Get Started: Freezing Containers
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One of the most common questions we get around here is what types of containers are best for freezing? The answer varies a lot by recipe, space and budget.
Our menus and recipe cards have all the container information factored in for your indicated servings, you simply need to look at the printable recipe cards for that month for our specific suggestions. We most commonly use freezer bags and 8×8 foil pans for our menus. This way we can accommodate all freezer sizes and still maximize your menus!
In general, here are the types of containers we use and/or recommend:
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Zippered Freezer Bags – I use these most often for items that will be thawed in the refrigerator first, and then cooked. You DO NOT want to skimp on cheap freezer bags, after all you are wrapping an investment, a food investment.
- When freezing items, especially sauces and liquids, in freezer bags you may want to make sure that the contents are laying completely flat when you place them in the freezer. I have even used cake pans before to make sure that they freeze flat. Remember, whatever form they freeze in is how they will stay!
- Leave 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch headspace (the space between the food and the zipper or top of container). Foods expand as they freeze and you don’t want the bag to burst or to leak.
- Common Uses: Sandwiches, quesadillas, muffins, vegetables, soups, sauces, pastas, items that will go in the crock pot to cook and meats.
Disposable Plastic Containers – These are perfectly fine for freezer use, they are actually thicker and thus protect against freezer burn better than zippered freezer bags. They are higher cost than zippered freezer bags but they can be reused again and again which makes them a better environmental choice. And if you can happen to get enough use out of them they are less expensive than zippered bags. I also like the fact that they stack better in the freezer.
- These are also great options for portioning out lunch items or items that will go with a family member to work or school in individual portions.
- If you can get your family members and your cooking partner to return these to you, they are a very good option. Again, if using these types of containers you will want to leave 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch headspace for food expansion.
- Common Uses: Soups, sauces, individual portions.
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Disposable Foil Pans – I know this is not the most environmentally friendly method, but it is simple and easy on assembly and clean up. I also prefer these types of pans because they make it easy to take food to others in need. I don’t ever have to worry about getting my pans back.
- Menus typically indicate 8×8 pans or Deep Dish 8×8 pans. You can usually find both at either the Dollar Store or Xmas Tree Shops. I have also used the Deep Dish 7×11 pans when I can’t find Deep Dish 8×8 pans.
- When you have completed the dish cover it with a double layer of aluminum foil. This helps seal in the meal and prevent leaks as well as prevent freezer burn.
- Common Uses: casseroles, dishes that I don’t want to have to thaw before placing in the oven, dishes that might end up going to a friend in need, breads.
Disposable Plastic Pans – I found these about a year in a half ago and have frequently used them for meals that I know I will be taking to others. I LOVE that if I forget to thaw the item, I can throw them in the microwave to defrost for a bit and then throw them in the oven without worry. I definitely can’t do that with foil pans.
- They are more expensive than their foil counterparts but come with a lid and are so much easier to stack in your freezer. Less chance of a mess.
- The down side to these pans is that you have to cook them on a cookie sheet and I feel like that ends up adding to the overall cook time. BUT I suppose if you adjust for that you should be just fine.
- Common Uses: casseroles, dishes that I don’t want to have to thaw before placing in the oven, and dishes that might end up going to a friend in need.
- Glass Baking Dishes, Casseroles and 8×8 pans – There are many that use personal baking dishes. Some have enough to freeze all of their meals, others do not. I have heard of readers scouring garage sales and thrift stores to find pans that are the right size and reusable. You can freeze your dish in the dish that you are planning to use or you can line your pans with foil to freeze them. You just need to make sure that the pan you “formed” the meal to will be available when you are ready to cook your meal. If you are freezing food in glass baking pans just make sure that you slowly thaw out the dish and don’t place the frozen dish directly into the oven. You may end up with a shattered mess.
- Common Uses: casseroles, dishes that I don’t want to have to thaw before placing in the oven, dishes that might end up going to a friend in need, breads.
The key to keeping your meals as fresh and free from freezer burn is to keep them as air tight as you can, cool it to a proper temperature before putting it away, and leave space for liquids to expand.
Do you have any favorite tips or tricks when freezing your meals? Share with us below!
Additional Resources:
- Flash Freezing
- Allowing Proper Headspace
- Ordering Bulk Foil Pans:
I line my pans with foil, fill it, and freeze. When frozen, I use the foil to remove the item, wrap it the rest of the way with foil, and then put it in a freezer bag and label. This saves room in the freezer and keeps me from needing dozens of cooking dishes.
I should have added: when ready to cook, I place the frozen item back into the dish it was frozen in, with the foil still on the bottom – makes for super easy clean up!
What kind of labels do you use?
We use Avery 8163 labels with our menus http://onceamonthmom.com/labels-whole-foods-november-2011-menu/
To be “green” we wash the foil pans and use them until they can’t be used again. Usually 3-4 times before the sides just give up and then straight to the recycle bin. :) Yes I know they look kinda gnarly the 4th time around but the food inside is always good!
I just found the the freezer canning jars. They’re plastic with a screw on lid. I use these for smoothies and chicken salad type things I send in my kids lunches. They can be reused many times and are a great size. If you aren’t sending the food out you can also freeze in glass jars which are pretty inexpensive.
Great idea!
So I’m gearing up for my cooking day and really didn’t want to use disposable containers as my son reacts badly to aluminum.
I like freezing in plastic, but I’m avoiding it in the fridge (at least for acidic foods) and microwave, so I need the food to be in the same frozen “shape” as the container that I’ll defrost it in. I’ve been debating whether or not to freeze in glass when it’s so heavy and items are hard to “pop out” if I don’t want to leave the glass in the freezer until use (I usually repackage some into ziplocks for space, and then re-use all the ziplocks). What I’ve decided to try is putting baker’s twine across the bottom of the glass dish, and using the twine to pull out the food after I’ve run the bottom under water for a few seconds — I’m hoping I can then remove the twine, but the twine is just cotton, and bakes/freezes/microwaves without effecting the food if not. We’ll see :)
I’ve been poring over various storage options, mostly Pyrex on Amazon and Target…It took me two days to somehow stumble upon the idea of ordering things directly from Pyrex ( http://www.shopworldkitchen.com/ ).
Almost everything I wanted was on their “Buy 4, get 40% off” sale, and was really amazingly cheap. The main thing I wanted, a 6-cup storage/freeze/bake/microwave stacking glass rectangle that I’ll use for freezing the marinated chicken instead of ziplocks (http://www.shopworldkitchen.com/pyrex/storage-rectangle-dish-6017400) ended up being only $3.59 each — half the price of Walmart. A 9×13 pan with plastic cover was only $6. I even got replacement covers for the 9×13 pan and bread pan that I already have. Shipping was reasonable ($9) given that I ordered a bunch of glass stuff :) (Note, I have no financial interest in Pyrex whatsoever, I just wanted to share the good deal I found).
This is fantastic! Thanks for all the detail. I really want to use Pyrex as well. Green and nothing to leech into foods.
I’ve just started looking into once a month cooking. I think it would really help during sports seasons. I noticed no one has mentioned freezing meals with the food saver bags. Does it work well for meals?
We don’t talk about it much but we do have readers (and writers) that use one for their cooking: http://onceamonthmom.com/get-started-using-a-foodsaver-for-freezing/.
Freezer bags are simply thicker plastic than regular food storage bags, and are designed for long term freezing. They are, also, more expensive. With 5 hungry kids and a small freezer, I have never had to worry about freezing long term, as nothing stays in the house, let alone the freezer, for very long. I take individual portions, package them in sandwich or snack bags (depending on the item’s size), then stack those bags in a regular gallon bag (or quart bag, depending on how much I have). Being double bagged gives the items a thicker protection similar to a freezer bag, but divides them out into individual portions and saves me money. This system works great with pancakes (3 to a bag/individual serving size), bulk shredded cheese (scoop 1 cup to one snack bag, stack snack bags into gallon bag), and a fave frozen snack that is great for breakfast, dessert, or a base for smoothies is frozen bananas… simply peel, place in snack bags, stuff into gallon freezer bag, and freeze. Of course with all of these items I sqeeze the air out of each individual bag, as well as, out of the larger bag, as best I can. As soon as the kids get to the items, they go quickly (usually wihin a week) and they rarely bother to close the larger bag, anymore.
I freeze single-portions in Ball jars. No waste. No plastic.