I am a huge advocate of freezing food. I have saved a lot of money over the last 30 years doing this. I will try freezing anything and have found that almost anything will freeze. As you said, you can freeze full meals, side dishes or ingredients. One of my favorite things to freeze is chopped garlic. I chop up a dozen or so heads in my food processor and lay the chopped garlic flat in a freezer bag. I can then break off however much I need. It saves a ton of time when I am cooking. I have never seen the freezer block before - it's genius. I am going to click your link and order one today!!
The freezer is a busy cook's best friend! I love to freeze soups and stews, but I mostly freeze 2-person portions of side dishes that take a bit of time or effort to prepare like cooked beans, mashed potatoes, rice dishes, quinoa, farro, even steel-cut oatmeal. I'm also a huge fan of freezing ingredients like chopped scallions, garlic, and bell peppers. I really love my Souper Cubes - the 2 tpsp size is great for freezing cubes of leftover pesto, guacamole, tomato paste, wine, etc, etc, etc.
Hi Sophie! I finally received some souper cubes about a year ago after you highly recommended them. I asked for them as a gift and got both sizes and the ceramic dishes! I love everything about them! Right now I have some chicken zucchini orzo freezing for storage! I am going to say my favorite freezer meal at the moment is lasagna! So yummy and so perfectly portioned when you use the souper cube! I have a fantastic idea for your shop… T-shirts or some thing with the saying “file don’t pile!“!! I think of you all the time when I am organizing shirts and really anything! 🤩 FILE DON’T PILE 🤩
So happy you love them too Marcie! Can't go wrong with a freezer lasagna (one of Jim's favorite's too!) Wow, that is a genius idea, I'm going to have to think about that!
Hi Sophie! Our favorite freezer meal is chili! Our favorite storage is the Food Saver vacuum seal bags. We use the reusable Food Saver bags and the hand-held rechargeable sealer that removes all the air. They come in gallon and quart sizes.
That sounds great! I am going to buy that too. I love meal prepping but Im trying to find reusable but also something that will reduce freezer burn. This is it. Thanks again
Love this. I freeze everything. My husband works 12 hour days so I like for him to have a hot lunch to take. I don't recall seeing you use those 2 c Souper Cubes b4. Those will be a game changer for me. Thanks so much for sharing, Sophie.
I'm a widow, so freezing in small portions is key for me. I'm going to check out the super cubes. Thank you for your wide variety of practical and informative videos!
Thank you so much for these great tips! I am a widow so I have been having to re-learn how to prepare meals. These ideas and tools are giving me tips I can use. I love your channel!❤
I am sure that isn't an easy process. Freezer meals can easily be adapted and made for one or a few people but most of the content online is around making huge freezer meals in giant casserole dishes!
As a single lady I like to make family sized meals but freeze the leftovers. This gives me a variety of meals to choose to eat later in the month instead of saying it 4 nights in a row!
Me, too, Lori! I love no-cook nights, when I can just pull something out to enjoy. :) Going to get some cubes for soup, as I'll be having surgery soon.
Sophie, this is by far the best, most complete video on freezer techniques! I discovered some new devices like the gallon zip lock freezer block stand-up container and the plastic freezer device that stands up portions of food like books! I already have the blue blocks...such a great help! Thanks again for putting out great and professional usable content.
I’m so grateful for this video and also for the informative comments. I’m using the souper cube trays now since seeing them on your channel, Sophie, what a game changer. I’m interested in the gallon vessel item - don’t recall the name, but will check after I post - for soups. I have a raised garden bed with good things coming together to harvest. These freezer items, pricey but very practical, make better use of my chest freezer space. Following your way to organize the freezer, Sophie, I doubt if my food preparation will become lost as before. Thank you so much for your amazing ideas, Sophie and community - these ideas inspire me so please keep them coming! (e.g., freezing vegetables for optimum flavour when reheated; ideas for side dishes)
YAY so happy you tried them and love them like I do! Yes, save all of those precious garden goodies! Thanks for the sweet comment and wishing you the best of the luck with the freezing 😊
I bought those souper cubes a few months back after seeing you make some pre baby meals to have ready. Such a great idea and freezer meals are such a time saver when you are in a pinch.
my husband and i are “dink”s (double income, no kids) and i find that we eat out a lot less frequently if i take the time each week to meal plan and prep. freezer meals are a life-saver and so cost-effective! my favorite is making a big tray of enchiladas and eating it for dinner and then we have a couple of lunches for the week, too. i have not had much success with soups, though. i always end up putting too much of the solids in the first few and the rest have too much liquid. lol enjoyed the video! thanks 😊
Ooo freezer enchiladas are so yummy. When it comes to food we are also basically dinks since Owen doesn't eat much yet! Saves me a lot of effort when work/life gets busy and we want one of our home cooked favorites
I like the small non-disposable pans from Dollar Tree. They're 7.5*7.5, which is half the area of a 13*9, so it's easy to split a recipe that's meant for 13*9 between 2 pans. That lets us have it freshly baked twice per recipe. I usually parchment line for easy cleanup, and put plastic wrap first, then foil to have it keep well in the freezer.
2:22 Herb Bombs! I put an assortment of herbs for one recipe in each cube with evoo and freeze a whole tray. Then pop them out put them in a bag. I make several variations for different types of recipes and then put all the bags in a sealed container in the freezer. Ready when I need them, take however many I want.
This video was AMAZING!!!!! You were so thorough and I really appreciate the details and reviews of helpful products I would probably never otherwise find out about!! ❤
Chili, spaghetti with sauce or just the spaghetti sauce. Foodsaver bags is mostly what we use with my husband being a hunter we make our own bacon, deer burger with a little pork, Italian sausage with deer meat, we make a few different things with it for us and our boys if they help us make it or help us do something around the house then we will send some home with them so it will help out with there grocery bills every little bit helps. We don't buy much meat at the grocery store
Great tips! Unfortunately I live in south Florida and we lose power when hurricanes come through so I don’t keep much in my freezer during hurricane season.
Smart not to keep too much in there then, we had one of our refrigerators shut down when we were out of town and it was devastating to loos all of my freezer food!!
You can file them in order of what expires first in the youcopia freezer bin that she linked. I freeze meals as flat as possible so that they unthaw quickly. Since they are thin and flat they should line up in the bin nicely and I'll just know to eat the one in the front. Just bought the bin. I've been stacking by expiration. You could also keep a running list in a note on your phone.
Thank you for your recommendation of Super Cubes. I began batch cooking decades before it was even mentioned.Early silicone was a bust but now that it has been perfected and I want to lessen my plastic usage I'm looking forward to the change. This old dog must keep changing with the times but only when it is logical and this is.
I use glass containers for freezer meals. After frozen, slightly thaw on the counter to release the food, then pop into freezer bags. I put them back into the glass container to thaw and then reheat the item in the microwave. I don’t like adding more plastic to the environment. Also, you can freeze eggs for baking. Scramble them then portion into ice cube trays (one cube per egg). Then put into a freezer bag. The color will slightly darken, and I wouldn’t want to cook them as scrambled eggs, but for baking or other types of cooking, they’re fine.
How do you keep the meals from getting frost on them? I have never had luck with that. Even when I have taken a straw and try to suck the air out of the freezer bag!
I think one thing is to make sure whatever you freeze is cooled completely. I learned that many years ago and haven't had problems with frost since I started doing this. Hope this helps.
I love these silicone soup containers. But the ceramic ramekins are smaller and the frozen meal won’t fit in them. Any suggestion of a ramekin that will accommodate the prepared meal? Thank you so much for all the information
I’m learning how to freeze meals to help out my elderly parents. I have been using plastic meal prep containers but maybe the freezer block would be a better option. Also I am wondering about freezing things like scrambled eggs and pancakes….is that recommended? What are your thoughts on those machines that remove the air?
Yes!! I have a lot of success with just washing them in the dishwasher but if they need an extra clean and to be deodorized try 1) boil in hot water, 2) scrub with baking soda, 3) soak in 50/50 water vinegar mixture, 4) bake in the oven (the owner of souper cubes taught me this one)
I’m having the same problem. Mine smell of a carne asada marinade I prepped. It seems like all the tips and tricks don’t work 100%. Maybe my nose is just too good 🥴 these didn’t work well for me: oven, dishwashing, baking soda, or vinegar. I think dishwashing worked the best and the baking soda/vinegar didn’t do a thing
They are a bit pricy. I have seen a few sales throughout the year, I think on their website they may have a pop up for 10% off or something for first time customers. Maybe black friday time they will have another sale.
I froze hot sauce in mine and they smelled after coming out of the dishwasher. I baked the bottom in the oven according to the instructions on the souper cubes website and the smell was gone.
I thought this video was so awesome I told my mom about it, and she called flat freezer meals that are in bags or taken out of the freezer block “freezer fritters”. 😆
It s an awful lot of resources to freeze food when it takes five to ten minutes to make a breakfast sandwich in the am....I never understand using two products no three to freeze a breakfast sandwich you can make fresh in the am....
I am a huge advocate of freezing food. I have saved a lot of money over the last 30 years doing this. I will try freezing anything and have found that almost anything will freeze. As you said, you can freeze full meals, side dishes or ingredients. One of my favorite things to freeze is chopped garlic. I chop up a dozen or so heads in my food processor and lay the chopped garlic flat in a freezer bag. I can then break off however much I need. It saves a ton of time when I am cooking. I have never seen the freezer block before - it's genius. I am going to click your link and order one today!!
I’ve just ordered one too, simple genius design.
The freezer is a busy cook's best friend! I love to freeze soups and stews, but I mostly freeze 2-person portions of side dishes that take a bit of time or effort to prepare like cooked beans, mashed potatoes, rice dishes, quinoa, farro, even steel-cut oatmeal. I'm also a huge fan of freezing ingredients like chopped scallions, garlic, and bell peppers. I really love my Souper Cubes - the 2 tpsp size is great for freezing cubes of leftover pesto, guacamole, tomato paste, wine, etc, etc, etc.
does freezing guac change the consistency or texture in any way? i’ve never tried that!
Love that phrase! Soups and stews are perfect for the freezer! I also use my 2 tbsp tray for pesto and tomato paste!
@@crystalramirezmoreno9190 as long as the guac doesn't have tomatoes, it freezes perfectly (tomatoes get mushy when thawed).
Hi Sophie! I finally received some souper cubes about a year ago after you highly recommended them. I asked for them as a gift and got both sizes and the ceramic dishes! I love everything about them! Right now I have some chicken zucchini orzo freezing for storage!
I am going to say my favorite freezer meal at the moment is lasagna! So yummy and so perfectly portioned when you use the souper cube!
I have a fantastic idea for your shop… T-shirts or some thing with the saying “file don’t pile!“!! I think of you all the time when I am organizing shirts and really anything! 🤩 FILE DON’T PILE 🤩
So happy you love them too Marcie! Can't go wrong with a freezer lasagna (one of Jim's favorite's too!) Wow, that is a genius idea, I'm going to have to think about that!
How can a freezer meals video be so fun? Love this.
Haha love that, I'm freezer obsessed so I'm right there with you!
Hi Sophie! Our favorite freezer meal is chili! Our favorite storage is the Food Saver vacuum seal bags. We use the reusable Food Saver bags and the hand-held rechargeable sealer that removes all the air. They come in gallon and quart sizes.
we use this, too, and save a bundle on bulk meats! great idea!
That sounds great! I am going to buy that too. I love meal prepping but Im trying to find reusable but also something that will reduce freezer burn. This is it. Thanks again
Love this. I freeze everything. My husband works 12 hour days so I like for him to have a hot lunch to take. I don't recall seeing you use those 2 c Souper Cubes b4. Those will be a game changer for me. Thanks so much for sharing, Sophie.
Another freezer lover!! Yes, the 2 cup trays are great!
I'm a widow, so freezing in small portions is key for me. I'm going to check out the super cubes. Thank you for your wide variety of practical and informative videos!
Thank you so much for these great tips! I am a widow so I have been having to re-learn how to prepare meals. These ideas and tools are giving me tips I can use. I love your channel!❤
I am sure that isn't an easy process. Freezer meals can easily be adapted and made for one or a few people but most of the content online is around making huge freezer meals in giant casserole dishes!
As a single lady I like to make family sized meals but freeze the leftovers. This gives me a variety of meals to choose to eat later in the month instead of saying it 4 nights in a row!
I do this too 😊
Me, too, Lori! I love no-cook nights, when I can just pull something out to enjoy. :) Going to get some cubes for soup, as I'll be having surgery soon.
It’s not easy to cook for one. Cooking family size meals is much easier, saves time in the long run, and usually saves money.
Agreed. For a long time, I’d cook dinner twice a week, freeze the leftovers. Soon I had a fully stocked freezer, and could take weeks off!
Sophie, this is by far the best, most complete video on freezer techniques! I discovered some new devices like the gallon zip lock freezer block stand-up container and the plastic freezer device that stands up portions of food like books! I already have the blue blocks...such a great help! Thanks again for putting out great and professional usable content.
I’m so grateful for this video and also for the informative comments. I’m using the souper cube trays now since seeing them on your channel, Sophie, what a game changer. I’m interested in the gallon vessel item - don’t recall the name, but will check after I post - for soups. I have a raised garden bed with good things coming together to harvest. These freezer items, pricey but very practical, make better use of my chest freezer space. Following your way to organize the freezer, Sophie, I doubt if my food preparation will become lost as before. Thank you so much for your amazing ideas, Sophie and community - these ideas inspire me so please keep them coming! (e.g., freezing vegetables for optimum flavour when reheated; ideas for side dishes)
YAY so happy you tried them and love them like I do! Yes, save all of those precious garden goodies! Thanks for the sweet comment and wishing you the best of the luck with the freezing 😊
Sophie, I forwarded this video to my niece that is about to get married. Hope this helps her as much as your videos help me. 🙂
Thanks so much for passing it along and early congratulations to her!
I bought those souper cubes a few months back after seeing you make some pre baby meals to have ready. Such a great idea and freezer meals are such a time saver when you are in a pinch.
Can always count on Sophie to have the best gear !
Aww thanks!!
my husband and i are “dink”s (double income, no kids) and i find that we eat out a lot less frequently if i take the time each week to meal plan and prep. freezer meals are a life-saver and so cost-effective! my favorite is making a big tray of enchiladas and eating it for dinner and then we have a couple of lunches for the week, too. i have not had much success with soups, though. i always end up putting too much of the solids in the first few and the rest have too much liquid. lol enjoyed the video! thanks 😊
Ooo freezer enchiladas are so yummy. When it comes to food we are also basically dinks since Owen doesn't eat much yet! Saves me a lot of effort when work/life gets busy and we want one of our home cooked favorites
I like the small non-disposable pans from Dollar Tree. They're 7.5*7.5, which is half the area of a 13*9, so it's easy to split a recipe that's meant for 13*9 between 2 pans. That lets us have it freshly baked twice per recipe. I usually parchment line for easy cleanup, and put plastic wrap first, then foil to have it keep well in the freezer.
2:22 Herb Bombs! I put an assortment of herbs for one recipe in each cube with evoo and freeze a whole tray. Then pop them out put them in a bag. I make several variations for different types of recipes and then put all the bags in a sealed container in the freezer. Ready when I need them, take however many I want.
YES!!! Love that
This video was AMAZING!!!!! You were so thorough and I really appreciate the details and reviews of helpful products I would probably never otherwise find out about!! ❤
Glad it was helpful!
Chili, spaghetti with sauce or just the spaghetti sauce. Foodsaver bags is mostly what we use with my husband being a hunter we make our own bacon, deer burger with a little pork, Italian sausage with deer meat, we make a few different things with it for us and our boys if they help us make it or help us do something around the house then we will send some home with them so it will help out with there grocery bills every little bit helps. We don't buy much meat at the grocery store
Great tips! Unfortunately I live in south Florida and we lose power when hurricanes come through so I don’t keep much in my freezer during hurricane season.
Smart not to keep too much in there then, we had one of our refrigerators shut down when we were out of town and it was devastating to loos all of my freezer food!!
Ordering the bin for the freezer blocks. SO happy. Thank you. ❤
They are so great!
Excellent video. My favorite meal to freeze would be any type of soup.
Soup is always a great one in the freezer!
My favorite freezer meal is eggplant Parmesan. Thanks for all your helpful hints.
Yummmm that sounds so good!
LOVE the freezer block. Ordering some.
Wooooo!!!
Thank you Sophie for the awesome tips.
You're so welcome!
Do you have any tips for tracking when your freezer meals will be expiring to ensure you eat the meal in time?
You can file them in order of what expires first in the youcopia freezer bin that she linked. I freeze meals as flat as possible so that they unthaw quickly. Since they are thin and flat they should line up in the bin nicely and I'll just know to eat the one in the front. Just bought the bin. I've been stacking by expiration. You could also keep a running list in a note on your phone.
Thank you for your recommendation of Super Cubes. I began batch cooking decades before it was even mentioned.Early silicone was a bust but now that it has been perfected and I want to lessen my plastic usage I'm looking forward to the change.
This old dog must keep changing with the times but only when it is logical and this is.
Great video and tips, Sophie! Thank you!😃
Glad you enjoyed it!
I put things in the freezer never to be seen again. 😒 You have given me hope.
There is hope haha! The freezer can be such a useful tool
Great video! You always have great advice. Thank you.
Thanks for watching!
Thanks Sophie, hope your family had a LOVELY THANKSGIVING! 🦃🍁
I use glass containers for freezer meals. After frozen, slightly thaw on the counter to release the food, then pop into freezer bags. I put them back into the glass container to thaw and then reheat the item in the microwave. I don’t like adding more plastic to the environment. Also, you can freeze eggs for baking. Scramble them then portion into ice cube trays (one cube per egg). Then put into a freezer bag. The color will slightly darken, and I wouldn’t want to cook them as scrambled eggs, but for baking or other types of cooking, they’re fine.
You are amazing.💕great tips.
Thank you so much!
How do you keep the meals from getting frost on them? I have never had luck with that. Even when I have taken a straw and try to suck the air out of the freezer bag!
I think one thing is to make sure whatever you freeze is cooled completely. I learned that many years ago and haven't had problems with frost since I started doing this. Hope this helps.
Thank you so much
Yes, letting the food cool completely is key as well as keeping it wrapped tightly.
Awesome tips Thanks for the video.
Glad it was helpful!
I love that you did this video. I s very helpful.
This was greatly informative, thank you.
wow this had alot of really good information, thank you so much, really helped!!!
I love these silicone soup containers. But the ceramic ramekins are smaller and the frozen meal won’t fit in them. Any suggestion of a ramekin that will accommodate the prepared meal? Thank you so much for all the information
Thanks for the tips!
I’m learning how to freeze meals to help out my elderly parents. I have been using plastic meal prep containers but maybe the freezer block would be a better option. Also I am wondering about freezing things like scrambled eggs and pancakes….is that recommended? What are your thoughts on those machines that remove the air?
Pancakes freeze great! We always make extra and then freeze the rest for easy breakfasts during the week 👍🏻
Thanks Sophie
I have super cubes and can't get the smell of chili out. Any suggestions?
Yes!! I have a lot of success with just washing them in the dishwasher but if they need an extra clean and to be deodorized try 1) boil in hot water, 2) scrub with baking soda, 3) soak in 50/50 water vinegar mixture, 4) bake in the oven (the owner of souper cubes taught me this one)
I’m having the same problem. Mine smell of a carne asada marinade I prepped. It seems like all the tips and tricks don’t work 100%. Maybe my nose is just too good 🥴 these didn’t work well for me: oven, dishwashing, baking soda, or vinegar. I think dishwashing worked the best and the baking soda/vinegar didn’t do a thing
@@SophisticatedOrganization It truly shouldn't be that complicated.
@@jacklynlaperriere8212 Yup dishwashing works the best for me! I haven't had any issues
Hey, those large freezer trays can also be used to freeze chicken stock. It was my very first thought.
GENIUS!!!!!
hi, could you link the freezer organizers or where to purchase these, brand model?
The souped cubes are so expensive. Are they ever on sale?
They are a bit pricy. I have seen a few sales throughout the year, I think on their website they may have a pop up for 10% off or something for first time customers. Maybe black friday time they will have another sale.
Aldi has some knock off souper cubes available this week for $4.99.
We freeze whole home grown chilli’s, slice as needed whilst still frozen and throw in the dish.
What a great idea!
I try my best not to use plastic - so much research on how bad it is to touch your food so I'm happy to see those silicon souper things!
Great point!
How do you know how to re-heat something?
Some comments said they smell after awhile. Please share your experience and how to avoid or fix that. I want to order but concerned.
I have not had that issue although in general you can clean silicone with baking soda, boil in hot water, or bake them in the oven to help clean!
I froze hot sauce in mine and they smelled after coming out of the dishwasher. I baked the bottom in the oven according to the instructions on the souper cubes website and the smell was gone.
Loved this video Sophie! I am forever forgetting what I put in the freezer! Those cubes and forms look amazing but I won’t find them where I live.
Shoot, Hopefully they will expand to your region soon!
I thought this video was so awesome I told my mom about it, and she called flat freezer meals that are in bags or taken out of the freezer block “freezer fritters”. 😆
Hahah love that!
I love to freeze meatloaf.🙂
That is a great one! I love meatloaf
We had chilli with spaghetti a few weeks ago as I thought it was frozen bolognaise 😂. It was nice but would have been better with rice!!
Haha oh my goodness! Happened to me all the time when I would put things in the freezer convinced there was no way I would forget what it was!
I wish I had the freezer space for freezer meals :(
Ugh that's always the struggle. We are so lucky to now have an extra fridge/freezer downstairs
O!M!G! This is life changing for me. Thank you SO much. SUB'D
Woooo thank you for subscribing!
Ya Aluminum container are great for reheating in the microwave.
Does anyone get complaints from family that the food tastes different than if it was not frozen?
No, just make sure yiu heat it via stovetop or oven dont microwave it
Cooking extra to freeze for later on doesn't have to be a big deal
Just double the recipe
It s an awful lot of resources to freeze food when it takes five to ten minutes to make a breakfast sandwich in the am....I never understand using two products no three to freeze a breakfast sandwich you can make fresh in the am....