A question about freezing potatoes: I'm used to feeding a horde, and we're down to

[hedgehog]

me and my husband. I love making a large amount of something, like chili, chicken soup, beef stew, etc. and freezing the leftovers for future meals. My problem is that whenever I freeze a stew or soup with potatoes in it, the thawed potatoes are mealy and unappetizing. Has anyone had any better luck with this?

[Warpy]

1. No, potatoes are mostly water and don't freeze well

unless they are mashed. Whenever I've frozen a stew with potatoes in it, I've found myself mashing the potatoes into the stew with my fork for exactly that reason, they're a little nicer when you don't bite down on that nasty, mushy texture.

Everything else freezes just fine, but if there are taters in that thawed and reheated stew, mash those suckers up. It's the only way to get them down.

[hedgehog]

2. Hmmm- maybe I'll mash them before freezing - turn that chicken soup into chicken stew!

[WhiteTara]

3. maybe you could remove the potatoes

if there aren't too many, then add new potatoes on the reheat.

[mntleo2]

4. I make "TV Dinners"

...with the leftovers and mashing potatoes in your leftover stew is a good idea 'cause they don't freeze well all right. Another thing that does not freeze well is dumplings. But you can still keep the chicken sauce and make them into TV dinners and serve with a piece of bread.

Right now in my freezer I have frozen pork chops and gravy with tar heel beans (those tough green beans that come at the end of the garden time added to fried bacon ends, onions and seasonings, covered and allowed to cook a little while, until the beans are hot), Arros con pollo and Spanish rice, spaghetti, tuna casserole, fried chicken with mashed potatoes, milk gravy with fresh green beans, stuffed green peppers and rice, etc.

One potato dish that does seem to freeze nice is taking leftover baked potatoes, scoop out and save the skins, then mashing the potato with a little milk, adding lots of grated cheese, chives, a little sour cream and then refilling the potato skin ~ and you can add other things like ham, etc. Wrap them in plastic and foil and label then freeze. They are best when heated in a toaster oven or regular oven for about 20 mins, but also good in the micro for about 3 mins or a little longer until hot. Remove the plastic for the oven and the foil for the micro, of course.

I just ask my neighbors and family to keep the plastic leftover TV dinner trays from store bought ones for me and then I keep a stack around.

After dinner I fill each tray with the cooled leftovers. I wrap them first in plastic wrap and then cover with foil and label them with a piece of tape.

To re-heat, remove the foil and put in the microwave for about 3 minutes. Feel the bottom of the tray and if it is cold (usually in the middle of the tray), heat some more for about 2 minutes or less.

They sure come in handy for someone when there is no dinner that night or for sick neighbors, or for lunch. And WAY better than Swansons and even Marie Callendar. I have had neighbors suggesting I make them commercially since they are so good.

Usually at a meal if I have leftovers it takes only one or two trays. I have also made TV dinners with beans and corn bread (I remove the corn bread and re-heat that separately), home made soups, stew (mash the spuds), pork roast and gravy, beef roast and whatever veggies I made to go with it, hamburger casserole, leftover salmon and rice, you name it. Experiment!


Hope this helps ...

Cat in Seattle