should I freeze the ingredients and thaw them when we are ready to make and eat the stew?
Best answer: I would make the stew and then freeze it. I can't tell you why this seems like the better choice to me, but it does.
posted by Lingasol at 12:31 PM on December 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Lingasol at 12:31 PM on December 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I'd make the stew and freeze it.
posted by Enchanting Grasshopper at 12:43 PM on December 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Enchanting Grasshopper at 12:43 PM on December 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I would also (and have done) make the stew and then freeze it.
posted by rtha at 12:45 PM on December 28, 2014
posted by rtha at 12:45 PM on December 28, 2014
Best answer: One note: Cooked potatoes and squash do not freeze well because they lack fiber. So, if you freeze the ingredients, add the potatoes when you cook or heat the stew so they don't fall apart.
posted by Turkey Glue at 12:53 PM on December 28, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Turkey Glue at 12:53 PM on December 28, 2014 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Individual stew ingredients frozen, then thawed and turned into stew later: less water and therefore less degradation of cellular structure means the ingredients stay more intact, but are much more susceptible to freezer burn and uneven drying out in a way that makes them tougher and hard to rehydrate without weird texture problems.
Cooked now with broth, then frozen as a finished stew: everything gets a little softer from the cooking, then because it's wet when frozen big ice crystals will form that further tear up cell walls and result in a softer, mushier result when reheated.
Since the whole point of stew (in my opinion at least) is to cook everything down so that flavors mix together and the texture of everything gets nice and soft and tender, I would say the second option (make the stew now and freeze it) is preferable. Note there's nothing to stop you from making a plain, blandish stew before freezing, then throwing in some fresh herbs and vegetables when reheating if you prefer some stew components to have more structural integrity at serving time.
posted by contraption at 1:00 PM on December 28, 2014 [4 favorites]
Cooked now with broth, then frozen as a finished stew: everything gets a little softer from the cooking, then because it's wet when frozen big ice crystals will form that further tear up cell walls and result in a softer, mushier result when reheated.
Since the whole point of stew (in my opinion at least) is to cook everything down so that flavors mix together and the texture of everything gets nice and soft and tender, I would say the second option (make the stew now and freeze it) is preferable. Note there's nothing to stop you from making a plain, blandish stew before freezing, then throwing in some fresh herbs and vegetables when reheating if you prefer some stew components to have more structural integrity at serving time.
posted by contraption at 1:00 PM on December 28, 2014 [4 favorites]
Best answer: I doubt there is much of a flavor difference since I frequently make delicious stew with frozen vegetables, but I always vote for being kind to Future You. Just think how wonderful it will be to have dinner already finished and waiting for you in the freezer when you are exhausted and hungry one night next week.
posted by gatorae at 2:14 PM on December 28, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by gatorae at 2:14 PM on December 28, 2014 [3 favorites]
Time wise def make it now and freeze. Use pint jars as they are conveniant, one jar per person per meal.
posted by edgeways at 2:30 PM on December 28, 2014
posted by edgeways at 2:30 PM on December 28, 2014
Best answer: Make the stew and then freeze it. Yeah there's a slight degradation in some components, but they're going to degrade texturally with stew-length cooking times anyway. This way you have stew, ready in the freezer, just pop it in a pot on low and you're ready to eat. Otherwise what you'll have hanging out in your freezer is leftovers that Need Work and oh god why bother let's just have a sandwich (or your equivalent; leftovers so often just live in freezers forever is all I'm saying).
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 4:38 PM on December 28, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 4:38 PM on December 28, 2014 [3 favorites]
Use pint jars as they are conveniant, one jar per person per meal.
Careful with that, jars can crack. Dixie cups are great for frozen stew/soup/stock... you can nick them with a knife and peel them right off.
posted by aws17576 at 5:23 PM on December 28, 2014 [2 favorites]
Careful with that, jars can crack. Dixie cups are great for frozen stew/soup/stock... you can nick them with a knife and peel them right off.
posted by aws17576 at 5:23 PM on December 28, 2014 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Even better for freezing (also works for assembled-but-not-yet-baked casserole type things): decide what you're most likely to reheat the product in. Lightly oil the inside of the vessel, and line with plastic wrap, leaving plenty of extra. Pour in the stew, cover with plastic, and freeze. When frozen, remove and wrap very tightly then back in the freezer. When you're ready to eat, just unwrap and pop back into the appropriate cooking vessel and off you go.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 5:30 PM on December 28, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 5:30 PM on December 28, 2014 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks all, sounds like a unanimous mefi voice for make then freeze. Everyone gets a best answer!
posted by like_neon at 3:14 AM on December 29, 2014
posted by like_neon at 3:14 AM on December 29, 2014
Careful with that, jars can crack.
Only time I've had that happen is when you overfill the jar so there is no room for the liquid to expand, so really an inch to 3/4 and inch below the top is usually sufficient. Using wide mouth jars is better too, when it does expand it doesn't push against the 'shoulders' of the jar.
posted by edgeways at 9:21 AM on December 29, 2014
Only time I've had that happen is when you overfill the jar so there is no room for the liquid to expand, so really an inch to 3/4 and inch below the top is usually sufficient. Using wide mouth jars is better too, when it does expand it doesn't push against the 'shoulders' of the jar.
posted by edgeways at 9:21 AM on December 29, 2014
Response by poster: I took it out of the freezer Sunday night. It was still an ice block last night! :D It was thawed *just* enough that it slid out of the container so we put it in another, bigger bowl and put it back in the fridge. Fingers crossed it's melted enough to break up without an ice pick tonight! Will report back on general tastiness.
posted by like_neon at 1:35 AM on January 20, 2015
posted by like_neon at 1:35 AM on January 20, 2015
I've always just cooked the unthawed thing - right from freezer to pot to (usually) a low oven.
posted by rtha at 3:15 AM on January 20, 2015
posted by rtha at 3:15 AM on January 20, 2015
Response by poster: Had it with some pasta (kind of like a stroganoff. Was delish! Thanks all!! (rtha normally I would do the same but there was loads and I didn't want to eat all of it)
posted by like_neon at 12:32 PM on January 27, 2015
posted by like_neon at 12:32 PM on January 27, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
In fact, if you made it today and let it sit in the fridge overnight before freezing tomorrow, the flavors will have a little time to open up and when you thaw it will be extra delicious.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:30 PM on December 28, 2014 [5 favorites]