Any working housewife wants to save her time in the kitchen, but at the same time feed her loved ones tasty and satisfying food. Ready-made store-bought semi-finished products are expensive, and it is not clear what they are made of. The solution in this situation is to prepare semi-finished products yourself. In particular, you can cook and freeze cutlets for future use.
To freeze the cutlets, prepare minced meat or fish cutlets, as usual, according to your favorite recipe. You can add onions, garlic, soaked bread, eggs, and spices. In general, as you are used to doing. Then we form cutlets and place them in one row on a baking sheet or cutting board.
Place the baking sheet with the cutlets in the freezer for a couple of hours. Then we take it out and pour the meat products into the bag. Place in the freezer for further storage.
In the video, Vita Vika will tell you in detail about the intricacies of freezing cutlets
How to fry frozen cutlets
Ready-made frozen cutlets can be reheated over low heat without defrosting. You can also stew them in sauce or reheat them in the oven or microwave. The cutlet is already ready to eat; it is simply brought to the desired temperature.
It takes a little more time to cook cutlets that are frozen raw. If you plan to fry them, coat them in breading before placing them in the pan. They are prepared in the same way as fresh ones, only they are defrosted in a frying pan during the cooking process.
Using the tips above, you will no longer rack your brains about what to cook something quick and tasty. We cooked the porridge, took the cutlet out of the freezer - and a quick dinner was ready. Take the time to prepare homemade frozen cutlets, and you will be sure that you are provided with a delicious meat dish for the whole week.
Nowadays, the food industry offers enough new technologies to make life much easier for modern housewives. However, many doubt the quality of finished store products. And even greater distrust arises in semi-finished products. Agree, 1 kg of frozen cutlets cannot cost less than 1 kg of meat. However, semi-finished meat products often cost 2 or 3 times less than the main ingredient.
At such moments, you start thinking about preparing your own semi-finished products. Today we will tell you how to freeze homemade ones.
Is it possible to freeze fried minced meat cutlets?
It is possible to freeze finished cutlets in the freezer, but it is not advisable. And for several reasons:
- Firstly, during storage they will significantly lose their taste, and in order to enjoy the food and not just fill your stomach, you will have to experiment with sauces.
- Secondly, frying a raw cutlet, albeit frozen, will take the same amount of time as reheating one that is ready to eat but has been lying around for a week or two at sub-zero temperatures.
That is, it makes sense to freeze only the surplus that, for some reason, the family cannot eat immediately after cooking or within the 24 hours allotted for storage in the main chamber of the refrigerator. And for the long term, it is better to prepare products from raw minced meat.
How to freeze cutlets at home?
The freezing process consists of three successive stages:
- Cooling - transfer the cutlets from the frying pan to a plate or baking sheet and leave on the table. They should remain there until they feel slightly warm to the touch.
- Cooling - cover the container with cutlets with cling film and place in the refrigerator for several hours. During this time, their temperature should approach 0 (from +6°C to +2°C).
- Freezing - cutlets are laid out in one layer at a short distance from each other and left in the freezer. The freezing process at -25°C will take 2.5 to 3 hours. If you have a thermometer with a probe among your kitchen utensils, you can use it - as soon as the device begins to show that the temperature inside the meat product has dropped to -8°C, the freezing process can be considered complete.
You need to put the cutlets in the freezer in zip-lock bags specially designed for this purpose. They almost do not allow outside odors to pass through and preserve the taste of food as much as possible. Cling film and disposable plastic bags from the supermarket are not suitable for this purpose.
Shelf life
The maximum shelf life of fried cutlets at temperatures from -18°C to -25°C is 1 month. Then fat oxidation and other structural changes will begin, significantly affecting the quality of the product.
It is advisable to eat such cutlets within the first week after placing them in the freezer.
Which cutlets cannot be frozen?
The first thing you should pay attention to is the minced meat. If, before being turned into cutlets, it was frozen or prepared from frozen meat, then products made from it cannot be stored in the freezer even after being fully fried. This is associated with the risk of bacterial infections (as is known, when protein products are thawed, microbes become active and begin to multiply rapidly). The temperature inside a cutlet fried in a frying pan reaches +80°C, but this is not enough to destroy all pathogenic microflora.
In addition, the structure of meat from the freezer changes, which affects its taste. Repeated freezing makes this problem worse.
It is also prohibited to freeze meat products that have been stored outdoors or in the main compartment of the refrigerator for a long time. The putrefactive processes in them have already begun, despite the fact that the taste and smell do not yet arouse suspicion. Placing such food in the freezer will not make it fresher, but you can get poisoned by it without much effort.
To make the cutlets really tasty and make you want to eat them yourself, rather than treat stray cats, you should follow the advice of experienced chefs:
- If breading helps meat products frozen raw to retain their shape and not stick together during storage, then in the case of ready-made meat products the opposite is true - the presence of a cracker crust spoils both the taste and appearance of the food that has been in the freezer.
- You need to cook the cutlets from minced meat, onions and spices, then after heating they will retain their fluffiness and softness. The presence of bread in the recipe will make them slightly rubbery, and frozen garlic will start to smell bad.
- It is worth frying not in vegetable oil, but in lard. The fact is that it goes rancid more slowly, therefore, with long-term storage, the taste will be more pleasant.
- Do not complete heat treatment. During the heating process, the cutlets will still reach readiness, but thanks to this trick, their taste will be as close as possible to the taste of the product “from the heat.”
Preparation for use
- Before serving the cutlets, it is recommended to boil them for 5–10 minutes in tomato sauce or meat broth under a closed lid. This method is not suitable for breaded products, as it will flake off.
- You can also fry the cutlets over low heat. Covering the pan will keep them juicy and flavorful. Warm-up time is at least 10 minutes. For cutlets that are half cooked, it increases to 20 minutes.
- Another way to reheat frozen patties is to place them in the microwave. Depending on the power, the whole process will take from 3 to 5 minutes, and half an hour is allotted for eating the product. For longer storage, cutlets need to be heated by boiling or frying.
In general, there is nothing wrong with freezing fried cutlets rather than raw ones. However, you should remember that they will not be as tasty as fresh ones, and you won’t be able to save time this way either.
Freezing raw cutlets
Make cutlets from raw minced meat in the usual way. Next, line the refrigerator tray (a special flat box) or cutting board with cling film. Place the cutlets on film and freeze. When the cutlets are frozen, they can be easily separated from the film, and they can be transferred to regular bags so that they do not take up much space in the freezer.
It must be taken into account that the temperature in the freezer at the time of initial freezing should be as low as possible. Once the cutlets are frozen, the freezer temperature can be set back to medium.
Cutlets do not need to be defrosted before cooking. It is enough to roll frozen cutlets in any breading and fry in the usual way or steam.
How to freeze cutlets
We are all constantly in a hurry to get somewhere, and sometimes we don’t have time to prepare dinner or surprise uninvited guests with something. That’s why it’s so important to know that there’s a treasured bag of cutlets or meatballs in the freezer. We will tell you how you can freeze cutlets at home.
Total cooking time – 3 hours 0 minutes Active cooking time – 0 hours 15 minutes Cost – average cost Calories per 100 g – 254 kcal Number of servings – 8 servings
How to freeze cutlets
Ingredients:
Minced meat - 1 kg cutlet mass Breadcrumbs - 100 g
Preparation:
One of the easiest ways to freeze raw patties is to freeze them in silicone muffin cups. To prevent the cutlets from sticking together and sticking to the packaging when frozen, they must be breaded, preferably in breadcrumbs.
With wet hands, form cutlets, bread and place in molds. There is no need to lubricate the mold with anything beforehand. In this form, we put the cutlets in the freezer, and when they freeze, pour them into a bag or container.
Another convenient way to freeze cutlets is to place them on a plastic board or flat surface at a distance from each other. To prevent the cutlets from becoming airy, cover them with cling film. If there are a lot of cutlets, it is better not to place the boards on top of each other so that the cutlets do not flatten, but to let the cutlets on the first board freeze slightly for at least 15 minutes, and keep the remaining cutlets in the refrigerator, then place the next board on the first, etc.
If there is not enough space in the freezer to place a large board there, you can stack the cutlets on top of each other, covering them with cling film. Then put this structure in the freezer. The film can be lightly sprinkled with breadcrumbs.
This “sausage” can be made from raw breaded cutlets, or from those that have already been frozen using any of the previous methods. This makes it more convenient to store the cutlets and makes it easy to take the required amount.
Don't forget to attach a sticker or a piece of paper indicating the freezing date. You can indicate the composition, for example, pork cutlets, fish cutlets, cutlets for baby food, etc., especially if there are several types of cutlets in the freezer at the same time. The leaf should be placed between two layers of cling film to prevent it from getting soggy.
You can freeze not only raw cutlets, but also ready-made ones, or cutlets that are fried but require further heat treatment. They can be frozen using any of the previous methods, except freezing in silicone molds. And then put it in a container with a lid. Don't forget to attach the labeling sticker. Here you need to indicate whether the cutlets are fully cooked or not. I indicate, for example, that they are fried.
In the future, such cutlets can be stewed with gravy or sauce, or steamed until cooked. To do this, simply put them in a double boiler and cook in a slow cooker for about 15-20 minutes.
Fully cooked frozen cutlets can also be reheated in a slow cooker, in a frying pan, or in the microwave.
Related posts:
1. Semolina porridge with milk in a Polaris multicooker 2. Turkey steak 3. Barley porridge with meat in the oven 4. Recipe for stewed potatoes with chicken in a pan 5. Fried processed cheese in breading
Freezing fried cutlets
Some housewives prefer to fry raw cutlets before freezing. In this case, the formed cutlets need to be breaded and quickly fried in oil.
Fry the cutlets on both sides until golden brown. After this, remove the cutlets from the pan and place in a plastic container. Wait until the cutlets have cooled completely, close the container with a lid and put it in the freezer. Subsequently, you can quickly cook such cutlets in a frying pan, oven, or.
You can also freeze fully prepared cutlets. To do this, roll the cutlets formed from minced meat in breading and fry on both sides over high heat. Then pour a little water, cover the cutlets with a lid and cook over low heat until cooked. Cool the cutlets, place them in a container and freeze.
When you need the cutlets, just defrost them in the microwave, in a frying pan or in the oven, and they will be ready to eat. This will only take you a few minutes.
Is it possible to freeze cutlets?
- If you are making cutlets from non-frozen meat or minced meat, then it is quite possible to freeze the cutlets.
But if they are made from frozen meat, then they cannot be frozen, because re-thawed and frozen meat products should not be consumed. This may be hazardous to your health.
You can store semi-finished cutlets from fresh meat in the freezer for no more than two to three months.
If you made minced meat from frozen meat, or bought frozen minced meat and then made cutlets out of them, then it is better to cook them completely, for example, fry them or bring them to readiness in some other way. And only after that can you freeze the cutlets. This will be safer for your health.
You can also store ready-made cutlets for two months, at most two and a half.
I prefer to freeze ready-made cutlets. I usually make a side dish of buckwheat for cutlets. If I have leftover cutlets with a side dish on the second day, I put them in the freezer along with the buckwheat and take them out and reheat them after four days. The taste is almost the same.
You can freeze minced meat, and you can also freeze ready-made cutlets for future use. It’s best to freeze breaded, then put it in a bag after freezing, and at the right time take it out and fry it, either in the oven or in a frying pan.. It’s convenient when you have such reserves, then you can save time on cooking.
But of course, it would be necessary to observe the shelf life, because they are already with onions and frozen in ordinary home refrigerators - 17 degrees in total.
Once fried, you can also freeze them, but I personally don’t like the taste afterwards; it’s better if you freeze the cutlets raw, before frying.
You can even freeze it and then use it as a semi-finished product. By the way, it is very convenient for those who do not have time to twist and prepare minced cutlets.
You then take it out of the freezer and immediately into a preheated frying pan over low heat. If you think about it, they are no different from cutlets, but they are everywhere in stores.
Why not?! I always do this) It's very convenient. You can also freeze the fried ones. My mother-in-law actually freezes everything if she sees that food might go to waste. Soup freezes and even boiled sausage! Everything is edible)
Cutlets with onions can be frozen fresh and fried later. In general, this applies to all home-made semi-finished products that contain minced meat: cabbage rolls, stuffed peppers, etc. Having a supply of your own, not purchased semi-finished products in the freezer is very convenient.
Semi-finished products containing minced meat should not be stored for more than two months.
Frozen cutlets do not need to be thawed before frying. They are placed frozen in a heated frying pan and fried like regular cutlets, only a little longer.
It takes about the same time to reheat a cutlet as it does to fry it, but a freshly fried cutlet, you must agree, tastes better! That's why I freeze them unfried. And everything is fine! And before frying, I don’t defrost them, I immediately put them in a frying pan, cover with a lid and fry. I don’t particularly like a heavily fried crust, but sometimes I want it, then after 4-5 minutes I remove the lid and then do the same as everyone else.
It seems to me that everything can be frozen). Only the taste of the product and its composition may suffer from this.
And I froze the cutlets uncooked and ready-made. Nothing happened to them.
It’s harder to say with shelf life. As a rule, I kept them for no more than a week.
But I heard that the finished (cooked) product can be stored for up to three months in the freezer.
Of course, you can freeze cutlets, just raw, not fried, but the store sells frozen cutlets, then you take them out, defrost them and fry them. They can be stored for a long time.
Only garlic does not tolerate freezing well. Many people like to add it to minced cutlets. After freezing and then frying, the taste of the garlic cutlets will not be what was intended. As for the rest... you can freeze minced meat without salt and spices, then defrost it, add everything and fry, you can freeze formed raw cutlets and fry without first defrosting, or you can freeze the finished dish.
At minus 18, you can store for six months, but keep in mind that the products lose moisture. The optimal period is 2-3 months.
In principle, you can freeze any semi-finished products, both home-made and purchased. As a matter of fact, cutlets are no exception, including those with the addition of onions and other seasonings. Most often I make minced meat myself and make cutlets for future use in large batches, since it is then very convenient to immediately send them for frying, even without additional defrosting. The time savings are excellent, and the dishes come out no worse than from freshly twisted minced meat.
But it is not recommended to store semi-finished meat products for a long time. Try to keep your cutlets in the freezer for no more than a month or two, otherwise they will completely lose their taste and nutritional qualities. For example, our family with 4-5 kg. There is enough minced meat for cutlets and lazy cabbage rolls for exactly a month, and then we buy meat again and prepare semi-finished products.
Meat minced in a meat grinder practically does not lose its taste and nutritional qualities when exposed to negative temperatures. This allows you to prepare semi-finished minced meat products for freezing for future use. You can make more than two dozen types of products with your own hands.
How to choose packaging for freezing
- There is a category of packaging that is suitable for freezing food.
- Simple plastic bags will do, but they are quite thin and fragile, so I personally only use them when freezing a single portion of, for example, vegetables.
- There are special bags for freezing. They are more durable and have a clip or other clasps that allow you to close the bag. But before you do this, be sure to release all the air.
- Freezing containers are quite popular among housewives. They are especially convenient for freezing ready-made dishes that only require heating. The container must be marked as suitable for low temperatures.
- It is very convenient to use foil. But you should wrap the product several times.
- Once you have packaged the food, be sure to mark it with a marker or any other method convenient for you with the name, date and time of freezing. This way you will know how long to store the product.
Cutlets
Cutlets for freezing can be prepared from the following ingredients:
- pork - 1 kg;
- beef - 1 kg;
- 2 medium onions;
- 2–4 cloves of garlic;
- 1 carrot (200 g);
- white bread - 250–400 g;
- a glass of milk;
- salt, black pepper (ground);
- flour (breadcrumbs).
Prepare cutlet semi-finished products as follows:
- The bread is soaked in milk for several minutes.
- Products (except carrots) are passed through a meat grinder.
- The carrots are cut into small pieces and added to the minced meat.
- The ingredients are salted, pepper is added, and the mixture is mixed with a masher and hands.
- Form cutlets, dip them in flour, place on a baking sheet and place it in the freezer.
How to quickly defrost minced meat at home
Defrosting meat products at home is carried out in compliance with sanitary and professional standards. When the process follows the rules, the structure of the minced meat is preserved, the attractiveness of its appearance is preserved, and the likelihood of spoilage is reduced.
Defrost in the refrigerator
Using a refrigerator to bring minced meat to the proper condition is not a fast method.
The process is very simple: put the bag of minced meat in a bowl, place it on the refrigerator shelf (preferably the middle one). The speed of defrosting depends on the size of the piece. As noted above, a 1 kg piece can take up to 24 hours to defrost.
The temperature maintained inside the refrigerator has its influence. For example, 4 degrees will promote rapid thawing, which cannot be achieved at 2 degrees of heat.
Do not cover the container with minced meat, otherwise air exchange will be difficult and the thawing process will slow down.
To check if the minced meat is ready for cooking, press it with your finger. When a visible dent remains on the surface of the piece, the minced meat is ready for cooking.
Do not delay cooking for a long time; after defrosting, heat treat the product. If your plans change, don’t wait for the minced meat to thaw, just put it back in the freezer.
In cold water
It is very convenient to defrost meat products by exposure to cold water. An average portion of minced meat weighing half a kilogram will be ready for further processing after an hour.
The defrosting process goes like this:
- remove a piece of minced meat from the freezer;
- put it in a bag equipped with a zip fastener;
- close the flap tightly;
- check that there are no holes on the surface of the bag (if you miss this moment, water will get into the minced meat, this will make the finished product watery);
- pour cold water into a container large enough to hold the meat;
- Place the bag of minced meat in it.
Some housewives prefer to use a kitchen sink in the form of a container. In this case, wash the sink thoroughly first.
To speed up the process, change the water to fresh water every half hour. Minced meat subjected to this type of thawing cannot be re-frozen. Therefore, cook the minced meat immediately when it has melted to the desired state. Otherwise, after 3 hours the product will deteriorate.
In hot water
Particularly impatient housewives use hot water poured into a container for defrosting, or use warm running water. In this case, the meat will melt very quickly, after about a quarter of an hour.
This type of influence is not recommended, because under the influence of hot water, active protein folding occurs, which changes the appearance of the product, leads to loss of taste, and the appearance of hardness in the finished dish.
When choosing this method, be sure to place the piece in a tight plastic bag to prevent liquid from getting inside.
In a water bath
An excellent way to thaw frozen foods is to use a water bath. The method is considered ideal for small pieces.
- fill ¼ of the pan with water;
- place on the stove;
- remove the minced meat from the packaging;
- place the meat in another container, smaller in size than the pan;
- check whether water from the pan gets into the container with meat;
- bring the water in the pan to a boil and maintain it;
- Turn the product periodically so that it thaws evenly, remove the already softened layer.
In the microwave
After the appearance of a microwave oven in every kitchen, the process of defrosting food has become easier. The method is fast and requires minimal effort; use it immediately before cooking. Minced meat melted in this way cannot be stored.
The microwave is used in this way:
- remove the minced meat from the freezer and unpack it;
- place in a microwave-safe container;
- select the defrost mode, if it is not available, set the power to 50 W;
- run the program;
- periodically stop the operation of the device and turn the piece over with different sides;
- after 15 minutes, check if the surface of the meat has become soft;
- if solids are present, continue defrosting.
Minced meat sauce
Many main courses are seasoned with meat gravy. It can be prepared for future use and the semi-finished product can be used within a week. For the gravy you will need:
- mixed minced meat (50% pork, 50% beef) - 600–700 g;
- 1 large onion;
- 1 sweet bell pepper;
- tomato paste - 50 g or more (to taste);
- vegetable oil - tbsp. l.;
- flour - tbsp. l.;
- parsley (fresh or dried);
- salt to taste.
Preparing gravy for freezing:
- Place the minced meat in a deep frying pan, add 2 tablespoons of water and vegetable oil, and lightly fry.
- Add chopped vegetables.
- After 10–12 minutes, add tomato paste and fry the ingredients.
- Place flour in a frying pan and lightly fry it.
- Add hot boiled water, add parsley, cook the gravy until thickened.
- The cooled semi-finished product is packaged in small portion containers (or plastic bags with clips) and placed in the freezer.
Cooking frozen cutlets in the oven
Semi-finished products can be baked - it will turn out to be an excellent dietary dish.
There are two ways:
No roasting
- Place the cutlets, without defrosting, in a greased fireproof dish.
- Let's preheat the oven to 200ºС and send our semi-finished product there.
- It is advisable to cover the product with foil - this way it will bake better and hold for 15 minutes, and then the same amount without it.
Alternatively, you can use a cooking sleeve.
Browning in a frying pan
- Fry frozen semi-finished products in hot oil for literally 3-5 minutes.
- Transfer to a baking sheet or mold, pour in the sauce and bake in a preheated oven for 20 - 30 minutes.
Meatballs
Classic meatballs cook quickly, store well and keep their shape after freezing. For the dish you will need the following products:
- minced meat (pork and beef in approximately the same quantity) - 400 g;
- boiled round rice - 1 tbsp.;
- onion - 1 pc.;
- salt;
- ground black pepper;
- flour.
Process of preparing meatballs:
- The minced meat is ground with onions in a meat grinder.
- Salt, add pepper, rice.
- Mix the mass with your hands, achieving a uniform state.
- Form meatballs by dipping them in flour.
- Place on a sheet and place in the freezer.
Frozen meatballs allow you to prepare a delicious, nutritious soup in half an hour. For this you will need:
- ground meat;
- salt.
Chicken and turkey meatballs turn out a little dry, and the broth will not be rich. The best way to make these “koloboks” is from young beef mixed with pork. Many housewives prepare meatballs only from pork, without adding other meat.
Preparation:
- Minced meat bought in a store is minced in a meat grinder.
- The mass is additionally kneaded with hands or a masher.
- Form small balls with your hands, place them on a sheet sprinkled with flour, and place it in the freezer.
There is no need to dip the meatballs themselves in flour, otherwise the soup will turn out cloudy.
The thick skin of peppers is well preserved at sub-zero temperatures. To prepare a semi-finished product with minced chicken you need:
- sweet bell pepper - 10 pcs.;
- round rice - 1 tbsp;
- minced chicken breast - 450 g;
- garlic - 3 cloves;
- vegetable oil - half a glass;
- salt.
Step-by-step preparation of peppers for freezing:
- Rice is boiled in salted water. It must remain intact, so mix the minced chicken with your hands; do not use a masher or blender.
- The base and stalk of the peppers are cut off, and the seeds and seed plates are removed.
- Fill the peppers with prepared minced meat. The mass is packed tightly, leaving no empty space.
- Place the stuffed peppers on a plate and place in the refrigerator.
For subsequent stewing of thawed semi-finished products, you will need carrots, tomatoes, garlic, onions, vegetable oil and parsley. It is also better to prepare these products in advance.
Storing homemade cutlets
Homemade cutlets can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 12 hours. It is best to use foil or film for storage in which to wrap food. Plastic containers with lids may be used.
You can store homemade cutlets in the freezer raw, undercooked or ready to eat. Each of these storage methods has its own positive and negative sides, and everyone must decide for themselves which one to use.
- Storing cutlets raw is the easiest option. The minced meat is given the desired shape, laid out on a board covered with parchment paper and sent to the freezer.
- Semi-finished meat products are frozen using the “shock freezing” method at the lowest possible temperature (this method is more effective than gradual freezing).
- After a day, when the semi-finished products are well frozen, they are placed in storage containers and kept in the freezer at a temperature of -18°C.
Before storing the cutlets in the freezer, you can lightly fry them in a very hot frying pan with butter until a crust forms. They are then placed in food containers, allowed to cool and frozen.
You can then get a ready-to-eat product after frying it in a pan or baking it in the oven.
Turkey spring rolls
Pancakes are good for both breakfast and dinner. Semi-finished products are prepared with all types of meat. For the pancake dough you will need:
- 2 tbsp. milk;
- 1 chicken egg;
- 2–2.5 tbsp. premium white wheat flour;
- vegetable oil;
- butter.
The dough ingredients are kneaded with a mixer. Let it sit for half an hour and bake the pancakes.
For stuffing you need:
- turkey meat:
- salt.
Preparation:
- The meat is minced in a meat grinder.
- The mass is salted and kneaded with a masher.
- Place a portion of minced meat on the pancake, add a small piece of butter and wrap the pancake in an envelope.
- The finished product is frozen.
Correct conditions for natural defrosting of minced meat
According to SanPiN recommendations, natural thawing of semi-finished meat or chicken products should be carried out within 2–5 hours, depending on the thickness of the briquette. In catering facilities, tables equipped with a function for gradually heating the surface from 0 to +8 degrees should be used for defrosting.
Defrosting time at room temperature depends on the size of the briquette
At home, we defrost semi-finished meat products at room temperature, away from turned on burners, a working oven, or heating appliances.
For proper defrosting, you should not use water; it washes out nutrients from meat products.
Dumplings with duck meat
Frozen dumplings are made with any minced meat. To prepare duck dumplings you will need:
- minced duck fillet - half a kilogram;
- 1 medium sized onion;
- salt.
To prepare the dish, make regular dumpling dough. It includes:
- 3 eggs;
- 500 g premium white wheat flour;
- salt;
- half a glass of water.
Combine flour and other ingredients and knead into a tight dough. Modeling begins after half an hour so that the mass becomes plastic. The dumplings are placed on a tray and placed in the refrigerator.
Semi-finished minced meat products for freezing are prepared with your own hands according to different recipes from one or several types of meat. For the additive, choose products that also do not lose their quality at sub-zero temperatures. For future use, you can prepare cutlets, meatballs, stuffed peppers and pancakes, meatballs, and meat gravy. It is recommended to freeze these dishes at a temperature of -18 to -30 °C.
Are there days when you don’t have the time or desire to stand at the stove? Prepare for them in advance!
If you have your eye on something interesting on our website, but are not sure that you have enough time for it, reconsider your attitude towards the kitchen! We're not asking you to leave the stove and take up cross-stitching or soap making. We want to teach you how to save your time and use it more efficiently by freezing ready-made meals.
What can you store in the freezer?
We have already written that fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs, tomatoes for pizza and much more can be frozen for the winter, and the fact that during the preparation season it is a huge success means that there are always useful preparations in the freezers of our readers !
But did you know that you can freeze not only plant foods, semi-finished products, dumplings and dumplings? It is much more economical in terms of time to freeze ready-to-eat dishes, which you only have to reheat and serve. For heating, it is best to use a microwave - one of the most household appliances in the house.
Take these basic recipes and start experimenting with your favorite snacks!
How to freeze chicken
Every third housewife thinks about whether it is possible to freeze fried chicken, but only every fifth decides to experiment! In fact, chicken cooked in the oven or according to the tapaka chicken principle tolerates freezing well and practically does not lose either its taste or consistency.
After defrosting, the chicken completely retains its shape, the skin remains in the same place, the color does not change. Checked! If you're afraid, try freezing a small piece, such as a wing or leg!
You can cook chicken on a free day, and it is much more convenient to bake several carcasses at once; this will save time, since you will have to wash the dishes and oven once. Cool the finished chicken well at room temperature, then wrap it in cling film so that less air gets into the packaging, and place the appetizer in the refrigerator. If you have an unexpected visit from guests or simply when you don’t feel like cooking, heat it up, cook it as a side dish and enjoy!
Cutlets and meatballs - a quick dinner
When preparing cutlets, meatballs or other minced meat dishes for lunch, cook them in double quantity. In terms of time spent, you will lose practically nothing, well, maybe an extra half hour will be spent on frying the cutlets. But then, when you don’t have time to prepare dinner, these preparations will definitely help you out.
The cutlets look no less appetizing than fresh ones
It is best to cool meat cutlets for freezing and wrap them in film, 2-4 pieces at a time. Meatballs can be frozen directly in tomato sauce by placing them in a portioned plastic container that can withstand both low and high temperatures. You can also freeze fried pieces of meat with or without sauce, chops, including lazy ones, stuffed peppers and cabbage rolls.
Freezing dumplings and dumplings
Now a little about how to properly freeze dumplings and dumplings. Dough products intended for cooking are best frozen raw. Always place dumplings in a single layer on a plate, trays or heavy cardboard.
You can prepare homemade dumplings not only on the stove, but also in a slow cooker. This will save a lot of time. They are also convenient to use for quickly preparing soup or for a hot snack in portioned pots.
Dumplings in vareniki should be placed in one layer
Preparations for soups
To avoid wasting time preparing frying soup, make several preparations at once. Fry onions, carrots, mushrooms, and other vegetables that you like to add to broths and freeze it all in small portions in plastic bags or plastic cups. The glasses will then need to be wrapped in film to prevent air from entering.
With the same success, you can freeze broths, which, for example, remain after boiling meat or chicken for salad. Plastic bottles and containers are suitable for this purpose.
The broth can be frozen in bags
Basics for pilaf and julienne
If you fry the meat in pieces, onions and grated carrots, and then freeze this mixture, then it will take a few minutes to prepare the pilaf. All you need to do is defrost the base, heat the meat and vegetables in a cauldron, add washed rice, add boiling water and wait for the dish to cook!
For a quick julienne, prepare mushrooms and onions. You can also add fried chicken or boiled mussels here. At the right time, heat everything in the microwave and act according to one of the following. By the way, fried mushrooms can be added to potatoes or rice.
Freezing ready meals
This is a separate topic that requires special intervention.)) There are times when there is a dish left in the refrigerator, for example, soup or casserole, that no one wants to eat. Then, instead of waiting for it to spoil, you should freeze it. After a few days, you may want to finish it or it will be suitable for emergency use when there is no time to cook after work or other urgent matters arise.
Another thing is to prepare a lot in advance and freeze part of the portion until next time. This is also a great option to save time on cooking. I will describe a sample menu and the techniques that I use with frozen foods below.
How do you freeze cutlets?
And how could something not work out? What’s easier is to stick cutlets and freeze them instead of frying!
How to cook frozen cutlets?
I prepare the minced meat as usual, add all the necessary ingredients to it (I will post the recipe in the next article), fry some of the cutlets in a frying pan, and put some in the freezer.
One caveat:
Before placing the cutlets on a board, which we will put in the freezer, it is better to lay cling film on it and lightly coat it with vegetable oil, otherwise the cutlets will stick tightly to the board.
When all the cutlets are placed on the board, cover them on top with cling film and put them in the freezer for several hours. Then, when the cutlets are frozen, carefully put them in bags. This way, I always have a ready-made meat dish for dinner on hand!
How long to fry frozen cutlets in a frying pan?
I fry frozen cutlets in a frying pan until golden brown. Then, since my family also loves “cutlet gravy,” I pour boiled water over the cutlets fried on both sides (to about half the level of the frying pan), cover with a lid and simmer for 20-30 minutes over low heat. If gravy is not needed and you want the cutlets to have an appetizing crust, then I also fry the cutlets until golden brown over high heat, and then reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cook until cooked (also about 20 minutes), turning them over periodically so that they don’t burn and , adding a little water.
Fresh food is the basis for quality nutrition. But, unfortunately, most of us cannot boast of eating exclusively fresh foods.
