Freezing Combination Main Dishes

Home and Garden Bulletin No. 40 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Vacant space in your freezer? Put some of it to use by freezing main dishes—prepared, ready to be heated or cooked and served. Days or weeks later you, your family, guests perhaps, can enjoy the results of your foresight.
Included in this publication are general directions for successful freezing of such main dishes as the stews, meat loaves, and casserole combinations made from recipes given on pages 6 to 19.
For tiptop quality and economical use of freezer space, plan your freezing and use of precooked main dishes so that they will be in the freezer no longer than 2 or 3 months. However, most of these foods if properly packaged and stored will not suffer serious quality loss if kept up to 6 months. After 6 months’ storage, quality often declines rapidly, but the food is still safe to eat.
In general, prepare the food as you would if it were to be served right away. Do not overcook. Some ingredients in main dishes that must be reheated for serving are better if slightly underdone for freezing. If cooked well-done before freezing, foods such as vegetables and macaroni are likely to be too soft when reheated. They also may have a warmed-over taste.
Soups and sauces thickened with ordinary wheat flour may tend to separate or curdle on thawing. Frozen gravies, sauces, and soups may be somewhat thicker after thawing than when freshly prepared, but suitable liquid can be added to give the desired consistency. Commercially frozen soups, sauces, and gravies are often made with waxy rice flour, which results in a smoother product. If waxy rice flour is available, it is a good idea to use it. However, soups, sauces, and gravies made with ordinary flour can be satisfactory if they are quick-frozen and stored at 0° F. for only 2 to 3 months. Stirring during reheating helps to overcome separation, too.
Crumb or cheese toppings are best added when the food is reheated for serving.
Pastry crusts frozen unbaked are more tender and flaky and have a fresher flavor than those baked and then frozen.