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Nothing can ever compare with the pot of curry freshly prepared, garnished with onion vagaar and dhunia, pepped-up with gharam masala and served with piping hot rotis just off the griddle, however, that is a way of life fast disappearing from the scene, and most of us have now to devise short cuts which will earn us some leisure for relaxed entertaining.<\/p>\n
This is where the deep freezer can be of invaluable help.<\/p>\n
There are many advantages in having a freezer. To list the obvious such as buying in bulk in the season of plenty, when the products can be obtained cheaply.<\/p>\n
And not forgetting the blessed month of Ramadaan that is upon us very soon and most housewives are busy with their Ramadaan savouries.<\/p>\n
It is common knowledge that it takes more or less the same amount of time to prepare a double quantity of batter as it does a single amount. Therefore, with articles such as bread rolls, samoosas, cutlets, pattas, pies, rotis, may we suggest you do just that.<\/p>\n
Make a double amount of whatever you preparing, and store it away for future use.<\/p>\n
When freezing food, always leave some headspace between the foods that you are storing and the lid of the container, especially with liquids.<\/p>\n
The headspace will allow your stored items to expand as it freezes with out breaking the container.<\/p>\n
If you are freezing your items in freezer bags you will want to make sure that you remove as much air from the bag as possible before sealing.<\/p>\n
A full freezer with semi-cooked foods means a relaxed confident mother and hostess who can cope with any emergency that may arise.<\/p>\n
Follow these three simple steps to keep your frozen food fresh-tasting. It's a good idea to date and label the packages and to include the reheating instructions.<\/p>\n
Cooling
before storing hot foods, be sure to cool them completely. This is important for two reasons: Hot foods will raise the temperature of the freezer, slowing the freezing time (and perhaps thawing other foods), and the centre of the dishes may not freeze quickly enough to prevent spoilage.<\/p>\n
Storing
Use storage containers and wrappings designed for the freezer. When freezing in baking dishes, wrap tightly. Otherwise, transfer food to airtight containers, leaving as little air as possible at the top (except for liquids, which need about one inch of air to allow for expansion). Freezing in small containers (less than one quart) will ensure that the food freezes quickly.<\/p>\n
Reheating
some dishes require defrosting before reheating; check directions in each recipe to be sure. If thawing is called for, the safest way is to transfer the container to the refrigerator the night before you plan to serve the dish (do not leave out at room temperature), or you can defrost in the microwave.<\/p>\n
Here are some hints and tips on freezing food:<\/p>\n
SAMOOSAS:
Prepare and fill samoosas as usual. Pack neatly in Tupperware containers. Layer each row with plastic or cling wrap, to prevent samoosas from sticky to one another.
Or alternately put samoosas neatly in plastic bags as many as will be needed for any one serving in the future. Put the bags of samoosas in a large Tupperware container. Do not crush samoosas and allow space between bags.
When required for use, put oil on stove and heat oil and fry.<\/p>\n
PASTRY AND PIES:
Fill pies with filling of choice. Then pack into large flat containers and freeze. When packing pies layer each row with plastic or cling wrap.
An excellent idea is to brush egg and sprinkle till, kus kus etc before freezing.<\/p>\n
ROTIS:
Rotis preserve excellently in the freezer. The rotis must be put in batches of two's or three's and separated with plastic sheets in between. They can then be put into plastic bags and frozen.
When required, they should be put into a warm oven for a few minutes and they will be remarkably fresh.<\/p>\n
CUTLETS:
Prepare mince cutlets and put in a hot oven for a while so that they dry out slightly. When cold sprinkle with breadcrumbs and pack cutlets between sheets of plastic and freeze. When required remove from freezer, and dip in egg and fry.<\/p>\n
MASALAD FISH:
Only fresh line fish must be used for this. Smear fish with your favorite masala and keep in plastic containers and seal well. When required, thaw the fish for at least ½ hour, then bake or fry.<\/p>\n
TO KEEP CHILIES IN THE FREEZER:
Fresh red or green chilies can be crushed through a mincer or magi mix. To each 500grams of chilies add ½ tsp salt and 1 tblsp of oil.
They will last indefinitely without loosing colour or going off.<\/p>\n
FREEZING SOUPS OR HALEEM
When you are making up large batches of soup to freeze, you can try this little trick for soup that is easier to store and reheat.
Grab a large coffee can that is empty and place on your counter. Place a large zip lock bag into the can. Pour in your soup that has been cooled and seal the bag.
Now place the soup, can and all in the freezer. Once the soup is completely frozen, remove the bag from the can and place back in the freezer.
Your can is now ready to use again.<\/p>\n
SOME MORE TIPS……….FROM LISTENERS
Cooked dals and haleem can be frozen in small portions. Put them into small container mark them and freeze them.
Freeze your masalas: ginger garlic paste, onion-tomato paste etc.
Cooking becomes so much easier and quicker!
Rotis freeze reasonably well, though never the same as fresh. I would just undercook them a bit, cool completely, and make sure they are fully wrapped in foil or in a plastic bag, before putting them in the freezer. For re-heating, heat a tawa\/griddle and heat rotis on both sides, Gently pressing with a kitchen towel. They should balloon up and look almost like fresh.<\/p>\n
KEEP THOSE CONTAINERS! Always a great idea. Margarine containers, ice cream containers, whatever. They make great storers and are reusable.<\/p>\n
LINE THOSE CONTAINERS… running short of containers for your freezer.
Here is an easy tip and saves space in the freezer too in the long run. Line the container with a freezer bag. Pour whatever you intend to freeze into it, tie it up with a twister tie, put the lid on the container and put it in the freezer. The next day, remove the container and take the bag out of it and redeposit the bag of food into the freezer like that. You now have a perfectly clean container to reuse and no stains on it if you were storing something with tomatoes in it. Be sure to label the bag before you put it back in the freezer.<\/p>\n
LABEL IT! Always label anything going into the fridge or freezer with the date and what it is. The date is important. That way you can use the oldest first. You do not have to buy fancy freezer labels either.
I either grab some cheap labels at an office supply store or order these great little labels from Tupperware…<\/p>\n
TIPS TO WRAP FOOD BEFORE FREEZING
Wrapping Food for the Freezer
If you're freezing food for a short time, plastic bags or wrap are adequate. Wrap foods airtight to decrease the chance of "freezer burn," which occurs when air meets frozen food. Freezer burn is not harmful but adversely affects the food's texture and color.
For longer periods, use special wrappings such as heavy-duty aluminum foil, special plastic freezer bags, or freezer wrap. You can also use heavy-duty plastic containers or jars, but never put glass containers in the freezer; the extreme temperatures may cause the glass to break. Remember to leave head space in jars or containers because foods expand during freezing. In all cases, packages should be secure, airtight, and clearly labeled with contents and date.<\/p>\n
The following items are useful for storing and labelling frozen foods:
• Foil and plastic wrap are handy for wrapping frozen foods such as cakes, muffins, quiches and tarts.
• Freezer paper, such as Glad Go-Between, is great for placing between pancakes, fritters and raw meats.
•Sealable freezer bags are good to have on hand for freezing muffins, fritters, pancakes and vegetables.
•Plastic airtight, freezerproof containers for freezing liquid-based dishes, such as soups and casseroles.
•Freezerproof, ovenproof dishes are needed for when you're cooking and freezing bakes.
•Labels help make all frozen food clearly identifiable.
• Permanent freezer markers are useful for labelling foods with the food name and use-by date.
How to store
Here's how to store different kinds of foods safely and efficiently, so you also make the most of your freezer space.
Liquid-based dishes
Store dishes, such as soups and stocks, in airtight containers. Leave a 3cm gap at the top so the liquid can expand as it freezes.
Fritters and patties
Place, in single layers, between sheets of freezer paper in an airtight container. This makes them easy to separate.
Muffins, cakes & slices
Wrap muffins and individual slices of cake in a double layer of plastic wrap, then in foil. Store together in a sealable plastic bag.
Crepes & pancakes
Layer each one between sheets of freezer paper, so they don't stick together when thawed. Store in sealable plastic bags.
Packaged meat
Remove meat, such as steaks, sausages, chops and fillets, from the supermarket packaging. The supermarket wrapping is designed to allow oxygen in to keep the colour of the meat bright and, while this is fine for refrigerated storage, it leads to freezer burn in the freezer. Instead, wrap portions separately in a double layer of plastic wrap, or layer them between sheets of freezer paper, and store in an airtight container. This makes single portions easy to separate.<\/p>\n
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