[Mrstimmy]

Hi, I've started trying to cook a bigger meal at the start of the week so I can take some to work each day to heat in the microwave or to put in the oven as soon as I get in from work. Like my own personal ready meals without the added stuff.

I just made a cottage pie in a big oven proof dish, and have some mince left over to make another.
If I wanted to freeze the rest of the one I've made, do I just covet the dish its in in cling film or foil them put it in the freezer? What's the best kind of dish to use to make the pie to then put in the freezer, if I want to make individual bits so i can defrost a single piece?

does anyone else make their meals this way each week? I'm very fussy with food so its easier for me.

[c4rv]

Pound shop sell foil take away containers, I think 6 for a quid. Make pies in there so they are ready portioned. If you are after more containers and are seriously in to batch cooking then have a look here,

http://www.bonsaipackaging.com/

Pack of 500 containers with lids works out at 12p per container.

And yes I do a lot of batch cooking.

[paulyoung666]

if it was me i would invest in some clip lid containers that can be reused , then either microwave to heat up or transfer to glass to put in the oven

[sixtynine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by c4rv

Pound shop sell foil take away containers, I think 6 for a quid. Make pies in there so they are ready portioned. If you are after more containers and are seriously in to batch cooking then have a look here,

http://www.bonsaipackaging.com/

Pack of 500 containers with lids works out at 12p per container.

And yes I do a lot of batch cooking.

Wow have bookmarked that site for myself, good value!
Will look into, and try to get a few other like minded batch making friends to pitch in and share the costs though

[Mrstimmy]

Thanks for the advice, I will have a look for the foil dishes in poundland.

The mince has already been frozen is that a problem?

What shall I do with the pie I made today? Do I covet it with cling film or foil? If i put it in the oven tomorrow for 20 minutes and eat half can i then put it back in the fridge and reheat it wed?

Sorry its been years since i cooked a pie!

[JulesF]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrstimmy

Thanks for the advice, I will have a look for the foil dishes in poundland.

The mince has already been frozen is that a problem?

What shall I do with the pie I made today? Do I covet it with cling film or foil? If i put it in the oven tomorrow for 20 minutes and eat half can i then put it back in the fridge and reheat it wed?

Sorry its been years since i cooked a pie!

Mince that has been frozen in its raw state can be refrozen as long as it has been cooked, but you should never refreeze raw mince that has been defrosted. You can cover the pie with either foil or cling film before freezing. You can reheat the cottage pie, of course, but I wouldn't keep reheating it multiple times. Cook the whole pie once, then take off bits as you need them and reheat them.

[Mrstimmy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JulesF

Mince that has been frozen in its raw state can be refrozen as long as it has been cooked, but you should never refreeze raw mince that has been defrosted. You can cover the pie with either foil or cling film before freezing. You can reheat the cottage pie, of course, but I wouldn't keep reheating it multiple times. Cook the whole pie once, then take off bits as you need them and reheat them.

thank you!

I've been cooking a big wok (I think that's what its called) of mince with a tin of beans and some gravy the past few weeks, and then seperating it into 3 or 4 bowls to go in the fridge and taking one to work each day to have with some rice. Thought I'd try a pie, which turned out really nice today . I used vegetable mash to be healthier too.

Any other ideas for food that can be seperated and put in the fridge or freezer for easy home made ready meals?

[sixtynine]

Whenever I cook pasta, I always do extra and save the leftover to make a pasta salad for lunch the next day.

[JulesF]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrstimmy

thank you!

I've been cooking a big wok (I think that's what its called) of mince with a tin of beans and some gravy the past few weeks, and then seperating it into 3 or 4 bowls to go in the fridge and taking one to work each day to have with some rice. Thought I'd try a pie, which turned out really nice today . I used vegetable mash to be healthier too.

Any other ideas for food that can be seperated and put in the fridge or freezer for easy home made ready meals?

There are lots of things you could do! Lasagne is easy to portion out and freezes and reheats well. Any kind of stew or casserole would work. Ratatouille also freezes well. Or how about chilli con carne? I always make HUGE batches of chilli and portion it to freeze - it actually tastes better when reheated. Homemade soups are also brilliant to freeze and there are so many variations that you could try.

[degsyhufc]

If i'm cooking a mince base (bol, chilli, moussaka etc) I cook it and portion it into freezer bags.

These defrost/cook in the microwave in 5 mins. I can then choose to have with rice, pasta, potatoes, mash or a pastry lid.

[Mrstimmy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JulesF

There are lots of things you could do! Lasagne is easy to portion out and freezes and reheats well. Any kind of stew or casserole would work. Ratatouille also freezes well. Or how about chilli con carne? I always make HUGE batches of chilli and portion it to freeze - it actually tastes better when reheated. Homemade soups are also brilliant to freeze and there are so many variations that you could try.

ooh I might try lasange next. I'm very thick when it comes to food. I dont eat processed or ready meals, usually just fresh pasta or rice for tea, or I pick throughout the day at little bits. I dont like vegetables, been putting finely chopped brocolli in mince though, and used vegatable mash today, so everythings very plain always. Onions make me sick, really sick. My man once used the same knife to butter a roll for me that she'd used to cut onion and i was gagging for ages and threw up a tiny bit! Didn't even swallow any!

If i put some of the pie i made today in an oven dish tomorrow how long roughly will it take in the oven?

Thanks for the ideas and help

[c4rv]

from frozen I would have thought around 20-25 minutes or 10 minutes from the fridge. Just make sure the middle is piping hot.

[JulesF]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrstimmy

ooh I might try lasange next. I'm very thick when it comes to food. I dont eat processed or ready meals, usually just fresh pasta or rice for tea, or I pick throughout the day at little bits. I dont like vegetables, been putting finely chopped brocolli in mince though, and used vegatable mash today, so everythings very plain always. Onions make me sick, really sick. My man once used the same knife to butter a roll for me that she'd used to cut onion and i was gagging for ages and threw up a tiny bit! Didn't even swallow any!

If i put some of the pie i made today in an oven dish tomorrow how long roughly will it take in the oven?

Thanks for the ideas and help

You're welcome!

I used to be bad with vegetables until relatively recently. I eat plenty now, but there are still many that I simply can't eat, including onions! I'm OK with finely chopped and cooked onion these days (thank goodness, otherwise I'd be stuck on a very plain diet indeed, as they are in EVERYTHING), but I still could never eat an onion tart or onion soup or something. And, like you, raw onions make me very sick indeed. Even the smell of raw onions makes me gag.

[Mrstimmy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JulesF

You're welcome!

I used to be bad with vegetables until relatively recently. I eat plenty now, but there are still many that I simply can't eat, including onions! I'm OK with finely chopped and cooked onion these days (thank goodness, otherwise I'd be stuck on a very plain diet indeed, as they are in EVERYTHING), but I still could never eat an onion tart or onion soup or something. And, like you, raw onions make me very sick indeed. Even the smell of raw onions makes me gag.

that's so funny your the same as me with onions. And yeah, they are in EVERYTHING! I'm still terrible with vegetables. I dont eat any, other than scrapping the leaves of some brocolli into food. It prob doesn't even equal a quarter of one of your 5 a day. I dont mind some fruit, but its full of sugar and quite expensive to get nice fruit regularly. It makes me hungry too.

[JulesF]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrstimmy

that's so funny your the same as me with onions. And yeah, they are in EVERYTHING! I'm still terrible with vegetables. I dont eat any, other than scrapping the leaves of some brocolli into food. It prob doesn't even equal a quarter of one of your 5 a day. I dont mind some fruit, but its full of sugar and quite expensive to get nice fruit regularly. It makes me hungry too.

My OH is the same - maybe we should start an onion-haters support group!

How are you with salad vegetables - salad leaves, cucumbers, tomatoes and so on? I've always liked fruit, so when I was trying to train myself to eat more vegetables, I started with raw salad vegetables at first, as they have the fruit-like freshness, and I moved on to cooked vegetables from there. Another thing you could do to make sure you are getting more vitamins is invest in a juicer (although I know they are expensive and your budget might not stretch to that). Do you like orange juice? I used to make myself a big glass of orange and carrot juice every day - you can't taste the carrots really, and raw carrots are so good for you. I love carrots, cooked or raw, nowadays, because of that juicer. It's a question of training your palate, bit by bit, to get used to different foods.

[Mrstimmy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JulesF

My OH is the same - maybe we should start an onion-haters support group!

How are you with salad vegetables - salad leaves, cucumbers, tomatoes and so on? I've always liked fruit, so when I was trying to train myself to eat more vegetables, I started with raw salad vegetables at first, as they have the fruit-like freshness, and I moved on to cooked vegetables from there. Another thing you could do to make sure you are getting more vitamins is invest in a juicer (although I know they are expensive and your budget might not stretch to that). Do you like orange juice? I used to make myself a big glass of orange and carrot juice every day - you can't taste the carrots really, and raw carrots are so good for you. I love carrots, cooked or raw, nowadays, because of that juicer. It's a question of training your palate, bit by bit, to get used to different foods.

We should do that They're in EVERYTHING! Not fair!

I've never eaten salad or anything like that. Even the tought of it, and the smell, makes me feel a bit sicky. I suppose I should try it though, just not ready to yet
That's a good idea about the juicer, my mum has one at her house so I could pop over and use that. I like orange juice so that might work. I'll give that a try!