Freezing ready meals: preparing dinner quickly and easily. Homemade semi-finished products: cook, freeze, reheat

And we use ideas from this article by Elizaveta Pravikova:

Lent has arrived - and what is a person forced to think about most of all, especially those with a large family? Of course, about food, alas and ah. About food, about its composition, about how to prepare dishes tasty and nutritious, and ideally, simply and quickly. Because the prospect of spending the entire fast at the stove does not make me happy, that’s for sure.

The most interesting thing is that the recipes lean food There are many, there are also opportunities, but I’m so lazy to put all this into practice... Moreover, the result (in the sense of whether they will eat it or not) in my family, for example, is unpredictable. It can easily turn out that half of the family will like it, but the other half will not eat what is cooked. However, compose Lenten dinner It’s not a particularly big problem; everyone except me eats out of the house. The problem is different - breakfast, that's what requires a truly creative approach!

There is a constant “ambush” with breakfasts during Lent. I don’t know about you, but for me it’s eternal headache- make sure that the husband and children do not leave home hungry for the whole day. Oatmeal is fine for me, if I have it, the issue of breakfast is always resolved. For me, but not for children, in whom you can’t stuff oatmeal with milk, let alone its lean version. And this year we have a very interesting situation - three older children get up before us, get ready on their own and go to school. This means that we need to provide them with breakfasts that do not require any effort from them to prepare: something that they can take out, heat up and eat, and that are nutritious and tasty. So I started thinking about how to ensure this. And in the process of my thoughts this list was born.

Please note that these are not specific recipes, but rather 5 ideas for a meatless breakfast. Honestly, exact recipes(unless it’s baking, where strict proportions are important) I don’t really like to use them, because they require a certain set of products, certain manipulations, and time. And people's tastes are too different. That's why I personally prefer ideas as a basis for creativity. Like things and ideas from IKEA - you pick what you like, pick up the idea and create based on your personal taste and preferences. My list includes quick ideas, and those that require cooking and preparation, that is, homemade semi-finished products. And, by the way, continuing the theme of the last article - all ideas are more than budget-friendly!
Pancakes

I start with pancakes, because they are the Lenten “salvation” for us; all my children eat them! The main thing is that the filling is different. Yes, this is a dish that will have to be prepared in advance. And if we take on it, then in full. It's stupid to make dough for the sake of a dozen pancakes, right? That's why I do a lot at once. Yeast lean pancakes They turn out very tasty and elastic if you add more sunflower oil to the dough, and also let the dough rise, and then stir it well.

The composition of the dough is simple - water, salt-sugar, yeast, flour and sunflower oil. Also, to prevent the edges from drying out during the making of pancakes, it would be good to cover ready-made pancakes lid (warm). Your pile of pancakes is the basis for further creativity in terms of filling. Its quality can be anything, depending on your taste - cabbage, rice, potatoes, beans, peas, with the addition fried onions(onion and green), mushrooms, fish, seafood. Sweet fillings - berries with sugar, grated apples, thick jam. And then everything is simple, wrap the filling in a pancake, preferably a roll, and put it in the freezer. Everything, delicious and nutritious breakfast instant cooking ready for a few days!

2-3 minutes in the microwave, any child and any husband can handle this on their own. And I can’t help but add about the budget nature of this dish: I calculated that 20 pancakes (larger than those sold in packs) with cabbage and rice, very tasty, cost me 50 (!!!) rubles. And, of course, plus my work on days off.

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Vegetable cutlets

Our second main dish also requires preparation, and again we prepare it in industrial quantities. Potato cutlets (or pancakes, as you like). The basis is jacket potatoes, then, of course, peeled and minced in a meat grinder. Then add whatever you want to this dough - mushrooms, onions, herbs, spices. This is very convenient semi-finished product, cutlets can be frozen unfried (and then their preparation will take a little more time) and fried (then just reheat). You can use them as a hot dish, with peas for example, or with sauce, or you can put them on a sandwich. The sandwich usually uses “yesterday’s” cold pancakes left over from dinner. Any vegetable cutlets you like, made ahead and frozen, also work great for breakfast. Again - the dish is very inexpensive.

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Oatmeal, sir!

But my favorite oatmeal is a truly fertile basis for creativity! In my opinion, it is not included in the “porridge” section precisely because of its versatility. Quick, tasty, nutritious, you can add anything, make it any consistency, you want it, cook it, you want it, no, you want it, fry it like pancakes, in general - a miracle.

Another good thing about it is that it doesn’t require any recipe. Everything is prepared here, as my grandmother used to say, according to the principle “everything good is included.” You can add to it soy milk, liquid or dry, you can cook it in water with honey, on apple juice, on cocoa. Add any spices, nuts and dried fruits, any fruits and berries, everything to taste. You can make jelly and delicious nutritious cocktails from it. It’s great to combine it with bran. You can pour it in the evening and eat it cold or reheat it in the morning. Taking a banana, a handful of berries, a glass of liquid (water, juice, soy milk) and a few spoons of cereal and blending it all with a blender, we get a cocktail. Add bran, let it sit - and here is a new dish. The same can be done in vegetable version, whipping thin porridge with herbs, spices and vegetables. In general - there is more than enough creativity! And again, mind you, it comes out very budget-friendly.

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And porridge

For those who are not opponents of cereals, this is one of the most universal dishes for breakfast. Yes, it’s a little boring without milk, but let’s get creative. Unlike oatmeal, however, most porridges require more time to cook. However, now there are a variety of cereals on sale: buckwheat, rice, corn, etc. But if you want it to be budget-friendly, it is better to stick to cereals.

For example, did you know that buckwheat doesn’t need to be cooked? Moreover, uncooked it is much healthier. Just in the evening you need to fill it with water, cold or hot, you can immediately add salt-sugar-honey-spices-dried fruits or spicy seasonings(again, everything to taste), close the lid and leave. And then in the morning all you have to do is add oil as desired and heat it up - very tasty!

You will have to cook the rice in advance, of course, and in the morning you will have to diversify it somehow. Happy people are those who love pumpkin, because rice and millet go well with pumpkin. And by adding zest, ginger or other spices, you turn this porridge into a culinary masterpiece.

And, in order not to offend our favorite children's porridge, I will share an idea based on semolina. Semolina porridge very tasty when cooked with lingonberry or cranberry juice. You need to cook it thinner than usual, and then, after cooling a little (or completely, if you do it in advance), beat thoroughly with a blender or mixer. The result is a delicate and delicious nutritious mousse. If you make it in advance and in larger quantities, then you should put it in vases and bowls and put it in the refrigerator. At any moment you have breakfast/afternoon snack/snack/dessert ready. Children, by the way, eat with great pleasure (and don’t even always realize that it’s semolina).

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Sandwiches and pies

Well, for those who categorically do not want to eat all sorts of things healthy cereals and vegetables, and always prefers a cup of coffee with pastries or a sandwich, Lenten options can't be counted either. Well, firstly, fish and seafood - salted, smoked, caviar, various pates. This, however, is not budgetary at all. Even if you do everything yourself. But sometimes you can treat yourself, right? Secondly, different kinds“non-sea” caviar: vegetable, mushroom, legume. Here both purchased options and home-made items will come into play. Bean and pea paste can also be made from canned food for speed - beat it with a blender, add what you want, to taste, put it in the refrigerator. Vegetable and mushroom caviar, of course, take time. But the good thing about all these “spreads” for sandwiches is that you can make a lot of them at once, even for a week. And, of course, no one canceled preserves and jams for spreading on a sandwich! By the way, anything can become the basis for sandwiches - bread (regular and in the form of toast), dry bread, pita bread, pita bread, tortillas.

The topic of Lenten pies is worthy not just of a separate article, but of an entire book. Therefore, I will limit myself to a simple life hack for breakfast pies. I always have a pack of puff pastry in the freezer for Lent, it’s very convenient. For example, you have something left over from dinner (for us it’s usually a side dish), you quickly defrost the dough, make a filling from the leftover dinner, adding something else for taste, like herbs or fried onions, and make envelopes or triangles from puff pastry. It bakes very quickly, a little fuss too, but tasty breakfast right here!

I hope our ideas will help you develop your own creativity in preparing delicious Lenten breakfasts and spend less time cooking during Lent. And, of course, we expect you to share your ideas too!
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You always want to eat! But sometimes there is no time or desire to cook. Then dumplings from the freezer come to the rescue. But the range of homemade semi-finished products can be much more diverse. This article will show you how to make and freeze taquitos, meatballs, and more. delicious dishes For quick breakfast, lunch and dinner.

You can freeze not only dumplings and cutlets, but also pies, stuffed pancakes and even broths for soups. Below you will find 10 original dishes, suitable for freezing. But before moving on to the recipes, a little theory.

IN freezer−18 ºС. At this temperature, the action of microorganisms stops - frozen food for a long time without losing its taste. How much exactly? Considering that we constantly look into the freezer, that is, temperature changes occur, food slightly thaws and freezes again, no more than two months.

Some foods are not suitable for freezing. For example, zucchini, cucumbers and other watery vegetables. After defrosting, almost all the flavor leaves them along with the moisture. Lettuce leaves lose texture and raw potatoes takes on an unpleasant aftertaste.

You need to know how to freeze and defrost food. How colder dish before putting it in the freezer, the better. If the products have been subjected to heat treatment, it is recommended to first cool them at room temperature, then keep them in the refrigerator and only then freeze them.

Thawing should be done in the reverse order: take the dish out of the freezer, place it on a tray and put it in the refrigerator for 10–12 hours. Slow thawing allows food to absorb moisture lost during freezing. This way the taste is preserved as much as possible. But, if you don’t have time, you can use the defrosting function in microwave oven.

Vacuum bags, plastic and glass trays are used to store food in the freezer. Bags with zip locks are convenient when it is not necessary to maintain the shape of the dish: they significantly save space in the freezer. Plastic containers can be taken with you to work, they are convenient for heating lunch in the microwave, and glass trays are ideal for cooking in the oven, since there is no need to transfer the dish from dish to dish.

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Muffins belong to sweet pastries, but if you use ham and cheese as filling instead of chocolate and fruit, you can get satisfying mini-buns for breakfast. They take little time to prepare, and after freezing and reheating, they are just as delicious as piping hot.

Ingredients:

3–4 pieces of bread;
3-4 slices of ham;
100 g cheddar or other hard cheese;
8 eggs;
1 glass of milk;
2 teaspoons mustard powder;
1 teaspoon ground pepper;
dried parsley and other spices to taste.

Preparation

Cut the bread and ham into thin strips. Grate the cheese on a coarse grater. Fill the muffin tins about two-thirds full with this filling.

In a separate bowl, beat eggs, milk, mustard powder and pepper. Pour the resulting mixture into the mold. But not to the edges, otherwise the muffins will run away during baking. Sprinkle the top of each cell of the mold dried parsley and other seasonings to your taste.

Preheat the oven to 200 ºС. Bake the muffins for 15–20 minutes. Let them cool and then fold them into Plastic container and put it in the freezer.

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In the morning you can get required quantity buns, heat them in the microwave and get a quick, satisfying, and most importantly, delicious breakfast.

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Ideal for breakfast, nutritious and healthy. It provides about 20% daily value fiber and protein, contains a lot of necessary substances and helps control appetite. If you are too lazy to bother with preparing porridge in the morning, there is a solution - frozen oatmeal cups with various fillings (fruits, nuts, dried fruits, etc.).

Ingredients:

2 cups oatmeal;
3 glasses of milk or water (optional);
1 tablespoon honey;
30 g butter;
a pinch of salt;
fruits, berries, chocolate, nuts, dried fruits and other fillings.

Preparation

In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. Pour in cereals and mix thoroughly. Reduce heat to low and simmer porridge for 5–7 minutes until thickened. Stir constantly. Remove the oatmeal from the heat, add a knob of butter and a spoonful of honey, mix well. Let cool slightly.

Grease the muffin tin vegetable oil and put the porridge into cells. Sprinkle some filling on top of each serving. These can be diced bananas, raspberries, raisins, coconut flakes- what you like to eat oatmeal with.

Wrap the pan in cling film and freeze. When the cups are well set, remove them from the mold and wrap them individually in film. This will significantly save space in the freezer.

Remove the required number of cups from the freezer the night before to easily have a healthy and delicious breakfast in the morning. Just heat the porridge in the microwave. Add milk if necessary.

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Frozen stuffed peppers They help out almost as much as dumplings or dumplings. If you know you have a busy day ahead and won't have time to cook, take the peppers out of the freezer the day before. They will thaw overnight in the refrigerator, all you have to do is put them in the oven.

Ingredients:

8 bell peppers;
700 g minced beef;
250 g rice;
250 g tomato sauce;
1 onion;
2 cloves of garlic;
hard cheddar cheese;
salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation

Wash the peppers, cut off the tops to create “cups”, the inner cavity from the seeds. The cut caps can be crumbled and used in the filling.

Peel the onion and garlic and chop finely. Combine ground beef (you can use ground turkey instead of beef), rice, pepper, onion, garlic and tomato sauce. Salt and pepper to taste. Stuff the peppers with this. Sprinkle grated cheese on top.

In this form, the peppers can already be frozen. When you need to cook them, defrost and bake in the oven at 180 ºС for 30–40 minutes.

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What to take for lunch or? For many, this is a daily headache. This recipe will help diversify the contents of your lunchbox. The ingredients are simple, the preparation is easy.

Ingredients:

1.5 kg of potatoes;
500 g salsa sauce;
500 g hard cheese (for example, cheddar);
50 g butter;
9 eggs;
1 tablespoon olive oil;
1 teaspoon paprika;
½ teaspoon garlic powder;
½ teaspoon salt;
black ground pepper taste.

Preparation

Wash the potatoes and cut into cubes. If it is young, you don’t even have to peel it. Add paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper to the bowl with the potato cubes; olive oil. Mix everything thoroughly. Place the potatoes in a single layer on a lined baking sheet. parchment paper, and place in the oven for 45–60 minutes, preheated to 200 ºС. Stir the potatoes about halfway through cooking.

While it's cooking, make the omelette. To do this, break the eggs into a bowl and lightly beat them with a whisk. Butter Melt in a frying pan and carefully pour in the eggs. Remove the omelette from the heat a couple of minutes before it’s ready; the eggs should still be a little runny.

Divide the potatoes into containers. Add 2-3 tablespoons of salsa or any other sauce of your choice to each of them. Divide the omelette into portions and sprinkle with grated cheese.

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With this amount of ingredients you will get six office lunches. Store them in the freezer, and when necessary, take a container with you, heat them in the microwave and enjoy excellent country-style potatoes.

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Short pasta in the form of corrugated tubes with diagonally cut edges is called penne. You can also use them to make ground beef. delicious casserole, which will help out if you don’t have time for dinner. You can take it to work for lunch.

Ingredients:

1 kg minced beef;
800 g tomatoes per own juice;
500 g penne pasta;
400 g marinara sauce;
400 g ricotta;
400 g mozzarella;
1 large onion;
1 egg;
3 cloves of garlic;
2 teaspoons of Italian herb mixture;
½ teaspoon coarsely ground red pepper (flakes);
salt and black pepper to taste.

Preparation

Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Fry them in olive oil. Then add to them Ground beef. Fry it, stirring constantly, until excess moisture evaporates. When the minced meat is browned, pour the tomatoes in their own juice and marinara sauce into the pan (if you don’t have it on hand, you can use any other tomato sauce). Add spices: Italian mixture, red and black pepper, salt. Simmer for half an hour. After 30 minutes, transfer a third of the sauce from the pan to a separate bowl. Cool.

Also, in a separate bowl, combine the ricotta, grated mozzarella (save some cheese for sprinkling) and eggs. Season with salt, pepper, and whisk until smooth.

Boil the pasta. Rinse them under cold running water. Mix with minced meat and cheese. Place everything in a glass container. Fill with the remaining tomato-meat sauce, sprinkle with grated cheese.

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You must use a glass container so that when you take the casserole out of the freezer, you can immediately put it in the oven. Bake at a temperature of 190 ºС. Moreover, if you put the casserole in the oven straight from the freezer, the cooking time will be 2–2.5 hours. Therefore, it is better to first defrost the dish in the microwave or naturally, on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.

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Taquitos is a dish Mexican cuisine, which represents corn tortillas with filling. This recipe is a salvation for those times when everyone is hungry, but there is no time to cook and nothing to cook with. In just 15 minutes you will have dinner on your table no worse than a restaurant one.

Ingredients:

15 corn tortillas;
500 g chicken breast;
250 g cream cheese;
170 g salsa verde sauce;
4 tablespoons chopped cilantro;
2 tablespoons lime juice;
1 teaspoon onion powder;
¼ teaspoon garlic powder;
1 ½ teaspoons chili powder;
¾ teaspoon cumin;
vegetable oil for frying and greasing.

Preparation

Cut the chicken breast into strips and fry in vegetable oil until golden crust. Cream cheese stir in cilantro, lime juice and spices (cumin, onion, garlic powder and chili powder). Since the dish is Mexican, Pepper Jack cheese goes well with taquitos. He has creamy taste with slightly tart notes. But you can use other semi-soft varieties.

You can make your own tortillas or buy them ready-made. In the latter case, first microwave the tortillas for 1-2 minutes so that they are soft and do not break when folded.

Place chicken and cheese mixture on tortillas. Add some salsa verde. Read about how to prepare it at home. Roll the tortillas into a log.

Preheat the oven to 220 ºС. Cover a baking sheet with foil and spray with vegetable oil. Place the rolls on it so that the edges are down and they do not touch each other. Bake for 15–20 minutes.

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Once the taquitos are baked and cool, place them in a zip-lock freezer bag and place them in the freezer. In a situation where “everyone is hungry, but there is no time to cook and nothing to cook with,” place the rolls again on a baking sheet, lightly sprinkle with vegetable oil and reheat in the oven for 10–15 minutes.

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Nuggets are usually associated with fast food, but they can be the basis for a second one for lunch or dinner. When you don't have time to fry the cutlets, remove them from the freezer and reheat the nuggets. As a side dish, you can boil pasta or make mashed potatoes.

Ingredients:

1 ½ kg chicken fillet;
200 g flour;
200 g corn flakes;
5 eggs;
1 tablespoon paprika.

Preparation

Wash the meat, dry it and cut it into small pieces about 3–5 cm long. Cornflakes grind in a blender. Mix flour and paprika in a separate bowl. Also whisk the eggs separately.

Dip each piece of chicken first in flour, then in eggs and finally in cereal. Do this carefully if you want the nuggets to have a real crunch. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the breaded chicken pieces on it. Bake the nuggets in the oven at 180 ºC for 15–20 minutes.

When the nuggets have cooled, place them in an airtight container plastic bag, and put it in the freezer. It is useful to label frozen food packages. Indicate the name of the dish and the date of preparation.

Julia Frost/Flickr.com

Meatballs are a dish Italian cuisine, which are balls of minced meat. They are similar to meatballs and meatballs, but neither. Meatballs are usually stewed, meatballs are boiled in broth, and meatballs are baked in the oven (Italian version) or deep-fried (American version). Meatballs are a great solution for those who don’t have the time or desire to stand at the stove. It's tasty and satisfying. Meatballs can be eaten as independent dish or serve with a side dish.

Ingredients:

1 kg minced beef;
200 g breadcrumbs;
200 g ricotta;
2 eggs;
5 tablespoons of olive oil;
parsley, salt, pepper and other spices to taste.

Preparation

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Ricotta can be replaced thick sour cream, but it is better to use minced beef: pork is too fatty for this dish.

Julie Magro/Flickr.com

Form the resulting minced meat into balls about 5 cm in diameter. Place them in a container, wrap it in foil and freeze. Meatballs should be baked at 180 ºС for 20–30 minutes.

Stew with chicken and vegetables - preparation for multicooker

Thehumbledhomemaker.com

Significantly simplifies life: put in groceries, press a button and go about your business. And if, in addition, you freeze the preparation, where all the ingredients have already been washed and chopped, then the time savings becomes even more noticeable.

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken fillet;
2 bell peppers;
1 onion;
2 cloves of garlic;
1 tablespoon honey;
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar;
1 tablespoon chili powder;
2 teaspoons cumin;
1 teaspoon paprika.

Preparation

Wash the chicken and cut into strips. Also wash the pepper, remove seeds and chop. Peel and chop the onion and garlic.

Take a ziplock bag and add all the ingredients, including honey and Apple vinegar. Release as much air as possible from the bag. Freeze. When needed, defrost the bag, pour its contents into the slow cooker and simmer the stew for 3-6 hours. You can do all the manipulations in the morning so that in the evening, when you come home from work, you can enjoy a delicious dinner.

N i c o l a/Flickr.com

Guests are on the doorstep, and there’s a ball rolling in the refrigerator? For such a case, it’s a good idea to have a pizza preparation. Remove the foil and cling film, and after 15 minutes on your table delicious treat. Pizza dough, of course, can be bought at the store. But homemade tastes better.

Ingredients

For the test:

200 ml hot water;
2–3 cups flour;
2 tablespoons olive oil;
1 tablespoon honey;
1 ½ teaspoons dry yeast;
½ teaspoon salt;
1 teaspoon each of a mixture of Italian herbs and garlic powder (optional).

Filling option:

chicken fillet;
salami;
olives.

Preparation

IN hot water dissolve a spoonful of honey, then add yeast there and let stand for 5-7 minutes. Pour in the olive oil, add salt and seasonings if you decide to use them. Mix well. Carefully gradually add flour and knead the dough. Cover the bowl with the dough with a towel and leave for half an hour. The dough should rise and double in volume.

Roll out the dough. You can make small portioned pizzas (it’s easier to store), or you can make one large circle. Bake the dough without (!) filling at a temperature of 220 ºС for 7–8 minutes.

Remove the future pizza from the oven, let it cool slightly and brush with sauce. It can be anything, such as alfredo, barbecue, or just ketchup and mayonnaise. Place the filling on top. It also depends on your imagination and the products at hand. Don't forget to sprinkle with grated cheese!

Wrap the semi-finished pizza in cling film and then in foil and freeze it. When guests arrive, place the pizza in the oven for 15 minutes. All you need is for the filling to bake and the cheese to melt.

Bon appetit!

Write in the comments what foods and dishes you freeze.

You can freeze the components of dishes, individual ingredients or assembled whole dishes.

Meal ingredients are anything you can prepare ahead of time and/or mix together to speed up meal preparation. For example, to prepare borscht with beans, you can cook and freeze meat broth, separately beans, separately frying for borscht, tomato preparation and meat. And then just mix it all in a saucepan, add potatoes and fresh cabbage. And no one can distinguish borscht from freshly prepared one. And it will take about 30 minutes.

Individual ingredients are all kinds of monocomponents, such as mushrooms, tomatoes, meat, from which you can subsequently prepare any dish.

Assembled dishes - can be either raw or ready meals. You can prepare ready-made sets of lunches (breakfasts, dinners) or, as they say now, “meals”.

Freezes well:

Meatloaves, (raw and prepared), meatballs. Once you've made them using your favorite recipes, portion them into containers or freezer bags. Raw dishes Before cooking, defrost and then cook as usual.
Marinated meat and poultry. Cut raw meat into portions, place them in portion bags or containers, cover with marinade and freeze. The meat is finally marinated when defrosted in the refrigerator. Once defrosted, cook the meat as usual.
Casseroles, lasagnas, enchiladas. Collect raw and freeze. These dishes require complete defrosting before use.
Various flatbreads: corn or wheat for making burritos or tacos, pita, etc. They are frozen fried. Before use, do not defrost, but quickly heat up in a frying pan or in the oven.
Fillings for burritos, tacos, shawarma, pita rolls chopped, mixed and frozen raw and cooked just before consumption.
Pancakes with filling. Ready-made ones are frozen with ready-made filling. Before use, do not defrost, but quickly heat up in a frying pan.
Pies. The pies are frozen or semi-finished and finished cooking in the oven. Or freeze raw, assembled in a baking dish, and do not defrost before baking.
Pies with fillings. The pies are frozen half-cooked.
Stews, soups and broths, chili. This category of dishes is frozen completely ready and reheated without defrosting.
Dough products with fillings for subsequent cooking: dumplings, dumplings, khinkali, manti, ravioli. They are frozen raw and do not defrost before cooking.
Marinades and sauces preparedNot based on emulsions and intended for heating or hot dishes, such as pasta. Very often there is not enough time to prepare marinades, sauces and other dressings. But it turns out that many sauces can be prepared and frozen. And what’s more, many of them are easier to cook in large batches or cook in season and save not only time, but also money.
Bread, buns,. If you bake, the best way to save effort and time is to bake the dish until half-cooked and finish it before eating without defrosting.
Cheese. Storing grated cheese in the freezer allows you to save a lot of time on grating. In addition, sometimes there is excess leftover, which is difficult to store in the refrigerator (cheese requires fairly high humidity for storage). Most types of cheese are suitable for freezing except soft cheeses with mold like brie or camembert. But at the same time, mozzarella, gorgonzola picante, and feta are suitable.
Marinades and sauces.
Meat, fish and chicken raw. The best way To save money is to buy a large volume and cut the meat yourself. For example, you buy several chickens at once and disassemble them depending on the desired use: cut off breast fillets, separate wings, drumsticks, collect fat to make chicken lard, leave bones for broth, chop minced meat for cutlets. All this can be frozen separately and used as needed.
Prepared meat, such as ham, boiled pork. It is more convenient to cut the finished meat and divide it into portions. This meat is used as a filling for sandwiches, tacos, burritos, in salads and soups.
Sausages for frying and boiling, sausages. Sausages tolerate freezing well. They must be thawed before cooking.
Pizza. Pizza is frozen raw (with sauces and toppings) in a baking dish. This pizza is baked without defrosting. Or pizza crusts are baked separately until half cooked, and sauces and toppings are frozen separately. The sauce will need to be thawed before use, but the crust and toppings may remain frozen.
Dough of all types. Almost any dough can be frozen - yeast, shortbread, puff pastry, etc. Before cooking, the dough is defrosted and it is ready to use.

Freezing is the easiest way to prepare food for the winter. Moreover, you can freeze almost everything: vegetables and fruits, mushrooms and berries, various spices and herbs. Stored this way fresh food, perfectly retain their vitamins and beneficial features all winter. Semi-finished products are also subject to freezing, which, if necessary, can simply be thawed and added to the prepared dish during its preparation. However, it must be taken into account that freezing any supplies has its own characteristics. Step-by-step recipes with photos will help you take into account all the nuances in order to preserve as many vitamins as possible.

The best recipes with photos

The last notes

The main difficulty in storing radishes is that when frozen in a regular freezer, where the standard temperature is –18 to –24 °C, the water contained in the radishes turns into crystals that burst the fruit. And when defrosting, the radish will simply drain, leaving a puddle of water and a limp rag.

According to the survey, women spend on average more than 8 hours a week cooking. And if you add up all the time women spend at the stove during their lives, you get 3 years of continuous cooking! Fortunately, there is a way to reduce this time, and a regular freezer will help with this. Now we will tell you everything.

There are 2 ways to start saving time on cooking:

Prepare 5-6 dishes at a time (portions should be small), freeze most of the dishes and then, as needed, defrost and eat.
Or you can cook 1 dish each time, but in a larger volume than usual, and freeze part of it. In a week or two, your freezer will have accumulated so much ready food, that you can periodically allow yourself not to think about cooking, but simply defrost and reheat supplies.

We will tell you which ready-made dishes can be frozen and not be afraid that after defrosting they will turn into an unappetizing substance.

1. Pilaf

Freeze it. Pilaf should be frozen only when it is freshly prepared and cooled to room temperature. It can be packaged in bags (after releasing all the air) or containers. Also, don't forget to put a sticker on it indicating the freezing date. Keep Frozen pilaf is possible 3 months at a temperature of −18 °C.

Defrost. There are several defrosting methods:

In a frying pan (if frozen in a bag). Transfer the pilaf to an unheated dry frying pan and simmer over low heat under the lid. You can add a couple of tablespoons of water.
In the microwave. Just use defrost mode.
In a refrigerator. Place frozen pilaf in it for about 8–10 hours (depending on volume), then reheat the dish in any way convenient for you.

2. Cheesecakes

Freeze it. After making the cheesecakes, place them on paper towels to absorb excess oil. First, cool them to room temperature, and then place them in the refrigerator for an hour. Then fold them into a tower of 5-6 pieces, wrap cling film or just put it in a bag. Keep ready-made cheesecakes in the freezer 4 months.

Defrost. The cheesecakes need to be placed in the refrigerator, and then, when they are completely defrosted, reheat them in the microwave or oven. It's better to defrost them in the evening, and by morning you will have ready breakfast.

3. Stuffed peppers

Freeze it. First, the finished dish must be placed in the refrigerator to cool. After about 2 hours, the pepper can be put into bags, remembering to release the air from them afterwards. If you have enough freezer space, divide the peppers into containers. Keep ready stuffed peppers 3 months.

If you made the peppers and gravy, you can freeze it separately using small containers.

Defrosting:

In a refrigerator. Place them there in advance, for example overnight. You can reheat this dish in a frying pan in sauce or in the oven.

4. Pizza

Freeze it. The finished pizza should be cooled to room temperature and wrapped in cling film. Keep There should be no more pizza in the freezer six months. By the way, you can cut it into pieces, wrap each one in film and freeze it like that.

Defrost. First, let the pizza thaw a little, maybe not completely. Then remove the film and place the pizza in the microwave for 3-4 minutes or in a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes.

5. Rice

Freeze it. Cooked rice can be frozen if you have cooked it correctly. If you end up with an unappetizing, sticky rice mass, then freezing and thawing this mass will become even less pleasant. So first cooked rice needs to be cooled. To do this, place it on a flat tray and stir occasionally with a fork. Once the rice has cooled, pour it into containers without compacting it. Leave some empty space. Place the containers in the freezer and shake them several times over the next 2 hours to prevent the rice from sticking together into one big brick. If everything was done correctly, the rice will be crumbly after defrosting. Keep it's possible 3–6 months.

Defrosting:

Place the rice on the refrigerator shelf until completely defrosted.
You can also defrost rice in the microwave: transfer it to a plate, add a little cold boiled water and turn on defrost mode.
You can also heat the rice in a frying pan: reduce the heat to low, add a little water to the rice and stir from time to time.

6. Potatoes

Freeze it. Potatoes are a special product for freezing, since after defrosting they can change their taste and texture. Therefore, it is optimal to freeze potatoes in the form of mashed potatoes. It must be frozen freshly prepared. Cool the puree to room temperature, then place in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours. After that, put it in containers or bags and put it in the freezer. Keep puree is ok up to six months.

Defrosting:

In the microwave using the defrost mode.
On the refrigerator shelf for several hours.
In a frying pan - just add a little water.

7. Porridge

It may seem that there is no point in freezing dishes that take half an hour to prepare. But nevertheless, sometimes half an hour plays a big role after a hard day of work.

Freeze it. All porridges can be frozen, the only difference is the timing storage: porridge cooked in water can be stored no more than 6 months, and porridge with milk - no more than 4.

So, ready-made porridge you need to cool them to 4–6 °C (put them in the refrigerator for an hour), and then pour them into containers or bags (for example, you can do this with oatmeal or buckwheat) and place them in the freezer.

A little trick: place a bag inside the container and then pour the porridge into it. When it's frozen, remove the bag from the container and you'll have a frozen brick of porridge that won't take up much space in the freezer.

Liquid cereals are best stored in a jar or container. Don't forget that the product will expand when frozen, so leave some empty space.

Defrost. Porridge should only be defrosted on the refrigerator shelf. Dry ones will thaw in a few hours, but liquid ones are best defrosted in the evening. In the morning you will have a ready-made breakfast, which will remain to be heated in the microwave.

8. Puree soups, broths

Freeze it. You should only put freshly brewed cream soup or broth into the freezer, and not one that has been standing for a day or two. It is also worth considering that after defrosting the soup, the pasta contained in it will darken (due to starch, which reacts to temperature changes). Also, do not freeze soup that contains potatoes, as there is a chance that after defrosting the soup will turn into porridge.

So, after the soup has cooled, pour it into dry containers and put it in the freezer. Be sure to leave some free space in your containers. Keep such soups should not last longer 3 months.

By the way, it is better not to freeze greens in soups. Freeze it crushed in fresh separately.

Defrost. The soup can be defrosted in the microwave (on defrost mode) or in the refrigerator: in this case, the soup will thaw for 4-5 hours, and then it needs to be heated in a saucepan over low heat. It is not at all necessary to bring the soup to a boil.

9. Baking

Freeze it. Bread, rolls, pies, cupcakes, muffins, pies, cookies and gingerbread can be frozen. Large baked goods, such as bread or pie, should be sliced before freezing. Keep baked goods in the freezer can be in bags or containers and no longer 2 months.

Defrosting:

In the microwave.
Leave to defrost at room temperature.

10. Meat products

Freeze it. First, any ready-made meat dish(cutlets, chicken, meatballs, etc.) cool to room temperature and wrap in cling film, and then put the briquettes in the freezer. Keep meat products should not last longer 3 months.

Defrosting:

At room temperature.
In the microwave. To taste qualities the dishes are not particularly affected, you can add a little to it herbs, butter or some sauce to taste.

A few important points

After you bag your food, be sure to completely remove any air from the bag.
If you are freezing something liquid (sauces, soups), do not forget to leave some space in the container, as when freezing the liquid will increase in volume and the container may crack.
Remember to mark the freezer date on bags and containers.
It's better to defrost food in a slow way(on the refrigerator shelf). Use the microwave only if you are short on time.
Once defrosted, prepared meals cannot be re-frozen.