Sometimes I want a nice comfort food dinner.....on a week night. But between work, kid's school (and after school) schedules, family events, and so on I don't always have a ton of time to cook. Luckily, I always have a batch of mashed potatoes in the freezer. It's nice to have at least some of the work finished and ready to go!
Did you know you could freeze mashed potatoes? It's really super simple!
How To Freeze Mashed Potatoes
Option 1: The Perfect Portion
I love freezing items in portioned out sizes. Why? It's a great way to one, keep my portion size in check. And two, keep foods from going to waste. To freeze your potatoes, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a scoop (I use a 1/2 cup scoop) to scoop your mashed potatoes . Place in the freezer. Let them freeze overnight.
The next day transfer the portioned out potatoes to a freezer bag. Don't forget to date and label! Your potatoes will stay good for at least 2 months (if they last that long!)
Option 2: Freeze a large batch of Mashed Potatoes
Freezing for individual sizes is great when you are grabbing a portion to take with you for lunch or for a small dinner. But if you are planning on dinner for your whole family or even a large crowd, having a full bag is nice to keep on hand.
(I still keep count of how many portions are in each bag!)
Simply fill a freezer bag with your desired number of portions and seal. Lay the bag flat on the baking sheet and freeze. Freezing your items flat makes them easy to stack and store in your freezer. Date and label your bags.
I use my Food Saver for freezing mashed potatoes! It works perfect!
To serve your mashed potatoes simply put the potatoes in a covered dish and microwave. I reduce the power to about 50%. Stir well. If the potatoes are watery (different varieties of potatoes will freeze differently) just add a little sour cream or even cheese to help thicken them up.
So there you go. How to freeze mashed potatoes. Now you can use that whole bag of potatoes before it goes bad and have a head start on dinner! :)
Showing posts with label Vegetables. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vegetables. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Friday, January 10, 2014
Can You Freeze Parsley
Can you freeze parsley? The answer is yes! Parsley is another one of those things that I just can seem to use up before it goes bad. I'm so glad that I can freeze parsley. In doing so, it ensures that I always have some on hand!
There are actually two ways to freeze parsley. Both are easy, so it is really up to your personal preference. The first is to pick off the leaves and chop. Then, place in a freezer bag and freeze.
The second way is my preferred method. In a blender,place the parsley with just enough water or olive oil to make a thick puree. Pour into an ice cube tray and freeze. Once frozen, pop out and place in a freezer bag. (Tip: I like to measure mine, so it's already measured and ready to go for recipes! I freeze mine in 1 tbsp cubes.) When you would like to use one simply put a cube directly in your dish! You can thaw the cube for items like casseroles so you can then mix it in, or for things like soup or stew, just let the cube melt and stir.
Frozen parsley is best used in cooking and not as a garnish.
There are actually two ways to freeze parsley. Both are easy, so it is really up to your personal preference. The first is to pick off the leaves and chop. Then, place in a freezer bag and freeze.
The second way is my preferred method. In a blender,place the parsley with just enough water or olive oil to make a thick puree. Pour into an ice cube tray and freeze. Once frozen, pop out and place in a freezer bag. (Tip: I like to measure mine, so it's already measured and ready to go for recipes! I freeze mine in 1 tbsp cubes.) When you would like to use one simply put a cube directly in your dish! You can thaw the cube for items like casseroles so you can then mix it in, or for things like soup or stew, just let the cube melt and stir.
Frozen parsley is best used in cooking and not as a garnish.
How To Freeze Spinach
We love spinach in our house. Ok. Correction. I love spinach. I put it in my eggs, pasta, smoothies - just about anything I can think of! But I can never finish a full container of spinach myself which means I always have spinach going to waste. Ok, another correction. I used to have spinach. I finally got smart and started to freeze spinach.
Did you know you could freeze spinach? Or more importantly, do you know how to freeze spinach?
No worries - I'm here to teach you how to freeze spinach and the best ways to use your frozen spinach!
How To Freeze Spinach
First, I like to put my spinach in a bowl of water. Just let the leaves soak for a little while. Then, rinse and pat dry. While I am letting it soak, I like to pop a cookie sheet into the freezer to get it chilled. (What? A cookie sheet? You'll see! Keep reading!)
Then, divide your spinach up. Keep in mind that once frozen, spinach will lose some of it's "crunch", which means it's great for cooking with (think eggs, dips, pasta, or casseroles), but it's not the best in say, a salad. Divide your spinach in ways that you know that you are your family will get the most use.
For me, I freeze mostly individual bags for me to add to my meals. Then, I will freeze maybe one or two larger bags for a family sized meal. And I always have a couple bags with the perfect amount for a spinach and artichoke dip. It's perfect for pulling out when we have company or an unexpected pitch in (or let's be honest, I forget to go to the store!). By sorting your portions out before freezing you can avoid pulling out some frozen spinach, using part of it and having to throw the rest of it away.
Transfer your portioned out spinach into freezer bags, squeeze all of the air out and seal tightly. Spinach is one of the few things that I do NOT use my food sealer for! The food sealer does such a great job taking all of the air out of the bags that it will also take out some of the moisture in the spinach. And you don't want that. A little moisture in there is good!
After all of your spinach is in bags, pull out your cookie sheet. Wiggle the spinach around to get the bag to lay flat. (So you have kind of a sheet of spinach). Lay them on the cookie sheet and place in the freezer. Label your bags with the date/contents (ex. Spinach - amount for spinach artichoke dip. Jan 2014)
Then the hard part. Do nothing and let it freeze!
After everything is frozen you have bags of pre-portioned, frozen spinach. And because they lay flat you have a few advantages.
1. It's easy to sprinkle in your meals - no spinach globs.
2. Your bags are easy to stack, which means your freezer can stay organized.
Quick Tips:
- When you freeze spinach it stays good for about a year!
- You don't have to thaw. Because the spinach is no clumped together - your spinach will thaw out in just a few minutes when you mix it into your dish.
- If you want cooked spinach - just empty the bag into a microwave safe dish, and microwave for a few seconds until the spinach is wilted. Add to your dish and enjoy!
Did you know you could freeze spinach? Or more importantly, do you know how to freeze spinach?
No worries - I'm here to teach you how to freeze spinach and the best ways to use your frozen spinach!
How To Freeze Spinach
First, I like to put my spinach in a bowl of water. Just let the leaves soak for a little while. Then, rinse and pat dry. While I am letting it soak, I like to pop a cookie sheet into the freezer to get it chilled. (What? A cookie sheet? You'll see! Keep reading!)
Then, divide your spinach up. Keep in mind that once frozen, spinach will lose some of it's "crunch", which means it's great for cooking with (think eggs, dips, pasta, or casseroles), but it's not the best in say, a salad. Divide your spinach in ways that you know that you are your family will get the most use.
For me, I freeze mostly individual bags for me to add to my meals. Then, I will freeze maybe one or two larger bags for a family sized meal. And I always have a couple bags with the perfect amount for a spinach and artichoke dip. It's perfect for pulling out when we have company or an unexpected pitch in (or let's be honest, I forget to go to the store!). By sorting your portions out before freezing you can avoid pulling out some frozen spinach, using part of it and having to throw the rest of it away.
Transfer your portioned out spinach into freezer bags, squeeze all of the air out and seal tightly. Spinach is one of the few things that I do NOT use my food sealer for! The food sealer does such a great job taking all of the air out of the bags that it will also take out some of the moisture in the spinach. And you don't want that. A little moisture in there is good!
After all of your spinach is in bags, pull out your cookie sheet. Wiggle the spinach around to get the bag to lay flat. (So you have kind of a sheet of spinach). Lay them on the cookie sheet and place in the freezer. Label your bags with the date/contents (ex. Spinach - amount for spinach artichoke dip. Jan 2014)
Then the hard part. Do nothing and let it freeze!
After everything is frozen you have bags of pre-portioned, frozen spinach. And because they lay flat you have a few advantages.
1. It's easy to sprinkle in your meals - no spinach globs.
2. Your bags are easy to stack, which means your freezer can stay organized.
Quick Tips:
- When you freeze spinach it stays good for about a year!
- You don't have to thaw. Because the spinach is no clumped together - your spinach will thaw out in just a few minutes when you mix it into your dish.
- If you want cooked spinach - just empty the bag into a microwave safe dish, and microwave for a few seconds until the spinach is wilted. Add to your dish and enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)