primitive freezes potatoes

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=236x80406

Oh my.

hedgehog  (1000+ posts)      Sun Aug-29-10 11:19 AM
Original message
 
A question about freezing potatoes: I'm used to feeding a horde, and we're down to me and my husband. I love making a large amount of something, like chili, chicken soup, beef stew, etc. and freezing the leftovers for future meals. My problem is that whenever I freeze a stew or soup with potatoes in it, the thawed potatoes are mealy and unappetizing. Has anyone had any better luck with this?

Warpy  (1000+ posts)        Sun Aug-29-10 11:51 AM
THE DEFROCKED WARPED PRIMITIVE, #09 TOP PRIMITIVE OF 2009
Response to Original message

1. No, potatoes are mostly water and don't freeze well unless they are mashed. Whenever I've frozen a stew with potatoes in it, I've found myself mashing the potatoes into the stew with my fork for exactly that reason, they're a little nicer when you don't bite down on that nasty, mushy texture.

Everything else freezes just fine, but if there are taters in that thawed and reheated stew, mash those suckers up. It's the only way to get them down.

hedgehog  (1000+ posts)      Sun Aug-29-10 12:07 PM
Response to Reply #1
 
2. Hmmm- maybe I'll mash them before freezing - turn that chicken soup into chicken stew!

WhiteTara  (1000+ posts)       Sun Sep-12-10 02:06 PM
Response to Original message
 
3. maybe you could remove the potatoes if there aren't too many, then add new potatoes on the reheat.

mntleo2  (1000+ posts)        Fri Sep-17-10 09:00 PM
Response to Original message
 
4. I make "TV Dinners" 

...with the leftovers and mashing potatoes in your leftover stew is a good idea 'cause they don't freeze well all right. Another thing that does not freeze well is dumplings. But you can still keep the chicken sauce and make them into TV dinners and serve with a piece of bread.

Right now in my freezer I have frozen pork chops and gravy with tar heel beans (those tough green beans that come at the end of the garden time added to fried bacon ends, onions and seasonings, covered and allowed to cook a little while, until the beans are hot), Arros con pollo and Spanish rice, spaghetti, tuna casserole, fried chicken with mashed potatoes, milk gravy with fresh green beans, stuffed green peppers and rice, etc.

One potato dish that does seem to freeze nice is taking leftover baked potatoes, scoop out and save the skins, then mashing the potato with a little milk, adding lots of grated cheese, chives, a little sour cream and then refilling the potato skin ~ and you can add other things like ham, etc. Wrap them in plastic and foil and label then freeze. They are best when heated in a toaster oven or regular oven for about 20 mins, but also good in the micro for about 3 mins or a little longer until hot. Remove the plastic for the oven and the foil for the micro, of course.

I just ask my neighbors and family to keep the plastic leftover TV dinner trays from store bought ones for me and then I keep a stack around.

After dinner I fill each tray with the cooled leftovers. I wrap them first in plastic wrap and then cover with foil and label them with a piece of tape.

To re-heat, remove the foil and put in the microwave for about 3 minutes. Feel the bottom of the tray and if it is cold (usually in the middle of the tray), heat some more for about 2 minutes or less.

They sure come in handy for someone when there is no dinner that night or for sick neighbors, or for lunch. And WAY better than Swansons and even Marie Callendar. I have had neighbors suggesting I make them commercially since they are so good.

Usually at a meal if I have leftovers it takes only one or two trays. I have also made TV dinners with beans and corn bread (I remove the corn bread and re-heat that separately), home made soups, stew (mash the spuds), pork roast and gravy, beef roast and whatever veggies I made to go with it, hamburger casserole, leftover salmon and rice, you name it. Experiment!

[true_blood]

What a bunch of potatoe heads!

[crockspot]

One potato dish that does seem to freeze nice is taking leftover baked potatoes, scoop out and save the skins, then mashing the potato with a little milk, adding lots of grated cheese, chives, a little sour cream and then refilling the potato skin ~ and you can add other things like ham, etc. Wrap them in plastic and foil and label then freeze. They are best when heated in a toaster oven or regular oven for about 20 mins, but also good in the micro for about 3 mins or a little longer until hot. Remove the plastic for the oven and the foil for the micro, of course.

I'm going to actually take inspiration from the mental lion primitive and make some twice baked potatoes to freeze. I have eight or nine potatoes hanging in the basket that I know will end up in the trash if don't use them in the next few days, and an unopened log of Cracker Barrel Sharp Vermont Cheddar that is past its expiration date. I also recently replenished my stock of Food Saver plastic rolls.

It's the perfect potato storm!

I think I'll add sliced black olives.

[Chris_]

One potato dish that does seem to freeze nice is taking leftover baked potatoes, scoop out and save the skins, then mashing the potato with a little milk, adding lots of grated cheese, chives, a little sour cream and then refilling the potato skin ~ and you can add other things like ham, etc.

This is not a bad tip... I use this occasionally.  The insides get turned into mashed potatoes and the skins get deep fried and loaded with cheese and bacon.  I remember having to hollow out the previous night's leftover potatoes for appetizers the next day.  It's a little tedious.

[AllosaursRus]

Ya know, as potatoes are so easy to prepare, why in the hell would ya freeze 'em?

"Toots" will make the fixins, then make the fry/boil/bake potatoes to add to her stuff. She freezes a lot of clam chowder, soup, etc, but never freezes the potatoes themselves. She always adds the potatoes afterwards.

Looks to me like ya gotta be awful lazy to do it any other way.

[crockspot]

Ya know, as potatoes are so easy to prepare, why in the hell would ya freeze 'em?

"Toots" will make the fixins, then make the fry/boil/bake potatoes to add to her stuff. She freezes a lot of clam chowder, soup, etc, but never freezes the potatoes themselves. She always adds the potatoes afterwards.

Looks to me like ya gotta be awful lazy to do it any other way.

I live alone, and don't eat potatoes every day, so a 5lb sack usually turns to garbage before I can finish it off. That brick of cheese is going to mold fast once I open it too, and no way can I eat 8 twice baked potatoes in even a few days, so freezing them works for me.

[crockspot]

Update... Put them in the oven frozen, bake at 375 for 35 minutes. Perfect.

[AllosaursRus]

I live alone, and don't eat potatoes every day, so a 5lb sack usually turns to garbage before I can finish it off. That brick of cheese is going to mold fast once I open it too, and no way can I eat 8 twice baked potatoes in even a few days, so freezing them works for me.

When I was on the road in construction, I just bought a few "bakers" every once in a while. Like you, if I bought a bag, they'd start growin' before I ever ate 'em all. Never tried freezin' 'em. It would seem to me they have to high a water content for that to work very well.

[The Hollywood NeoCon]

This entire friggin thread is like watching flies f*ck. 

(how unusual is it that both the primitives and the conservatives are capable of being equally boring?) 

Bitch slap away, people. I'm a masochist at heart.

[AllosaursRus]

This entire friggin thread is like watching flies f*ck. 

(how unusual is it that both the primitives and the conservatives are capable of being equally boring?) 

Bitch slap away, people. I'm a masochist at heart.

Hehehehehehehehe!!! Wouldn't want to deny a 'sado' their whippin'! hahahahahahaha!!!!

[debk]

I make potato soup often in the winter, and usually will freeze some of it. It does well. I also freeze the leftovers of a potato casserole that I make. The leftovers make great potato pancakes. 

I also make chicken soup. I separate out what I want to freeze before adding noodles, because they don't freeze very well. I add the noodles on the reheat. It turns out more like a stew than a soup because of all the noodles.