I have been thinking lately about making some gluten free stuff for my girls and freezing it, so that they can have some good food in a hurry if they need it. I think it would be cheaper than buying the microwave dinners, but I don't know what types of gluten free stuff freezes well. I don't want to cook all of it, freeze it and then thaw it to find it's inedible.

I know that gluten free cupcakes, cornbread, and biscuits have frozen well for me in the past, but what about other things (like casseroles, or gluten free spaghetti)

does anyone else freezer cook?

I do pizza and pancakes, brownies and that is really it so far. sorry!

pizza?

how do you make pizza?

I get Kinnikinick pizza crust then put pizza sauce and what ever other toppings that I want. I then bake it and cut them up into pieces and wrap each of them in saran wrap and put them in a big baggie and freeze them. When you want one it is easy to take out and pop in the microwave.

I tried freezing a casserole that had gravy thickened with rice flour. It didn't freeze well at all - the gravy separated when it thawed and was gross. So I wouldn't recommend trying anything like that. I freeze spaghetti sauce, meatballs (sometimes raw, sometimes cooked), raw meatloaf, "porcupine" meatballs and sloppy joe mix.

I definitely freeze. We bought an upright deep freeze a year ago--love it. I freeze muffins, lots of cookies, lots of soups, veggies from the garden, sloppy joes, lasagna, sauces, gravy, homemade sorbet, fruit and berries from summer when they are cheaper, chili, sweet rolls, even egg frittata ! Especially for two people, we don't waste food this way and I have precooked meals I can pull out on busy nights.

My cookies etc. have all thawed wonderfully. I used to use freezer bags, and suck the extra air out with a straw For x-mas my dh got me a food saver, so I can vaccum pack foods--it works great, keeps all the ice out. I haven't had any real freezing disasters, everything dones pretty well. Ideally, thawing gradually in the fridge works best. For some things I've reheated, like the sweet rolls, which get dried out very easily, I 'rebaked' at 350 for 20 mins or so with a separate pan of water on the rack below. Oh, I also let the food after its been cooked the first time, cool overnight in the freezer. For the soups, condensation usually forms on the lid, and I always wipe that off before I freeze, which gets rid of most of the ice.

Freezing rocks

Jen,

What kind of flour did you use in your gravy? I would love to get mine to freeze well, but both times I tried it changed consistency and became inedible.

I thought I was the only one who sucked the air out of a plastic bag with a straw!

Use Sweet Rice Flour for gravies and thickenings you are going to freeze or refrigerate to prevent the separation.

I use corn starch for thickner for gravies and I never had a problem with it. I used that in my pre-gluten days also...


Jenvan ...... vacumn sealing

The first time I tried to freeze my cookies with my hubby being the conductor (master conductor) on this project I ended up with crumbs. He of course said not the lowest setting but up one setting should be fine!!!!!!!!! I still tease him about it !!!!!Now I know to freeze and vacumn when he's at work.........


I reminded him why God created men first and women second........................... LOVE him just the same..


mamaw

I cook up extra grains such as rice, millet, quinoa and freeze it in those extra small plastic containers by Glad. They are just the right single serving size. Beans freeze well too. Marcia

that reminds me, I was reading the creation story to my 4 year old once and she said "if God made a man then why did he make a woman?"

and I said "because the man needed a help mate, someone to hang out with, someone to love"

and she said "well, at the very least men need a lot of help"

LOL

"Only fools and children tell the truth"

I freeze soups, chili, gumbo (roux made with soy flour), rice, pepper steak, stir fry, just abot anything. I also buy hambuer in bulk and brown it all. Then freeze it in small bags to take out and make tacos, speghetti, or whatever in a hurry. I buy chicken breasts in bulk and marinade them and put them in bags. I use balsamic vinegar, garlic, and rosemary or just italian dressing. I can just put them out to thaw in the morning and have a no fuss meal at night with rice or whatever. I have a hard time getting my family to eat veggies so I'll cook brown rice with carrots, onion, celery, etc. that I cut very fine in the chopper and they barely know there's any in there. I freeze it in small portions with good luck. For stir fry sauces and such I thicken with cornstarch and have good luck with that.

Hope this helps!

wow. TCA, I had never thought of browning my ground beef then freezing it, that is a great idea (I think, I will have to see how it works in real life) most of my headache in the evenings is cooking the meat for the meal, if I could cook all my meat on grocery day that would take a lot of stress out of dinner time. I am going shopping tomorrow, and I will try that out

someone was reading my mind!! i was just recently thinking about freezing gluten free food. reading through this thread, i have so many questions---i hope i can remember them all. katydid--- why will sweet rice flour work better for thickening and freezing than regular rice flour? do you use sweet rice flour for thickening the same way you would use wheat flour? (2 TB. flour-2 TB butter per cup of liquid)
jen---what recipe do you use for sweet roles---i want to make some for my girls.
marciab---how do you use your millet and quinoa, and how do you cook them?
TCA---do you freeze your chicken in the marinade, or do you marinate it first, and then freeze it, and then cook it after it thaws?
how do most of you cook your rice? i have tried steaming it with a lid on, but it always boils out the top. i have tried boiling it with alot of water like pasta. i have the best luck when i use a rice cooker---plus i don't have to watch it, but my rice cooker is a small size.
christine

I am lazy and use boil in the bag rice, it's in a bag with holes so when you lift it out ot the pan it drains itself.

I can make it in the microwave too.

Just be sure if you freeze something with pasta in it, like lasagna, use good gluten-free pasta because some of them don't keep well. Tinkyada rocks - I froze gluten-free lasagna with Tinkyada and it turns out beautiful. Also use the elbows for homemade mac and cheese that keeps in the fridge for days without drying out. Haven't tried freezing it yet, but it never stays around long enough to need to.

I freeze all kinds of things... those mini Glad plastic containers are excellent for single servings... I just pop the lid off and microwave them for a minute or so, then plop them onto a plate or bowl and finish microwaving until they are warm...

spaghetti (with Tinkyada pasta and whatever sauce I used...)
macaroni and cheese (with Tinkyada Pasta)
lasagna (also with Tinkyada pasta)

(noticing a trend here?) anything with Tinkyada pasta seems to freeze and reheat really well...

I really like the idea of browning up all the meat and then bagging it in freezer bags... that would save so much time on school nights! I'm also going to have to try marinating the chicken that way too...

I love my deep freezer!

I freeze all my baked goods (if they last that long!)

I made twice baked potatoes and then individually wrapped them in small sandwich baggies then put them in a bigger freezer bag. I can pop one of those baby's in the microwave on a plate and yummy quick snack!

My daughter loves Amy's tomato soup but cannot eat a whole can of it and while I like it, I'm not always in the mood for it when she is, so I use those extra small Glad containers and freeze the soup right out of the can, then when she wants some it's just a quick microwave trip and voila! Hot soup and no waste!

I do freeze the chicken in the marinade. I usually put the chicken in the bags and pour the marinade over it, close the bag, and distribute the marinade evenly over the chicken and pop it in the freezer. I got the idea from all the marinaded meats you can buy in the stores now. It's much cheaper this way. I do cook it after it thaws. I sometime pan fry it with a little olive oil or just throw it in a pan and bake it. I sometimes take the pan juices and boil them on the stove with some cornstarch for gravy. I have gotten my husband to grill large quantities on the the weekend and freeze the leftovers for salads or whatever.

Another tip - I keep a "Soup Bowl" in the freezer all the time for all of the little bits of veggies left over. I add all of them in there and make soup when it gets full. I usually add a little tomato sauce or paste. I even add mashed potatoes and this thickens the soup really well. It may be a soup with carrots, potatoes, corn, and 7 kinds of beans, but it tastes great with some gluten-free cornbread. You might even add some of that browned ground beef. I was raised by a single parent dad and things were so tight it squeaked sometimes. We learned to cut corners, but man we ate good!

I also agree that gladware is a lifesaver!

I use millet, quinoa and buckwheat groats anywhere you would normally use rice. I like the variety
and it is so easy to cook extra and store it in those small Glad containers. I cook them all the same way you cook rice. I didn't like the way they tasted when I followed the directions on the bags.

I was stir frying assorted veggies in OO, garlic, and onions, putting it over any grain, and topping it with plain yogurt and calamata olives. YUMMY !!! But, my tummy got upset, so now I just nuke plain veggies and eat them over whichever grain I feel like having. Or I just top the grain with beans and add a little allspice and cinamon. I play with spices all the time. Esp. like the fresh herbs from Publix.

I always add EVOO, grape seed oil, or flax oil to mine, to help with the "C". But, you didn't need to know that, did u ? They add flavor and they contain EFA which are good for joint pain too.

A typical breakfast for me would be a bowl of any grain, bean sprouts (red lentils are my fav), crystallized ginger and a touch of oil.

This thread has made me hungry. Marcia

TCA, I really like all your tips... some of them I've already used before, but thanks for reminding me, and we are on a really really tight budget too right now... I really like the idea of keeping a "soup bowl" in the freezer... I'm going to have to start doing that... I usually end up throwing out the left over vegetables after they sit in the fridge for a week after cooking them... I'll start freezing them from now on!

These soft tacos are suppossed to freeze well:

Bean Flour Torillas
1/3 cup light bean flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 Tablespoons tapioca flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs or 3 egg whites, or 1/2 cup liquid egg subsitute
1 1/2 cups water
Oil for brushing skillet

In a medium bowl, place the bean flour, cornstarch, tapioca flour, and salt. Whisk together. Add the eggs and beat together until smooth. Slowly beat in the water. Let rest in the fridge for at least 20 minutes. Heat a 9" skillet or frypan over high heat, brushing with oil. Be sure it is hot enough for water to dance on the surface before starting to cook the tortillas. Spoon in about 4 tablespoons of batter or enough to cover the bottom of the skillet. Cook until the bottom of the tortilla is golden brown and the edges curl and the top seems dry, Turn and barely cook the other side.

This recipe is from "The Gluten-Free Gourmet Cooks Fast and Healthy" by Bette Hagman, p. 235.

Brownies!? Will you post the recipe? I haven't found a good one yet.

Thanks.

Ditto for Smunkeemom's biscuits. Will you please post or pm the recipe?

Potato Biscuits

1 Good sized potato
1 1/2 c Flour
4 ts Baking powder
1/2 ts Salt
1/4 c Shortening
1 Egg
1 c Milk

Boil and mash potato till it's free from lumps.
Sift flour, salt and baking powder together. Add
potatoes and rub in shortening. Mix to a light
dough with the egg and milk, roll out a little
thinner than an ordinary biscuit; bake in a hot
oven (425 degrees) for 10-15 minutes till brown.
Serve as soon as they are done.


I use Bob's Red Mill gluten free flour, sometimes they come out crumbly so I add Xanthan gum, I don't remember right now how much I added last time, but it worked well.

If you don't have biscuit cutters, I have found that a clean empty corn can makes a good size biscuit.

Thanks! Maybe Tuesday after volunteering at school and going to the off-leash I'll try them. (Or maybe I'll have a nap)

Hi Chrissy--Katydid here

Not sure why sweet flour works better for frozen foods. I just remembered reading that hint in one of my gluten free cook books; so I tried it, and it really works.

I freeze a ton of stuff, but one of my favorites is pizza crust and my pizza toppings. I use Kinnikinnick pizza crust mix and bake them in a pie tin. (oil your hands well to spread the crust in the pan and poke holes in the bottom first so it doesn't bubble up) Bake about 15 minutes @ 350. When baked, remove from pan to a rack to cool, then just bag and freese. For my toppings, I brown one pound italian sausage with some onion, green pepper and 1 tsp of italian seasoning and add a jar of Ragu pizza sauce. Then I divide this among 4 1-cup margarine tub containers and freeze. This is exactly the right amount for the pie tin size pizza. This is so convenient, because to start pizza from scratch when I get home from work is a bit much. All I have to do is thaw the crust 30 seconds in the microwave and thaw each margarine tub for 2 minutes in the microwave. Spread toppings on crust, add shredded cheese and bake @ 400 about 12/14 minutes. What used to be a real ordeal is now one of the quickest things I can fix. Freezer to table in under 20 minutes. If you were making pepperoni or anything that doesn't require cooking, you could just add that and the sauce right from the jar; we just happen to like italian sausage. One tip I picked up is when baking your pizza, use one of those pans with the small holes in the bottom as it keeps the crust from getting soggy.

I have a Ron Popiel pasta maker, and before the gluten free suppliers came out with such great pasta, I used to make about 10 different kinds of pasta at a time and freeze it raw. I still do that for my noodles because I haven't found a great one yet.

I make mini cream puffs, fill with vanilla pudding and freeze. I freeze pie crusts, but they are delicate so don't lay anything on top of them in the freezer.

I never throw any bread products out. I always make crumbs out of anything past its prime and freeze for casseroles or cut in cubes for bread pudding, stuffing or croutons. I make chinese noodles out of deep fried spaghetti and freeze (add some soy sauce and seasoning)

I don't think I could cook gluten free without my freezer. Next to my kitchen aid mixer and microwave, its my next best friend. Of course my first best friend is my gluten free hubby.

I make mini cream puffs, fill with vanilla pudding and freeze. I freeze pie crusts, but they are delicate so don't lay anything on top of them in the freezer.
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I sooo miss cream puffs! What's your secret?

I use sweet rice flour.

Oh, I also have made gluten-free flour tortillas and frozen them as well. I got a tortilla press. However, now that I am cf, and no cheese--that means I'm less interested in tacos in the like!

I was thinking of making the girls some puffed rice marshmallow treats, does anyone think they would freeze well? My first inclination is "no", but maybe I am wrong.............

Hmmm, rice krispie treats... i would think they would not freeze well... marshmallows have such a tendency to get rock hard when dried out. if you have a food saver you could keep them for several weeks... or just cut the recipe in 1/2 for a small batch...