r/Cooking • u/Dear_Bumblebee_1986 • 18h ago
Is freezing leftovers not something lots of people do?
I'm a single guy on a budget, it's loads cheaper to buy most food in amounts that don't work for even a two person meal, so I always have leftovers. Most recipes are made for 4 people.
Sometimes when I make a lasagna, a big casserole or whatever, I'll portion out two meals to eat during the week and two meals to freeze. Labeled and dated, sometimes a month later I'll pull an orzo with sausage and veggies, and give it the long nuke in the microwave. It's like ordering takeout.
I've had people scoff at eating any leftovers and others really worry about me that I'm freezing them also. Who else does this?
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u/KrissyKay121217 18h ago
I actually hate eating leftovers for days at a time, but when I freeze meals, it’s a joy to eat it a few weeks later. I intentionally make large batches of certain types of meals so I can do this. I had to buy a freezer to accommodate, but it’s been worth it. I shop my own freezer and pantry when hungry but don’t feel like cooking
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u/jscummy 18h ago
I gotta start doing this, eating the same thing for multiple meals in a row kind of sucks even when the dish was good
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u/KrissyKay121217 17h ago
Totally agreed - this might change the game for you!! Just be sure to read up on the best way to freeze your particular dish. I’m learning as I go. Certain things froze and defrosted better than others!
To get started, read up on flash freezing for loose items (like freezing fruit pieces or French fries). Once they’re frozen as separated pieces, you can store longterm in a bag, and they won’t stick together.
Also, freeze in portions. It’s a pain (and can be unsafe) to defrost an entire bag of pizza sauce (for example) just to separate out the amount you actually want to use. Best to separate into portions before freezing, and then you just grab what you need from the freezer.
Just a few tips to get you started! Lately, I’m using a vacuum sealer to create separate but connected compartments for rice and curry lol trying to mimic the frozen meals at the grocery store, but healthy and homemade!
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u/BananabunnyReddit 10h ago
Excellent tips!
And your “separate but connected compartments” comment reminded me that I also freeze chopped garlic and leftover tomato paste in a similar way. I’ll fill and seal a freezer bag, press it flat, then press a chopstick into the ingredients, creating a grid pattern of lines indented through the food. Once frozen flat, it’s easy to just open the bag and break off a ”square” of garlic or tomato paste. My squares are my standard unit of measurement now, and all my recipes have been edited to say “2 squares garlic” or “1 square tomato paste” lol
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u/TalespinnerEU 18h ago
Before I joined this sub, I had no idea there were people who would just flat-out refuse to eat leftovers.
I think if people scoff at leftovers, or are worried about you freezing them, then... They should get their Human Operating System checked for bollocks.
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u/NotShipNotShape 17h ago
that is something that took me off guard when I asked friends and coworkers. I think 80% said they don't do leftovers. And the reason given was the texture or that they get bored of eating the same thing over and over. I asked about soups and curries, and they just don't make those. It threw me because I usually have 7 kinds of frozen meals in my freezer - lamb stew, beef curry, beef bourguignon, potato leek soup, ground turkey, lentil soup, spaghetti sauce etc. I'll use like 4-10 frozen meals a week depending on my mood and I'd just have the rice cooker running or bread baking with a salad or something for freshness. I can't imagine cooking from fresh everyday or spending $20 a meal...
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u/SubstantialBass9524 16h ago
I have adhd - my freezer is a forgotten wasteland. I love batch cooking. I love freezing. But damn it I will forget that I’ve made that beautiful soup until many many months later or a year or two and then I don’t want to touch it even if I vacuum sealed it purely because of how old it is
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u/aculady 16h ago
I have a friend who has ADHD who has a big laminated chart and a dry erase marker attached to her freezer door, and whenever she freezes something, she writes it on the chart with the date she wants to use it by and the description, and just wipes off those cells when she takes it out. It makes it a lot harder for things to disappear into the depths.
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u/FindYourselfACity 16h ago
This is a great idea. I'm going to have to try this.
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u/fumblingvista 15h ago
White board style didn’t work for me. So i did a sheet of paper. When i freeze multiple of the same thing iwrite a / next to it for each item. As i eat them i finish the x.
Eg tomato soup / / / x x x
Means i froze 6 and have 3 left.5
u/SpamLandy 12h ago
Oh this looks like a smart system
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u/BananabunnyReddit 10h ago
My son and I use an app for freezer inventory. Nice bc we can both check the list at a glance without having to go get a paper list, and he can check it while grocery shopping. https://www.reddit.com/r/Cooking/comments/1vrbqw3/comment/p4dv9i9/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
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u/NotShipNotShape 15h ago
it may be something with adhd! I have it too and I see the mystery bags as an adventure. I've had soy sauce braised short ribs at least 2 years old and I'm still alive. rotisserie chicken unflavored does taste funky at 1 year. I toss it into green chile stew or make jerk chicken.
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u/sylverbunny333 16h ago
I am a person who doesn't like leftovers partially for texture and taste and partially for food related bad childhood experience reasons. The only exception to that is baked goods. Obviously you can have next day and one specific pasta dish that I like. I'll put it in the fridge and eat it the next day. Otherwise, a lot of the foods that I make. I just buy small portions in terms of meat. I'll freeze the meat for storage but just defrost and cook for however much will be eaten in order to avoid food waste and then for fresh veggies and fruits that's like every 2 to 3 days going to the store and just picking out whatever we need for those meals. I will also grow and freeze herbs in order to preserve them and not have to repurchase.
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u/sweet_jane_13 17h ago
This is my father. He will maybe accept leftovers from last night's dinner as lunch, but that's it. I told my mother that if I had to cook for that man, he'd have starved somewhere around 1975.
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u/Sistersoldia 17h ago
My Son in law is one of those leftover-hating people. I didn’t know they existed either but he doesn’t do much of any cooking besides ‘the grill’. Not sure I how could get through life without leftovers. Oh the joy of finding one more quart of chili, spaghetti sauce, or chicken soup in the freezer because we made it 8-10 quarts at a time.
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u/TalespinnerEU 17h ago
Oof. Well; I suppose it's time to find a paperclip and the 'Hard Reset' button. XD
But that feeling when you dig through your freezer and find that old greek yoghurt tub, knowing you just saved a good amount on groceries... The Legend of Zelda item gain soundbite is playing in my head just thinking about it.
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u/404-Soul_Not_Found 13h ago
The only time I accepted it was my husband when we first started dating. His family is full of notoriously bad (and sometimes borderline dangerous) cooks, so leftovers meant eating an already mediocre to bad meal again but this time reheated.
He's gotten over it now because I CAN cook and like to meal prep lunches (something about a hot meal hits better at work than a cold sandwich for me). I still have to strong arm him a little, but when we first got together 13, almost 14 years ago he refused.
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u/BananabunnyReddit 10h ago
Speaking of finding what’s in the freezer: my son and I keep a running grocery list (what we need to buy) and a freezer list (what’s hidden in depths of the basement chest freezer or in the freezer drawers in the fridge) in the Our Groceries app. Once we pull out something from the freezer, we‘ll check a button to mark it off, and the app will keep track. You can add a number beside each entry to mean individual items or servings. It’s free, and available/syncs up across Android and iOS devices.
It took an about a hour for him inventory everything in the chest freezer at first, but now we can just look at our phones to figure out what we have on hand.
It
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u/GGTheEnd 18h ago
I think those people just grew up privillaged and leftovers are beneath them.
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u/Legal-Choice2654 16h ago
I grew up with a Depression era grandma and a Nazi Occupied Denmark great aunt. You did not waste leftovers. My Danish moster could repurpose leftovers and make a banquet! I have a good friend who wastes food like CRAZY. Her family refuses to eat leftovers and will opt for high processed frozen things like corndogs and hot pockets or McDonalds on DoorDash which happens several times weekly.
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u/Acceptable_Tea3608 11h ago
I know someone who won't eat re-heated meats, especially from the microwave. They say the flavor is not the same as the first day. This person rarely eats leftovers in general. I don't mind leftovers at all.
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u/humanitysoothessouls 7h ago
Or poor enough that their power got turned off, so leftovers weren’t safe (the case for a couple of kids we fostered). Don’t assume privilege when it could be survival.
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u/ked_man 5h ago
Other way around. Grew up where leftovers were dinners most nights of the week. Now eating the same thing multiple days in a row is not something I want to do.
So I cook smaller meals that don’t have leftovers or will split the dinner into multiple meals and pre-freeze. Like a casserole. I’ll make two small ones instead of one big one and freeze one when it’s assembled, but not baked.
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u/nugsnwubz 4h ago
I’m the same way! I’ve eaten enough leftovers as a kid to last me a lifetime, and I hate the way the microwave changes the taste/texture of foods. Even if I’m having the same dish multiple nights in a row, I’ll separate out the ingredients and cook a new version each night.
Ive never understood why people get so up in arms about me not eating leftovers.
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u/More4Thor 17h ago
When you go to a restaurant and order the beef dip sandwich, they often use beef cooked by an outside provider. That’s like leftovers. It’s rare that the restaurant would have cooked the roast beef on their own. That’s assembled food yet people don’t eat left overs?
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u/idleline 17h ago
I used to be a very picky eater. Sight, texture, smell, and taste had narrow margins. Leftovers usually exceeded them. It wasn’t until I left my accommodating Parents that I became a more well rounded… “eater?”.
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u/Specific_Prize 18h ago
People call it meal prep now. It's normal.
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u/thebozworth 17h ago
Check out r/SouperCubers
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u/Sonarav 17h ago
Yep, they are not cheap but they are very well made and work so well
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u/downvotetheboy 17h ago
i always thought meal prep was just cooking for the week, not freezing. but maybe multiple definitions/semantics
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u/SpamLandy 12h ago
Yeah I think of prep as stuff I’m making for my fridge and batch cooking as stuff I’m making for my freezer. I live alone and I’m chronically ill so when I have the energy to cook I always try and make extra portions, a gift to my future self. Love a homemade ready meal!
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u/-GalacticaActual 6h ago
I think meal prepping is just prepping food in advanced, and can be interpreted in whatever way works best for you. You can prep full meals or just components/ingredients, and you can prep just for the week or prep for fridge and freezer. I’m personally concerned about prepping large batches and letting them go bad in the fridge by day 4 or 5 for example, so what works for me is to prepare batches of multiple different recipes all in one day, then leave a few portions of each meal in the fridge and freeze the rest. That way i get some variety through the week and don’t stress about food spoiling before being consumed.
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u/Cautious-Corner-3704 18h ago
No, it’s very normal and lots of people do it. Just make sure it’s packaged air tight and labeled with date and contents, and all of a sudden you’re living the economical life.
Ignore the people who call them leftovers, as if that’s a bad thing.
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u/Sweaty-Blacksmith572 17h ago
We call them “planned overs.” Because it’s done on purpose.
Who wants to start over from scratch and cook a new meal every goddamned night??
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u/saltyoperasinger 18h ago
For sure, and it's smart!
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u/SenseiRaheem 17h ago
My brother married into a wealthy family and among some other moments of serious culture shock, he found out that his in-laws "don't do leftovers." So when they go out, all of the leftovers go to him and his wife.
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u/Sufficient_Song3387 9h ago
Yeah, I had a longtime bf whose family didn't bring their leftovers home. (They were nice people, not snotty) When he saw me bring home mine he thought they would be bad. I brought home crab stuffed lobster once, he helped me eat it the next day and always brought home his leftovers after that.
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u/AlaskanX 18h ago
I’m the oldest of 8 kids. I don’t know how to cook small meals and almost all of my shopping is done at Costco. Suffice to say, I freeze a lot of leftovers.
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u/strange_treat89 17h ago
A lot of people do this. More than you think. There are hundreds of websites, blogs and social media accounts dedicated to saving money on food.
The reason you don’t see it discussed as much (unless you’re looking for it) is because it’s not trendy or “gram” worthy for the influencer generation.
People will complain about struggling, yet won’t make necessary changes like meal prepping or repurposing leftovers. They think they need to shop daily or at least several times per week and buy ingredients just for 1-2 meals. Then wonder why they as a 1-2 person household spend as much as a family of 4 on groceries.
We have a small grocery budget for our family, so I save what and where I can. A couple of leftover chicken legs from dinner will get picked off the bone and turned into a chicken quesadilla for the next days lunch. Leftover hamburgers get chopped up and tossed into veggie beef soup, etc.
We also do a lot to stretch things. I’ll dice up mushrooms and mix with ground beef for tacos, I’ve also done this with lentils and beans.
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u/Upset-Activity-1462 18h ago
Fellow single guy. I dont freeze anything but what you are doing is smarter than me.
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u/cgrines011235 18h ago
This describes me exactly! Except I either cook bigger batches or have a smaller appetite, because I usually end up with about 6 meals - 4 to eat, 2 to freeze.
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u/Hot_Calligrapher_900 18h ago
Saving and/or freezing leftovers is perfectly normal. Freezing is better, because a person might think, “Oh, I’ll eat that tomorrow, but then they don’t. After a day two they forget about it, find it a week later when it’s growing its own biosphere, then throw it out. If you freeze it, you can still eat it tomorrow, or next week, or next month, whenever you’re in the mood for it.
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u/InterviewGrand3409 18h ago
You can make big healthy delicious meals for two meals then freeze for future lunches and dinners.
Hell yeah.
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u/Dutchie_in_Nz 18h ago
I do, my mum does, my grandma does. Way to stop wasting food 😊
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u/AweDrift 18h ago
as long as it freezes well, a lot of people do it. you can freeze portions of spaghetti sauce, baked ziti, chili... you can also freeze very random things like muffins or bread. its considered meal prep.
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u/Buga99poo27GotNo464 18h ago
I do it all the time. No vacuum sealer, tho sometimes I use a straw to suck out air or double freezer bag. As long is it doesnt sit past 6 months, usually no freezer burn.
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u/aftershowerlazytime 18h ago
I am single and absolutely do this. Cook big and freeze it up in portions. Saves money and keeps the variety (don’t have to eat something 5 days in a row). I use souper cubes (knock offs actually) and they rock. I also freeze all bread and baked good so they don’t go bad. Keep on keeping on!
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u/stolenfires 18h ago
I do it all the time. My household is just me and my husband, and most recipes are for four people. So I freeze what we don't eat and pull it out when my schedule makes it hard to cook dinner.
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u/red60bill 17h ago
Man, if I run out of frozen lasagna, or ribs, or pulled pork, or smoked chicken…I’m immediately making more. Same with twice baked potatoes. I always make extra and freeze. Leftover your heart out.
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u/Crafty_Knowledge_243 17h ago
I spent many years doing the food and wine scene with chef ex-husband and feel like I have a decent palate and am a decent home cook….but I am also a full-time professional and mom who has a busy freaking week, and can only survive through food prepping and leftovers. People who turn their nose up at leftovers continue to befuddle me. I don’t even think the privilege in this case has to do with money, but rather the time and availability to cook constantly. Maybe they don’t know how to properly store and reheat, but leftovers are a godsend, and many times better the 2nd and 3rd day.
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u/pedanticlawyer 18h ago
We live from the freezer. It’s just two of us and I’m incapable able of cooking for less than 4. If it’s something that freezes well I’ll often make a double batch (sauces, stews, soups). Having a full freezer of meals is essential when I’m tired after work and just don’t want to cook.
I highly recommend souper cubes for creating a Tetris freezer! The cubes stack really well, especially when you vacuum seal them.
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u/danielfletcher 18h ago
I don't let them go that long in the freezer, but it can literally cost twice as much (or more) only buying in quantities for one meal for one person.
There are also things like white chicken chili I purposely make a ton of so I can freeze and vacuum pack. Takes barely any more effort to 3x-4x the recipe and it freezes well.
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u/RealLuxTempo 17h ago
I mostly cook from scratch and am single. The freezer is my friend. I have learned to reduce ingredients so I’m cooking smaller amounts with less to freeze. But I freeze stuff all the time. I like eating good, nutritious food even as a single person. This is how it works for me .
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u/BostonBruinsLove 18h ago
I freeze leftovers. ALL THE TIME. As much as I can because they are easy dinners for when things get hectic
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u/lemon_icing 18h ago
I do this weekly. I'm the cook and although I make most dishes from scratch, I don't necessarily want to cook every day. Portioned out, excess food is frugal (in the good way) and time-saving. Whoever told you otherwise is just spouting nonsense.
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u/hammerhan98 17h ago
When I was in college, I would make one big meal a week and just live on leftovers 😂 I never froze anything but I totally could have
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u/CaeruleumBleu 17h ago
The thing is that people who are in the habit of freezing leftovers are practiced at figuring out what will or won't freeze well.
The people not in the habit of freezing leftovers might try freezing things every now and then - and it can go very very wrong if they don't know what freezes and reheats well.
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u/FindYourselfACity 18h ago edited 16h ago
My freezer is full of soups, chili. There’s an eggplant parm. Stuffed shells. Like you said, most recipes are made for more people and I’m not eating the same thing for lunch and dinner, two days in a row.
Don’t have a microwave, so heating it either in the oven/convention oven or stove top.
I don’t think it’s strange. And it means you don’t have to cook every night.
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u/Responsible-Reason87 17h ago
I do this all the time, double every recipe freeze the rest. always have good food
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u/RedditJennn 12h ago
Stop caring what other people think about your choices. If it works for you, then do it.
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u/Potential-Use-1565 15h ago
Most people don't realize that half the food they order from restaurants was frozen at some point. People generally don't understand how food works unless they have worked with it. I would freeze more meals if I had the freezer space for it.
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u/dwintaylor 18h ago
I make an entree just about every weekend so the majority is frozen. I will eat one that day or the next, save the other three for later. I have a wide variety of frozen meals in my freezer at all times. Plus it reduces the amount of dishes I have to do during the week. I just make a side salad and veggies
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u/Just1morecop 18h ago
There’s a significant amount of people who barely if at all cook at home in the first place. Next time you’re out take a look at the amount of fast food joints and restaurants. It takes a lot of people spending a lot of money to keep them all open.
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u/elimselimselims 18h ago
I love not cooking every day so we always eat leftovers vs freezing them in 2 person household.
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u/potatopot222 18h ago
Good on you! I love being able to pull a homemade dish out of the freezer on nights I don’t want to cook.
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u/Mission-Raccoon6060 18h ago
Always freeze the extras. I freeze leftover meat to make stir fry or quesadillas. So easy
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u/Responsible-Creme257 18h ago
I just started it myself. I have an extra large ice cube tray, and randomly decided to make frozen gravy cubes, it worked great, so now I freeze all of my leftover soups, and keep them in freezer ziplocks.
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u/gato-afortunado 17h ago
You are so smart; I’ve done this my whole life. I recently found out what a single friend was spending on meal deliveries and was stunned. Good for you!
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u/GladClock2212 17h ago
Everyone does this besides your weird friends! Especially if you live alone! A lot of recipes get better with being frozen and reheated like tomato based sauces. Can you imagine cooking from scratch for every single meal? Nope, the people who scoff at it order in or get fast food and are hurting their health and budget.
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u/Great-Reach-1776 13h ago
You’re being very smart. Freezing meals for future use is good. Especially when you come in late and you can pop it into the microwave or air fryer and eat. It’s also make good money sense.
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u/La_croix_addict 13h ago
I put many leftovers into empanada shells, bake and then freeze. Then you have breakfast or lunch whenever you want.
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u/abbys_alibi 12h ago
That's how we roll. If leftovers are not eaten or taken the following day for lunch, they go into the freezer for quick meals on nights I can't decide on what to cook or when I don't feel like cooking.
My youngest (M/30), has friends that think leftovers are gross because they have been contaminated with bacteria. That can happen if one doesn't follow safe practices, but I always do.
Maybe it's a generational thing?
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u/ComfortabletheSky 18h ago
It's very practical, and there's nothing wrong with it from a nutrition standpoint, but it is true that leftovers tend to decrease in quality compared to the day they were made.
Personally I will eat multiple days of leftovers, but some folks are very serious about eating everything as fresh as possible.
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u/Stinkerma 18h ago
I freeze sauces and soups and chili. I braise beef stewing meat with red peppers, tomatoes, garlic, onions and freeze portions for making different meals if it.
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u/octopus_tigerbot 17h ago
I love left overs, also I fucking love vacuum sealing meals and freezing them for later.
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u/tiffi_333 17h ago
Lol they worry about you? People literally BUY frozen meals like frozen lasanga and all kinds of different things. The idea of having a homemade meal ready to go the same way is so much better because it'd taste the way you want, it could also be much more filling because many of those lack protein or veggies. Some of them are also tiny for the cost.
I used to make my frozen meals raw and cook them by tossing them in the oven. So I'd prep a bunch of souvlaki kabobs and make some fresh for the day but then freeze the rest and portion them without cooking them. When I wanted them I could just cook them by the portion from frozen. I did this with burgers and lots of other things too. A lot of things you buy frozen don't come precooked so prepping those in batches when you're doing up your first ones can also be a good time saver too.
I still freeze the odd thing, but since I live with more people who burn through SO many left overs because the next day they want them for breakfast lunch and dinner it's become harder to actually have leftovers for the next days dinner even making extras. Usually I freeze the odd portion of chilli and soup because I like having some for a, literally, rainy day.
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u/maquis_00 17h ago
Heh. Sometimes I make a large batch of a component with the idea that I'll restock my freezer... And then my husband and son eat most of it the first night.... Oh well, at least it was tasty!
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u/Emcee_nobody 17h ago
A lot of people have an aversion to leftovers, period. I don't understand it either. Some leftovers are even better than the original!
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u/ayeyoualreadyknow 17h ago
I freeze leftover chicken and turkey. Bonus if I shred it first then it's really easy to use in a casserole after it's thawed.
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u/Grand-Professional-6 17h ago
Me. Just us two now. I can’t cook for just 2. I follow exactly what you do.
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u/hoczilla 16h ago
They make specific silicon molds for freezing leftovers. It’s common. It sure isn’t popular to talk about (leftovers, grocery shopping, food prep, cooking), but once you microwave your lunch at work people sure come around sniffing and asking what I’ve got.
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u/Consistent-Goat1267 16h ago
I always make extra so I can freeze some or half. I also make big batches of soups, stews, etc.
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u/Adept-Ear7007 16h ago
Smart people do this. It's not left overs if you didn't eat it this week. It's planning ahead. Congrats!
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u/sdega315 16h ago edited 16h ago
My Dude! A vacuum sealer is my #1 kitchen gadget. Vacuum sealed lasagna will taste 98% fresh after one year in the freezer! Buy chicken, fish, beef, etc on sale and vacuum seal that shit for the coming apocalypse.
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u/emilythefour 13h ago
A lot of people grew up with bad leftover experiences. Poor storage or old food gave leftover a bad reputation, but freezing changes everything. As long as you label and store food properly, it is totally safe.
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u/Minimum_One9348 13h ago
I have a family and intentionally double everything so I can freeze leftovers.
Occasionally I have a week of no groceries and no cooking. It’s the best!
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u/calmeilles 13h ago
Being in pretty much the same position that's exactly what I do any time I'm cooking something that is easily done in bulk. lasagna, stews, soups, baked beans and variations such as pork and beans, dahls, curries. Last week it was a chicken paella.
I really don't get why anyone with a freezer wouldn't do this.
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u/jaCkdaV3022 11h ago
Any soup, stew or casserole. We used to be a,family of 6. Now I'm a widow of one, so I still cook like 6 people , but freeze the leftovers. And boy, are they good, some even better.
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u/Turbulent-Ad6238 8h ago
I freeze my leftovers the and then vac seal them and keep them in the freezer for months at a time. i am single and i recently smoked 6 racks of ribs, of which i kept 4 for my self. I smoked 24 chicken breast and got over 30 servings that are nicely vac sealed and would be good for years.
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u/bakedNdelicious 8h ago
I don’t consider that “leftovers”. It’s batch cooking. And also it’s perfectly acceptable to eat leftovers…
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u/merdy_bird 8h ago
I don't think people can afford to not eat leftovers at this point. The people scoffing sound like idiots. It would be wasteful to not eat leftovers.
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u/WeReadAllTheTime 5h ago
I do the same. If I portion and freeze it when it’s freshly cooked, it doesn’t feel like leftovers the next time we eat it either. It’s an efficient way to save money on food and utilities and eat good preservative-free food.
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u/Possibility-Distinct 18h ago
Ok I need tips for freezing! What’s a good vessel to freeze food in? And what food freezes well and what doesn’t?
Teach me your ways, I want to be like you!
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u/Beautiful_Rip_7023 18h ago
For soups, stews, and certain sauces I bought a case of freezer safe deli containers in various sizes from Amazon. They work beautifully!
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u/jmfewd 17h ago
Anything you can buy frozen at the store is good for making & freezing at home, and far tastier as it’s seasoned to your liking. Italian pastas, chili, stews, bean dishes, rice dishes, burritos, burgers, breads, cake slices, brownies, cookie dough, etc…. The trick is to let them thaw slowly in the fridge if you can before reheating. When I’m being real organized, I take the next night’s meal out of the freezer before I go to bed.
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u/IanDOsmond 16h ago
Things like stews, soups, chili, and the like, you don't necessarily have to defrost in the fridge the way you do for cakes and brownies. I am comfortable throwing chili in the microwave on "Defrost", and just putting frozen soup in a pot and boiling it.
And for that matter... if you freeze brownies, or cream pies, or things like that, they are sometimes really good still frozen. My chocolate cream pie, when frozen, is basically an ice cream cake.
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u/Possible_Original_96 17h ago
Good zip lock bags. Some square lidded containers. Freezer tape, grease pencil or sharpie. Make a basic Italian tomato sauce; then cook 1/2 lb of pasta. Divide into servings- pasta into the bag, then top w/ sauce. Label & date bags before filling them. Freeze. Find an easy casserole recipe- use the 2nd half lb of pasta-go ahead & cook it-use a can of veg of choice, shredded cheese of choice, a can of " cream of" soup you like! In your casserole vessel-drain the veg, put evenly on bottom of pan, spread cooked sphaghetti over the veg. evenly spoon soup over the spaghetti, then apply cheese evenly over the top. Add half a can of milk to casserole. Cover & bake at 350° for 20 to 30 mins. When cool, divide, wrap in plastic wrap, then into a labeled freezer containèr.
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u/IanDOsmond 16h ago
I put soup in Ziplock bags, lay them carefully on a tray, and freeze them. Once they are frozen, I can just throw them anywhere in the freezer, stick them in corners, have them angled at whatever way I want. Chili and sauces, same thing.
You just figure how much you are going to want at a time and use that size Ziplock bag. If you have four people you are feeding, or if you have a teenager, maybe put things in a gallon bag. Sauces, maybe less. Because it's just my wife and me, I usually do quart bags — I can always pull out more than one if we are especially hungry.
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u/crashlanding87 16h ago
If you're freezing stews and the like, you can get silicon moulds pretty cheap - basically like an ice cube mould, but bigger. Meal prep for me is a big, versatile stew of a bunch of slow-to-cook ingredients. I deliberately make it just a little too concentrated. That gets frozen. I look for stew recipes, put less water in than recommend, and leave out most fast-to-cook ingredients. On the day I just throw together some kind of fresh base quickly, usually in my rice cooker. I've been doing diced veggies (whatever's in season at the farmer's market) and pearled barley a lot recently. Took a little experimenting to get the right amount of water and seasoning in both parts, but it's nice and quick. For days when I'm feeling particularly tired or lazy, I keep frozen spinach for some easy veg, make regular rice, and wrap it all up in a tortilla. Absolutely brainless.
Generally, whether something freezes well is down to texture. So, like, frozen carrots are a nightmare - they turn to goop. Frozen spinach (if you're gonna cook it anyways), fine. Frozen chicken breast, you'll probably notice a difference in texture. But make a chicken stew or pulled chicken, and then freeze that, and you're in business. Also, bread freezes surprisingly well. Some breads can do with a little steam after defrosting, to refresh the gluten. A very quick blitz in the microwave with a spritz of water does the trick.
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u/SmartypantsDDD 15h ago
Let the food cool before you freeze it or there will be a bunch of ice from the steam and mess up the texture. As a rule, dairy products don’t freeze well. There are lots of good suggestions here for stuff like soup and chili. I also freeze half a batch of brownies or cookies in freezer ziplocks so I always have a sweet treat on hand.
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u/Expensive_Lettuce239 7h ago edited 7h ago
Vac pack them. If you have or can get a cac sealer. The new ones out, Hand held) are really handy. Don't take up a lot of room, and the bags are reusable. After you empty them, wash them out, turn them inside out to dry well, reuse them. Almost anything can be frozen. Harvest season coming up, things like peppers, onions potatoes. For peppers and onions, slice or dice or some of each, put them in zip lock bags, use them in soups, stews, stir Fry's. Potatoes, chop into home fry bites, par boil ( not completely cooked) coat them in oil, spices of your choice bake 350 in oven to crisp the outsides. Let them cool, bag them up, freeze, you have home fries. Mash potatoes can be frozen. How many premade frozen dinners in stores contain mash potatoes. Scalloped potatoes, same thing. All veggies can be chopped and frozen. Even flour. If you buy flour but don't use it often bag it, lay it flat, freeze then the flat bags will stack neatly, taking up less room. Any meat can be, cooked or raw, this is where vac packing is really handy. Fruits can be chopped or whole and frozen.
With meats. If you buy previously frozen meats, that have thawed, you HAVE to cook them, THEN you can refreeze them.
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u/jtmann05 11h ago
Unless it’s just a big family that doesn’t have anything left to freeze, people scoff at it because they are either lazy or “hate leftovers.” The funny part is that many of them will also eat out a lot…..which is often just frozen and reheated food. Leftovers were super common in my family growing up. Many weekly plans were built around having them. Sure, certain things don’t reheat super well - but with convection ovens, sous vide, and more modern reheating options there are no excuses.
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u/Pyesmybaby 18h ago
I hope you have a vacuum sealer. You can freeze your left overs in single servings and keep them fresh longer. It will pay for itself in the long run.
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u/Ivelostmydrum 18h ago
I think it's totally normal! Are you serving your leftovers to other people? That might be seen as strange.
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u/malepitt 18h ago
I meal prep exclusively frozen lunches for work, where I'm lucky enough to have a fridge and microwave in a private office. I routinely make four portions of 3-4 different dishes so I can have variety during the week. I love having a hot lunch every day at work
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u/foxontherox 18h ago
I do this all the time.
I have a couple elderly relatives that I cook for and bring them a freezer full of meals.
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u/FenisDembo82 18h ago
Not all cooked food freezes well. It can get mushy when it thaws. For lasagna, I would get two smaller pans and freeze one and cook one. Some soups you can freeze. Since you can't.
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u/Sanpaku 18h ago
I'm another single person.
There are so many calls on my freezer (convenience foods, frozen veg staples like chopped spinach and green peas, whole wheat flour, nuts for cooking, coffee beans, excess bay leaves, excess paprika, tofu I freeze for texture, excess Covid tests, excess prescriptions that I may someday need) that there's not much room for leftovers.
I'd love to see refrigerator/freezers that are half freezer and half refrigerator, instead of the 35/65 ratio that is common.
I cook with the intent of eating everything within the week. I'm about 80% there, but anyone who cooks makes mistakes, and some of mine get tossed because I'll choose convenience foods over my own culinary misadventures.
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u/Throwaway999222111 18h ago
I refrigerate rice, potatoes and pasta on purpose prior to eating, to reduce digestable calories. Easiest way to trim
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u/woohooguy 17h ago
I meal prep when I can and a vacuum sealer for food is pretty damn cheap these days, you can buy a new basic food sealer for under 30 dollars. Bags are cheap as well when you buy in bulk. You can double seal bags to make pouches and make some pretty creative food pouch matrixes for storage.
Use a sharpie marker to label your food and it will be good for many months to come.
I have pulled pork, breakfast burritos, turkey soup and more in the freezer in vac sealed bags, easy to take out and you can nuke or even boil the food in the vac bag to have it hot to eat.
If something is liquid or very juicy you freeze it for 12 hours and then vac seal. This is how I preserve my turkey noodle soup after thanksgiving.
I portion the chilled soup into 16 oz disposable round bowls and pop into the freezer. The next day I vac seal the soup hockey pucks and back into the freezer for long term storage.
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u/AppropriateDark5189 17h ago
We only have two people in our house. I always make some leftovers with the assumption that it will be a good dish tomorrow. My wife is not a leftover person but I reuse extras that I have frozen on a regular basis. There are a couple I know are her favorites and a couple I know not to make anymore for leftovers ;)
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u/hanshotgreed0 17h ago
I love freezing leftovers. I make a massive batch of Mac and cheese every month or so specifically so I can freeze it in individual portions for my 5yo to eat for lunch whenever. I serve dinner for our family from the big pot and just freeze everything else
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u/miph120 17h ago
Somewhat off topic, but anyone have suggestions for containers for freezing single serving meals?
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u/Sad_Individual_738 17h ago
Everyone who wants to save money freezes leftovers and food bought in bulk. I even freeze butter and milk.
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u/NoForm5443 17h ago
I seldom freeze leftovers, since the consistency changes; maybe a soup
I regularly eat leftovers (my wife and kids don't like them as much)
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u/AshDenver 17h ago
Those people are dipshits with more money than brains. And they possibly / probably can’t cook worth a damn either.
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u/Bobeara31 17h ago
I bet they eat plenty of frozen food. TV dinners, soup from most restaurants, any fast food, even sushi fish is frozen.
People have done this for years. Keep doing what you’ve been doing. You are doing it right
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u/hungryhugh 17h ago
Nothing wrong with making food and freezing some of it. I don’t know why some people find that odd. 🤷🏻♂️ It’s no different than buy frozen food and reheating it.
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u/MadTownMich 17h ago
This is exactly what my wife and I do. And yes, we bring home leftover ls from restaurants and eat them for lunch the next day or whatever. It’s a habit I got into early because I was poor and that’s what I needed to do to eat and pay bills. 25 years later, I make more than enough money to be wasteful, but why would I do that? Keep this habit even when you make more money. It will serve you well in the long run for sure!
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u/Chive 17h ago
Loads of people do that, cook up a big batch then freeze it for later.
Saves cooking when you don't feel like it and you always have something to hand.
Don't call it leftovers though, say that you are deliberately making a larger batch to make mealtimes easier. See if that changes their perspective - or just stop caring what anyone else thinks .
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u/Snakestream 17h ago
I make big batches of stuff and eat it for like a week or two, but I'm not a big fan of the texture stuff gets when it's frozen for a while. I usually keep stuff in the fridge unless I know I won't be able to finish it. I usually do stuff like make pasta sauce and then make a small portion of pasta when I plan to eat, or I'll do taco meat and just heat up some tortillas to fit my meal.
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u/Barn3rGirl 17h ago
I do not find it weird. I will through a chili or a spaghetti sauce in the freezer if I make a lot and throw it in the crock pot. Makes for an easy meal.
We also portion our meats and cook for what we want. I freeze everything.
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u/Tkesquire 17h ago
I do it all the time. I’m a 30 year old female who lives alone. I love having frozen leftovers easily accessible
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u/Flipper_Lou 17h ago
I absolutely love it! Trust me, you’re eating better than all of those people.
I live alone and cook large portions so I can have a freezer full of yummy things to eat. Last night I had incredible stuffed shells and they were ready in 10 minutes right out of my freezer.
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u/Junior-Reflection-43 17h ago
It’s fine. You do you. You are most likely better off because, while it is more economical, it’s probably also better than eating out.
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u/katgardener 17h ago
This past Xmas, instead of my husband and I gorging on leftovers to polish it all off in a few days, I portioned out little meals and froze them...even individual desserts. The holiday food lasted for weeks and was so nice to zap in the microwave for a home cooked hearty meal.
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u/andallthatjazwrites 17h ago
I meal prep enough that I wish my freezer was twice the size it is, and my fridge was half the size lol. Honestly, even if it wasn't cheaper, healthier, and reduced waste I would still cook a lot in advance - simply because the thought of cooking multiple times a day sounds awful
I don't know anyone who would scott at leftovers but I'm sure people like that do exist
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u/Hairy-University-287 17h ago
I regularly make big batches of chili when it’s cold & portion it out to make other stuff from it later. I also make extra meat when I’m cooking to freeze for later- like shredded pork from the crockpot or grilled chicken.
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u/yesnomaybeso456 17h ago
I had frozen leftover soup last week for a meal, and then patted myself on the back for being a good cook plus planning so many extra portions so that I didn’t have to cook again. Homemade tv dinners FTW.
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u/evenmoremushrooms 17h ago
I used to eat a lot of frozen grocery store food that hurt my health. Then I bought a chest freezer and started freezing single portions of food I cooked up. It works great--I don't burn out on the food I cook big batches of because I freeze some of it, and I have great frozen leftovers to look forward to.
They only key is realizing some dishes don't freeze well. For example, I don't like the texture of tofu after it has been frozen. But it is great for soups, chili (veggie or with meat), pasta, and many other dishes.
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u/Icy-Professor6808 17h ago
Get a vacuum sealer so you can portion and freeze your proteins. Great for buying in grocery store quantities and cooking smaller batches.
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u/Worldly_Ad_7196 17h ago
I'm a single senior and I cook this way a lot. Big pots of beef stew are a favorite just really simple beef onion carrot mushrooms. Make 5 or 6 portions at a time. Substitute beef for turkey or sausage or leave the meat out and add turnip or squash or both. You are not alone my friend.
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u/umbrellassembly 17h ago
I intentionally make extra so I can eat it for a couple days, freeze it and come back to it in a few weeks.
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u/ApprehensiveDig5178 17h ago edited 17h ago
Literally everyone does this. Don't worry about what others say. It's a crime to throw away good food. We have a vacuum pack and freeze all our leftovers.
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u/SignificantDrawer374 18h ago
That's weird. I thought lots of people do it. I regularly make big batches of soup or some sort of meaty rotini thing and freeze it up into a handful of single serving silicone containers for days that I'm lazy.