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Meatloaf

8K views 34 replies 14 participants last post by  kaneohegirlinaz 
#1 ·
If you were making 2 meatloafs but only cooking 1, would you freeze one cooked or not cooked remembering they have raw egg in it? :eek:
 
#2 ·
I am a big fan of cooking once and eating twice.
So cooked.
Wrap the one to be frozen in a good heavy foil.
If you get it tight enuf you can drop it back in the cleaned loaf pan to store neatly in the freezer.
This second loaf is usually served as open faced sandwiches with mashers and brown gravy.
The dish has an actual name but it seems to have escaped me at the moment.

mimi
 
#3 · (Edited)
Recipe: in fry pan heat some olive oil untill hot, add chopped onion, salt, pepper and cook until onions are translucent then add can tomato paste cooking until darkened. Let cool. :eek:

In kitchen aid mixer bowl put 2 lbs. chop meat, 2-3 cups Hashbrowns, half tomato mix, 2 tbs. Worcestershire sauce, 1 cup cheddar cheese and 1 egg. Mix until bleanded together about 20-30 seconds. Line pan with plastic wrap and press meatloaf mix into pan. Cover with more plastic wrap and let sit in fridge for 2 hours. :cool:

Put sheet of parchment paper over wire rack cutting slits into paper to let grease drip through into cookie sheet or pan it fits in. Remove top plastic wrap off meatloaf and turn out onto covered wire rack, remove rest of plastic wrap. Place in 350 degree oven and cook until done. :rolleyes:
 
#4 ·
I'd probably freeze it raw, as I am not a fan of reheated meatloaf. Now, cold meatloaf sandwiches are another story altogether!! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/tongue.gif
 
#5 ·
I'd probably freeze it raw, as I am not a fan of reheated meatloaf. Now, cold meatloaf sandwiches are another story altogether!! :p
What a coincidence Pete.
Was planning on tuna salad tonite (warm and a bit humid here today) but that menu caused an all out mutiny!
The DD made meatloaf the other day so dug it out and made cold meatloaf sandwiches instead lol.
I like mine on Wonder bread with Miracle Whip.
It being a mostly mayo home the MW is a rarity and had to dig around a bit.
I "paired" it with cold whole milk vintage 2014 [emoji]128521[/emoji]

mimi
 
#7 ·
#8 ·
Freeze it raw as freezing tends to dehydrate and it will take a lot of moisture out of cooked one Whereas raw one contains more moisture. When you thaw it give it 2 days in fridge to thaw completely.
 
#9 ·
Freeze it raw as freezing tends to dehydrate and it will take a lot of moisture out of cooked one Whereas raw one contains more moisture. When you thaw it give it 2 days in fridge to thaw completely.
I get what you are sayin' @ChefEd but if the loaf is moist when it is wrapped (properly not just stick in a ziplock bag) and allowed to defrost in fridge before unwrapping the moisture should still be there, no?

That's how it works here anyway.

I lose the whole point of cook once eat twice if you have to turn the oven on again.

Should just be able to slice and warm (on low heat) individual servings on stove top and from there to plate.

Just sayin'

mimi
 
#12 ·
So are you saying use foil to wrap? @flipflopgirl
Foil is one way.... heavy duty would be a good choice but def wrap it tight and use freezer tape on the seams as well as the closure fold.
Use a sharpie to ID and date the contents.
If you have good quality freezer containers and can pack it in a manner that leaves no void space that is also a good choice.
The Food Saver without full on vacuum, just enuf to to remove any void areas can be used.
Not talking about long term storage but a few weeks to a month.
IDK... the idea of defrosting meat and then re freezing without cooking is not all that appealing to me.

mimi
 
#14 ·
The DD made meatloaf the other day so dug it out and made cold meatloaf sandwiches instead lol.
I like mine on Wonder bread with Miracle Whip.
OY!!! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/eek.gif Maybe, @flipflopgirl, it's because to me MW is, well, inedible. (Sorry, I know it's a subjective thing.) White bread, on the other hand, is obligatory. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/licklips.gif The bread may be toasted. But it has to be with Heinz ketchup, ice-cold right out of the fridge. I'm orthodox about that.

I know this is a thread about meatloaf, but this is also how I adore leftover salmon patties. I like them better leftover cold than freshly-made and hot. Meatloaf and salmon patties are two of the very few foods I will even eat with ketchup. French fries... but only if the ketchup is paired with yellow mustard.
 
#16 · (Edited)
@Mezzaluna I was always a strictly mayo girl then along came my fisherman and that was that.
He contaminated my cold pantry with a jar of MW and there was no looking back.
He and it came as a pair lol.
Other than a couple of applications it is still strictly mayo .
I hold back when making salads and leave a bit of wiggle room for a dollop or two of the nasty stuff to be added by him AFTER I have taken my portion out.
Actually he now has a few dishes that he prefers mayo in so I guess we have reached marriage Zen lol.

mimi
 
#17 ·
Bought myself a brand new foodsaver this summer to replace dead one. They have a bunch of new bags to cover pretty much anything you would vacuum seal and freeze. Cooked both, had one for dinner and picking on the other. Has anyone tried the Thomason round 100 calorie bread rolls, pretty good.
 
#18 ·
Freezer still dehydrates  plus you must put in oven again to reheat roasting in oven dries out  it out even more(roasting is dry heat)
 
#19 ·
@chefedb, I reheat my meat loaves and other juicy food I've sealed in FoodSaver bags without losing any moisture. I bring a pot of water to a low boil, ease the bag into it (while the contents are still frozen solid), then let the food simmer until completely re-warmed. The juices remain in the food and aren't lost at all. The meat loaf is still as juicy and flavorful as when I brought it to the table the first time. It's kinda tricky to seal juicy foods like that though; I put an accordion-folded inch-wide strip of paper towel across the bag above the level of the food between the food and the line where it'll seal. I fold the top of the bag over several times, clamp it shut and put it in the freezer just until the juices are cold enough to avoid having them stream out when the vacuum engages. Never had a problem.
 
#21 ·
If you were making 2 meatloafs but only cooking 1, would you freeze one cooked or not cooked remembering they have raw egg in it? /img/vbsmilies/smilies/redface.gif
I don't see why not, I would wrap the extra loaf in parchment paper and then in heavy-duty tin foil, sealed really well, and as @flipflopgirl commented, tag it, nothing worst than the mystery package in the deep freeze a year later /img/vbsmilies/smilies/crazy.gif
 
#22 ·
I hit the 'net looking for the latest in food safety and as usual found differing opinions re eggs.
So called our local USDA extension office and spoke with the current food safety czar.
After the usual disclaimers were made clear (ie the very young, very old and those with poor immune systems fall out of the study) I learned that nothing has changed.
Freezing and/or cooking will most often kill any pathogens lurking in foods but any toxins produced by the bacteria will be left unchanged.

mimi
 
#23 ·
When I make meatloaf always make enough to fill the oven as to me it doesn't seem to make much sense to cook a single loaf.

So I'm in the cook and freeze camp!

Lately been making either chicken or turkey parm loaf (below)


Cheers!,

EDG
 
#24 ·
IMO, BEST part of meatloaf is the sandwich from left-overs.  I'm cooking for one, so a regular loaf pan makes a LOT!  I like to liberally top with bacon and bake till that's pretty much rendered.  Then liberal with ketchup and a small can of plain old tomato sauce (6oz??).  Will readily admit to cooking probably WAY longer than "they" say, but that's the way I like it.  I add all the bacon, ketchup, tomato sauce, brown bits into brown gravy.  Usually end up vac sealing and freezing close to half for future... left-over gravy frozen, too.
 
#25 · (Edited)
My Mother cooks for one and she recently shared with me that she purchased a couple of those mini loaf pans and bakes for her Meatloaves in her little 'toaster oven'.

I bought her that real nice one so that she doesn't need to heat up a huge hot box for such small duty.
[h1] [/h1][product="26588"]Breville Bov800xl The Smart Oven 1800 Watt Convection Toaster Oven With Element Iq [/product]
 
#26 ·
I want a small toaster oven. Leftover pizza, tortilla and cheese, rolls - lots of things that are so much better reheated in an oven than a microwave. But my food based Christmas gift this year appears like it will be a nice mortar and pestle, with more than the scant 1/2 cup capacity of the baby one I have now.

mjb.
 
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