Hello! I'm a single home cook who's giving the weight loss thing a go (yeah, yeah). Losing weight while cooking appealing meals for one is a formidable challenge. Then it hit me: wouldn't it be fantastic if I could stock my freezer with vacuum-packed meals that I make on Sundays to eat on weeknights? Good question.
I'm completely new to vacuum sealing and only have a general idea of what you can and can't vacuum and then freeze (dairy and fresh herbs seem to be the main ones that don't work very well). Certainly, I'll be sealing/freezing a lot of stock, casseroles and pasta sauces but I'd like to see if other dishes could work as well. I'll most likely be using the [product="27613"]Foodsaver Fm2000 000 Vacuum Sealing System With Starter Bag Roll Set [/product]
I recently bought [product="18303"]The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook [/product] by America's Test Kitchen and there are some recipes in there that I think would make good freezer fodder. Below I've given a summary of the ingredients and prep notes of some of the recipes and would love to get some feedback if they would vacuum and freeze well for long-term (3-6 months) storage. Thanks in advance for any tips!
1) Herbed Basmati Rice and Pasta Pilaf:
-basmati rice
-Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-vermicelli pasta (this will be simmered with rice in chicken broth along with the onion and garlic)
-chopped onion
-minced garlic
-chicken broth
PREP NOTE: Essentially you just add all ingredients into a saucepan and let simmer until tender. I'd then vacuum seal the finished dish into portioned bags and freeze.
2) Spiced Baked Rice with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Fennel:
-sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
-Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-Fennel, chopped fine
-onion, chopped fine
-white rice
-minced garlic
-ras el hanout (a ground spice mix of stuff like coriander seeds, cumin, anise, allspice berries, ground ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon)
-chicken broth
-brined green olives
PREP NOTE: Basically you roast the potatoes and add them to a pot with sauteed fennel and onion along with the rice, garlic and ras el hanout. Then you stir in the broth and olives, bring to a boil, and put the pot in the oven to reduce the stock. Finally, you add the roasted potatoes to the pot with everything else. I'd then put this finished dish in vacuum sealed bags in the freezer.
3) Sauteed Chicken Cutlets with Romesco Sauce
-white sandwich bread torn into pieces
-toasted and skinned hazelnuts
-extra virgin olive oil
-sliced garlic
-jarred roasted red peppers
-sherry vinegar
-honey
-smoked paprika
-cayenne pepper
PREP NOTE: Here I'll toast the bread and hazelnuts in a skillet with the oil and then add the garlic to the pan. Then I'll put it in a food processor and pulse and then add then add the rest of the ingredients to the processor to make the sauce. I'll then transfer the sauce to the vacuum bags and freeze.
4) Chicken in Turkish Walnut Sauce
-extra virgin olive oil
-onion, chopped fine
-paprika
-minced garlic
-cayenne pepper
-white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
-toasted walnuts
-chicken broth
PREP NOTE: Onion will be sauteed, and paprika, garlic and cayenne will be added to onion in the pan until fragrant. Then I'll transfer the onion mixture to the food processor and add the chicken broth, bread, and walnuts and pulse until smooth. I'll then vacuum and freeze the sauce into individual serving bags.
5) Sauteed Cauliflower with Turmeric
-cauliflower
-chicken broth
-turmeric
-extra virgin olive oil
-lemon juice
-minced garlic
PREP NOTE: I'll add cauliflower to heated broth in a skillet and then cover for a few minutes. I'll then toss the cauliflower with the oil, garlic and lemon juice. Then I'll vacuum and freeze in portioned bags.
I'm completely new to vacuum sealing and only have a general idea of what you can and can't vacuum and then freeze (dairy and fresh herbs seem to be the main ones that don't work very well). Certainly, I'll be sealing/freezing a lot of stock, casseroles and pasta sauces but I'd like to see if other dishes could work as well. I'll most likely be using the [product="27613"]Foodsaver Fm2000 000 Vacuum Sealing System With Starter Bag Roll Set [/product]
I recently bought [product="18303"]The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook [/product] by America's Test Kitchen and there are some recipes in there that I think would make good freezer fodder. Below I've given a summary of the ingredients and prep notes of some of the recipes and would love to get some feedback if they would vacuum and freeze well for long-term (3-6 months) storage. Thanks in advance for any tips!
1) Herbed Basmati Rice and Pasta Pilaf:
-basmati rice
-Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-vermicelli pasta (this will be simmered with rice in chicken broth along with the onion and garlic)
-chopped onion
-minced garlic
-chicken broth
PREP NOTE: Essentially you just add all ingredients into a saucepan and let simmer until tender. I'd then vacuum seal the finished dish into portioned bags and freeze.
2) Spiced Baked Rice with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Fennel:
-sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
-Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-Fennel, chopped fine
-onion, chopped fine
-white rice
-minced garlic
-ras el hanout (a ground spice mix of stuff like coriander seeds, cumin, anise, allspice berries, ground ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon)
-chicken broth
-brined green olives
PREP NOTE: Basically you roast the potatoes and add them to a pot with sauteed fennel and onion along with the rice, garlic and ras el hanout. Then you stir in the broth and olives, bring to a boil, and put the pot in the oven to reduce the stock. Finally, you add the roasted potatoes to the pot with everything else. I'd then put this finished dish in vacuum sealed bags in the freezer.
3) Sauteed Chicken Cutlets with Romesco Sauce
-white sandwich bread torn into pieces
-toasted and skinned hazelnuts
-extra virgin olive oil
-sliced garlic
-jarred roasted red peppers
-sherry vinegar
-honey
-smoked paprika
-cayenne pepper
PREP NOTE: Here I'll toast the bread and hazelnuts in a skillet with the oil and then add the garlic to the pan. Then I'll put it in a food processor and pulse and then add then add the rest of the ingredients to the processor to make the sauce. I'll then transfer the sauce to the vacuum bags and freeze.
4) Chicken in Turkish Walnut Sauce
-extra virgin olive oil
-onion, chopped fine
-paprika
-minced garlic
-cayenne pepper
-white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
-toasted walnuts
-chicken broth
PREP NOTE: Onion will be sauteed, and paprika, garlic and cayenne will be added to onion in the pan until fragrant. Then I'll transfer the onion mixture to the food processor and add the chicken broth, bread, and walnuts and pulse until smooth. I'll then vacuum and freeze the sauce into individual serving bags.
5) Sauteed Cauliflower with Turmeric
-cauliflower
-chicken broth
-turmeric
-extra virgin olive oil
-lemon juice
-minced garlic
PREP NOTE: I'll add cauliflower to heated broth in a skillet and then cover for a few minutes. I'll then toss the cauliflower with the oil, garlic and lemon juice. Then I'll vacuum and freeze in portioned bags.