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February 09, 2012, 02:30:48 AM
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Author Topic: Pre-cooking meat for future meals  (Read 1984 times)
Homeschool_Newbie
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Posts: 867


The best of summer...
« on: August 21, 2009, 02:51:50 PM »
I purchased some lean ground turkey the other day ( on sale) in packages that, IMO, don't freeze well....Since they were on sale, I decided to buy them, and cook the meat that same day. Smiley It was a blessing to pull out one of the pre-cooked packages ( from my freezer) for assembling a pizza Smiley So I got to thinking that pre-cooking my meat and freezing it could really help me simplify my dinner-making process. ( I know about once-a-month cooking and that type of thing) What meats do you pre-cook, and how has this blessed you?
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AndysJess
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« Reply #1 on: August 21, 2009, 07:59:19 PM »
We buy ground beef in bulk and I cook it all up...usually 15-20 lbs.  I go ahead and season it with salt and pepper and add green chiles.  I'll also cook a 1-2 lbs of brown rice to add to the meat.  Then I divide the meat and rice into quart-size ziploc bags and freeze flat.

I use this in so many things...spaghetti, casseroles, tacos, enchiladas, etc.  The rice really helps it stretch and once it's in something else, you can't even tell it's there.

I absolutely love having it all pre-cooked.  It simplifies things so much.  Another thing I do...not quite as frequently...is to boil several  whole chickens.  One chicken will do 2, sometimes 3 meals.  I freeze that in the same type bags as the ground beef.

I love being able to pull a bag of meat out of the freezer, thaw it a little in warm water, toss it into the microwave or skillet and...VOILA!!  Instant supper!!  Just add tortillas or tortilla chips, beans, cheese, sour cream, salsa, etc and you have tacos, burritos or nachos.
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Helpmeet to Andy 11 years; Mother to Drew, Dylan, Cullen, Avery and Sawyer.

Dylan..."Mom, I don't like it when you braid my hair cause when you take it out, my hair is too wriggly!"
herbalmom
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Posts: 2965
« Reply #2 on: August 22, 2009, 08:57:34 AM »
Quote from: AndysJess on August 21, 2009, 07:59:19 PM
We buy ground beef in bulk and I cook it all up...usually 15-20 lbs. 

 I'll also cook a 1-2 lbs of brown rice to add to the meat. 

The rice really helps it stretch and once it's in something else, you can't even tell it's there.

AJ- you add the cooked rice to the hamburger before cooking it, right? Do you use brown or white rice? I would really like to try this. Also, do you think cooked millet would work? I have more millet than rice right now & besides, we age going gluten free- we'll be using more millet anyways so I'm looking for more ways to use it.  TIA Blessings ~herbalmom
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AndysJess
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blessed to be my husband's wife
« Reply #3 on: August 22, 2009, 12:03:20 PM »
I cook the hamburger and the rice separately then divide them up.  If I cook 15 lbs of meat, I divide it up into 15 bags...20 lbs = 20 bags, etc.  Then I just put a big spoonful of cooked rice on top of the meat.  Usually one regular size bag of rice is sufficient.  I use brown rice.  I like the flavor and texture better than white rice.  Plus, it's a great source of nutrients and fiber for all of us.

I've never used millet before, but if you use it in place of rice anyways, I don't see why it won't work.  This has simplified menu planning and life for me so much.  I hope it does the same for you!! Cheesy
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Helpmeet to Andy 11 years; Mother to Drew, Dylan, Cullen, Avery and Sawyer.

Dylan..."Mom, I don't like it when you braid my hair cause when you take it out, my hair is too wriggly!"
herbalmom
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Posts: 2965
« Reply #4 on: August 22, 2009, 12:25:06 PM »
Thanks for the info. Since millet is the same basic size & shape as hamburger maybe I will try mixing some cooked millet into the hamburger before cooking it & see how it turns out.

I hadn't thought of adding rice to meat but I can see where the rice would help extend just about any meal. Thanks for the hint.

I do precook hamburger & freeze it a lot already. One neat trick is that it can all be frozen flat (about 3/4" thick) in a gal bag & then you can break off the amount you want while it's still frozen.

I often cook onions & garlic with the meat before freezing it as well.

Or if you do freeze hamburger raw, by packaging it flat in a bag it thaws quicker or you can break it while still frozen into pieces.   

Also my mom used to be able to get mushrooms at a good price. She would saute large batches of mushrooms, onions & garlic together in butter. She would freeze it flat in bags (about 1/2" thick) & that could also be broken off as needed. We used to use it all the time for english muffin pizzas & on top of hamburgers.  DH isn't real fond of mushrooms & these days they tend to be expensive so I don't do it myself but if you like mushrooms they are really good & very convenient. Cheaper than the little cans also.  Blessings ~herbalmom
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Homeschool_Newbie
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The best of summer...
« Reply #5 on: August 25, 2009, 03:13:54 PM »
OH wow ladies! These are some very helpful hints, thank you! Smiley
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ridgerunner
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Posts: 1294
« Reply #6 on: August 27, 2009, 09:57:33 AM »
And here I've been putting together uncooked meat for meals and freezing it... like pre-mixed meatloaf, etc.  Pulling out a bag of cooked hamburger and rice sounds soooo much easier! 

Thanks AndysJess, I think you just simplified my life.   Cheesy
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"If these walls came tumbling down and fell so hard to make us lose our faith, from what's left you'd figure it out and still make lemonade taste like a sunny day.  Stay American" (DMB)
andiclare
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Andi C.
« Reply #7 on: August 27, 2009, 07:46:33 PM »
I've tried it with turkey before, and I was kinda scared...but it turned out fine. I used up the frozen turkey within a couple weeks of freezing it.

One thing I've done for years is freeze a couple pounds of raw hamburger meat, already seasoned and formed into patties. Then I wrap them in individual little plastic sanwich bags and freeze them flat (stacked up) in bigger gallon-size plastic bags. You can just take a few out and cook em in a skillet or in the oven. One benefit to the oven cooking method is you can throw a few in roasting pan with some seasoned potato wedges, cook for about 30 minutes (flip the hamburgers once) and then it's done.

Since I don't own a microwave, thawing out pre-cooked frozen meat or cooking raw frozen meat are basically the same process...just the cooking from raw obviously doubles the time.
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"The spirit of the world is restless and eager to do all things; leave that spirit alone." St. Vincent de Paul
Homeschool_Newbie
Master

Posts: 867


The best of summer...
« Reply #8 on: August 30, 2009, 02:56:06 PM »
Quote
One thing I've done for years is freeze a couple pounds of raw hamburger meat, already seasoned and formed into patties. Then I wrap them in individual little plastic sanwich bags and freeze them flat (stacked up) in bigger gallon-size plastic bags. You can just take a few out and cook em in a skillet or in the oven. One benefit to the oven cooking method is you can throw a few in roasting pan with some seasoned potato wedges, cook for about 30 minutes (flip the hamburgers once) and then it's done.


Fun idea, andiclare!

In the last few weeks I have used frozen ( pre-cooked) ground turkey * and* brown rice. Wow- what a difference when I need to make dinner in a hurry! I may try some of these other ideas as well. Smiley
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