Why I Cook Meat Straight from the Freezer (& why you should too)
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- Опубліковано 27 кві 2024
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One of the most annoying and frustrating problems as a home cook, is looking into the fridge on a weeknight and realizing either, the protein you got earlier this week is past the freeze-by date, you have no protein in the first place, or the pack of chicken you threw into the freezer is hours away from being thawed
So in today’s video, I’m going to show you 3 different methods & subsequent recipes for freezing proteins that can be taken straight from your freezer and onto the stove to create meals in 15 minutes or less.
📃 RECIPE Link(s):
▪ Thai Sausage Stir Fry: www.ethanchlebowski.com/cooki...
▪ Japanese BBQ Beef Sandwich: www.ethanchlebowski.com/cooki...
▪ Chicken Caesar Salad: www.ethanchlebowski.com/cooki...
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📚 Videos & Sources mentioned:
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⏱ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Intro
1:11 Freezing Concepts you should know
3:18 Method #1: Oh sh*t, the freeze by date
6:58 Method #2: Freezer Sausage
12:38 Method #3: How to freeze leftovers
🎵 Music by Epidemic Sound (free 30-day trial - Affiliate): share.epidemicsound.com/33cnNZ
MISC. DETAILS
Music: Provided by Epidemic Sound
Filmed on: Sony a6600 & Sony A7C
Voice recorded on Shure MV7
Edited in: Premiere Pro
Affiliate Disclosure:
Ethan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to [Amazon.com](amazon.com/) and affiliated sites.
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"If you take three minutes of prep now, you can save your future self a lot of frustration" is great to remember for general, not just for cooking.
that's a problem for future me. i'm sure glad i'm not that guy
@@ijustwannaleaveacommentony6511 **Yoda voice** You will be.
Yup use a condom
with enough prep time, you can fight superman
I try to remember this advice every time “I just don’t feel like doing it”. I also thank my past self whenever I am grateful that I did something to help my future self. 😎
video idea: buy a whole chicken, break it down into all the different cuts, portion it out into freezer bags and make a stock from all the bones. then make as many home style meals as you can with that one bird. I do this every 2 weeks and it usually feeds me and my partner for 4-5 days
Aragusea did precisely this video
@@matth3us i can't find the video 😕
sounds perfect esp for this channel
This is a dope idea
my partner and I do the same exact thing, though I save up 2 chickens worth of bones before making stock.
biggest questions of the week are: separate the leg quarters? breast on or off bone?
A few things to consider from a refrigeration technician. Firstly, the time it takes to freeze a product is very important. The longer it takes for a product to freeze, the bigger the ice crystals that form. Large ice crystals will desiccate a product (cells explode), that is why snap freezing is a preferred method. It is also why vegetables with a high water content frozen at domestic capacities have the texture of a dish sponge when defrosted. Secondly, a domestic refrigerator has a maximum capacity of -20C. Generally product will be held at -18C but then thermostat range becomes important which is usually 4 kelvin. This means the system will have a cycling temperature between -14C and -18C. Therefore suggested storage times are indefinite for some vegetables, 6 months for Beef. 5 months for lamb and pork, 4 months for chicken and no more than 3 months for seafood. I live in tropical north Australia and we produce a lot of our own food and often in bulk, so freezing food is imperative. So, important points, pat dry product before freezing, freeze it fast (taking into account thickness of product, specific heat coefficient for product and latent heat capacity to change state from liquid to solid) and maximum storage times. Hope furthers the knowledge base.
My freezers, both chest & upright, are kept at -10 F (-23C?). If I'm remembering correctly, the US dept of agriculture says this will double the storage time vs 0F. Your so right about indefinite storage for vegetables. I found a 1 lb package of pureed pumpkin that escaped to the very bottom of the chest freezer that was frozen over 3 yrs ago--tasted as if it was pureed yesterday. I think it's important to keep dometic freezers full seems to counteract the cycling--have never seen the temp in mine over -10F.
Nice work!!
You are correct regarding keeping them full in that they will run more efficiently. Cycling will still be based on a 4 Kelvin range, but it will stay off longer and come down to temperature sooner. Chest freezers are best for long term food storage as cold air is heavy and remains in the cabinet when the lid is lifted. Upright freezers lose all the cold air the moment the door is opened. You have to remember domestic freezers are based on efficiency (energy consumption), commercial and industrial are based on the product and its needs. The best way to check on your system is to fit a data logger (temp/time) to the centre of the cabinet. Some domestic manufactures place sensors where they will reach their coldest temp regardless of average cabinet temp, especially when they have a digital readout.@@yarnexpress
The data logger is a great idea especially for my chest freezer where I store for the long haul. I'm not concerned about the upright freezer I use it to store stuff I'll be using in a few weeks & as a place to store whole grains, nuts, & etc.
thanks for making me realize the science of why my attempt at frozen sliced tomatoes tasted awful
'Freezer bag portioning' reminded me of another tip. When buying ground beef for future hamburgers, form the patties before freezing -- don't freeze the whole block of meat. I have a hard time forming patties from defrosted burger meat. And you can still use the patties for chili or tacos if the menu changes.
That's because you're not thawing your meat in your Refrigerator. I cooked a long, long time before I learned that trick.
If using a Chub, you can put it in the freezer for 30 minutes. That will firm it up.
Also per the *"Add note about what these are great for:"* at 4:34 are as follows:
- Stir-frys
- Taco fillings
- Sandwiches and wraps
- Add your take here
ADD NOTE!!!
1 minute in and I can already tell this a certified Ethan Chlebowski classic.
Really 😂i knew it beforehand 😂 by title
Legitimately genius
Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
certified banger video
1 minute in, and I remember suggesting the idea for this video a month or two ago. I'm so happy he actually did it! And he NAILED IT.
My fiancé and I made the sausage meal from frozen tonight and it was delicious. This has changed our entire approach to cooking from home, and now it feels actually doable with our schedules. Not sure if you'll ever get to read this comment, but from the both of us, thank you so much for this video!!
I notice Ethan doesn't mention freezer paper, probably because he's focused on use within 2 months. As a hunter and fisherman, I often handle meat in bulk, and was taught to wrap meat in freezer paper before vacuum sealing. I've had tuna come out of there freezer after a year looking/smelling fresher than yellowfin I can buy at the store. Steaks are no different. If you store meat, and haven't used this method before, you should definitely try it.
can u explain the benefit of freezing paper, never heard of it yet
@@Leertaste455 it is essentially white butcher paper coated with plastic on one side. It seems to make a better airtight seal against the surface of the meat than the vacuum seal bag and better prevents freezer burn or oxidation spots on the surface of the meat for long term storage. If you're freezing meat for a month or so it probably won't make a significant difference, but for long term storage I have tried both ways and wrapping before sealing keeps the meat in better condition for a longer term.
Think of it as insulation against the elements. In the arctic would you rather have a jacket, or a house?
@@rickvogel8577 I freeze 100s of pounds of elk and deer every year and I've never had vacuum sealed meat get freezer burnt (even 2-3 year old packs) as long as its packed and vac'd properly. Seems to me having paper inside the vac bad would just give a place for air pockets to hide and reduce the functionality of the air release channels/texture of the bags.
I agree with you about the effectiveness of butcher paper to freeze meat keeping it in perfect condition for a long time. I pour oil generously over meat in a ziplock bag, flattened and squeezing all the air out and into the freezer. I found a rib steak at the back of the freeze a year and a half old and my husband said it was the best steak he'd eaten all year. The steak looked as fresh as the day I packaged it. The covering of oil allows No air contact therefore no freezer burn. This a cheaper technique than purchasing a vacuum sealer.
To get rid of the most air possible, dip the bag into a bowl of water up to the closure and then seal. The water will displace all the air in the bag.
This is a fantastic and underrated hack for people who don't have a vacuum sealer for whatever reason. I used it for a while when mine died and I was waiting for a sale to grab a replacement.
Outstanding, thanks for the reminder, I forgot that trick. 👍
Straw in middle of the bag. Close to middle. Suck out air. Quickly pull and seal at the same time.
@@Reggie2000 yes, do this for chicken so you can inhale salmonella ❤
@@seefop368 🤣
OK, maybe not raw chicken. 😁
And when you're prepping the meat, LABEL THE BAG! I know Ethan showed it briefly (with what looked like a post-it note I think?) but DO NOT skip that step! A basic note of what it is and the date will go a long way in making sure you use up the old stuff first! Sharpie on freezer bag works just fine, as long as the bag isn't wet
Yep yep. And its easier to sharpie the bag before you put food in while it's still dry/warm
I rotate containers, the most recent goes on the bottom and the older stuff is on top. I usually fill up a box at the same time so i don't really want to write the same date on 10 bags.
@@Imbatmn57 I get that! If I had more room, I would probably do something similar! But I've learned the label trick from my partner, who used to work in restaurants. Good rule overall
Sharpie on masking tape also works, easy to remove as well.
We keep a sharpie and painters tape handy in the kitchen to label everything.
“Add note about that these are great for” bro your videos are so well edited and the production and everything like that is so good it’s actually refreshing to see a lil mistake like that. It also helps me understand the process of adding in all these little edits and info and stuff. Thanks for going the extra mile
This is maybe the most valuable cooking video I've ever seen. I just tried the thai sausage tonight. I'm a very slow cook, and it took me like 5 minutes to do everything. This is SOOOO flavorful and easy. Man I get home at night then cook for 30min to an hour usually... this is such a game changer!! Thank you!!!
Thank you for your comment. I may check out this recipe. Not a big fan of sausage however…I wonder how it would taste with ground turkey.
@@myheart2joy588 just did it with extra ground turkey sitting in the fridge. Tastes great - Family loved it
Dude the framework videos like this are so appreciated. I love having structure and strategy put into my cooking life. Super value adding!
Yes, busy people who are tired of eating fast food garbage could take this idea and run with it. A cheap chest freezer, a Food Saver, and a trip to Costco will SAVE YOU MONEY and you'll end up with better food (and never make your own order wrong).
If you don't have much space, get a prep table, and store the chest freezer under it. You can also put a sous vide cooker on top, which is an excellent way to cook these frozen portion things, also (when you're not in a hurry, or can begin the process before you leave for work). Hell, combine this with a crock pot running all day, and you'll have a multi-course meal ready within 15 minutes.
The divided bag is a brilliant idea! I usually use deli containers but a flat bag is easier to place things on in the freezer.
Some friends have moved into town with their toddler and I was thinking of making them some easy-cook homemade meals for when they're tired from Parenting™️ and this is a perfect video technique to help with that!
As a mom of three little 's, this touched my heart! What a generous sweet thing to do!❤
@@3331cmb For sure! I love cooking for people, and what better way to make an excuse for them to have some social time? :P
My wife and I spent two or three weekends food prepping before we had our baby. We filled most of a 17CF freezer with the prepped soups, crock pot meals, casseroles, etc. We loved it so much we want to continue doing it once every 6 months or so!
I think it's wild how you can make a video like this and permanently change some stranger's life for the better.
You were right; this IS possibly the most helpful video you've ever done. Life changing. This week I'm going to go into my freezer and toss out the ancient forgotten foods in there, and next week I'm going to start using this method.
Don't toss them out... you bought them, they are frozen, they are still good. Do as my mom used to; Use all of your veggies for purees and whatnot (you'll go through a lot, quicker than eating them whole) and use your meats for stews. I'm just not good enough to portion stuff properly lol so I'm forced to go through 2 or 3 portions every few days sometimes... helps to go through stuff very quickly though! As I just lost my mom 4 days ago, that's what i'll do.. I have 2 bags of carrots and 1 of parsnip, and I'll make a purée out of them with the pork stock we had made from a few weeks ago... so in 2 or 3 seatings I'll probably go through the 3 bags of stuff...
Leave it in the fridge for a day or two while you are occupied with different stuff, frozen stuff last a long time, unless it's like fookin 5 years or something then please throw it away.
Personally, I've eaten plenty of stuff that was 3+ years frozen with no illness or anything... it just tasted pretty bland. I don't really advise it though, but I'm guessing it's why my immune system is pretty strong.. huh
Get organized and make a system.
And before you know it you'll have another batch of food in your freezer for a year, until you see a new video on this topic. I don't get the appeal of this, is it for Americans who don't have quick access to supermarkets? Where I live I can walk to 5 different supermarkets within 10 minutes, so this just seems like a silly thing to do.
this is how I never have takeout, eat what I like, while working full time as a doctor. Best way of meal prepping ever. Glad you made this video, I shall share it to all my friends who always wonder how I do it.
Do you ever marinate the chicken before you freeze? I’m not a huge mayo marinate guy so looking for other options
Some suggestions for freezing outside of bags...
When freezing other meats on a sheet pan: Put a silicone pad or parchment paper under it. That way it doesn't stick to the sheet pan.
Silicone can be a great tool when freezing. If you need to freeze something in small cubes or blobs, a silicone muffin tin or cupcake liners can be awesome. Just freeze, then pop into a plastic bag for use whenever you need. It'd be a great way to make meatballs to have when needed. I also use it for stocks. Freeze them then add to gravies, soups, sauces, etc, when needed. Finally, I often freeze milk when it's close to date. Either plain to use in oatmeal (I make mine with milk not water) or I add some flavorings and artificial sweetener. Then I blend the cubes with club soda for a reduced carb milk shake.
as a home cook this is one of the most valuable videos you've ever put out hands down
About the most used tool in my kitchen is a vacuum sealer. Zero freezer burn ever. My proteins stay high quality for well over a year.
As an alternative to slicing chicken, a meat mallet works just as well for flattening
Another tip is to keep meat away from the walls of the freezer (which heat up regularly, to defrost automatically). You can line the walls with reusable ice pack bags, too, to prevent your food from thaw/freeze cycles during defrosts.
Dude, the composition and attention to detail of your videos make them so pleasant to watch.
Clearly, he refines an idea over and over until it's perfected. This video is a great example.
This is a huge game changer for me. As a single person its sooooo hard to shop for myself or prep food cause its too much. these 3 tips are going to really help me!!!!!
Made the Thai sausage this week. Holy cow! Great content--this is exactly the video my partner and I needed to simplify weeknight cooking
Ethan’s eat acting is incredible, dude looks like he loves food and i feel that
Fancy seeing y'all here! Grumps after my own heart.
And chews like barbarian
I was going to leave a similar comment. I like how he goes for it fully open-mouthed. That man wants to DEVOUR his food, and i get and respect that.
In UA-cam content Creation, you are the 'surrogate' translating what the audience can't taste and touch in person.
He's really turned into the next gen K Jenji Lopez Alt
Love these super practical meal prep videos. ❤ Who else saw the Easter egg @4:34? 😏 ("Add a note about what these are great for:")
I go back to this video time and time again. You have given me so much confidence to cook at home and have taught me how to make healthy food enjoyable and manageable. I love your systematic approach to things. Thank you! And keep up the good work! Best cooking channel by far
I've been buying ground beef in bulk, portioning it out in 1 lbs increments, loading them into zip lock bags and flattening them out. They stack well in the freezer and thaw out in 15 minutes. What you just showed me is a game changers. Thanks!
I agree that I'm already thinking of this as one of the most valuable videos I've seen in some time. As someone who mostly just cooks for myself, shelf life with fresh ingredients is always a challenge and I hate wasting food, but I also get home from work hungry and want to be able to put together something quick and easy while still being interesting and customizable. The idea of packaging in portions that can scale up for guests is a huge help too. This is a game changer in many ways.
Some people might want to consider buying specialized items to make this system extremely efficient -- for example, a prep table and food saver, and a chest freezer that fits under the prep table. Maybe some shelves added to the wall above the table, to hold things like disposable gloves, cutting boards, food saver (and bags), etc. You want everything within arms reach. This is a workstation that makes easy cooking possible.
You can find a food saver for $5-$10 at goodwill, and replace the gaskets for another $10 to make it as good as new (also, remove the gaskets when you're not using the machine, so they don't get compressed and start leaking).
Also, sous vide is *extremely convenient* for cooking frozen beef, while you're at work (no babysitting required), and also pairs with the food saver machine. Just take a frozen portion and drop it in the water bath before you leave for work. You can sear the beef when you get home, in minutes (or sometimes I don't bother to sear). Cheaper beef, such as flat iron/top blade, actually benefits from cooking all day while you're at work (I preseason mine before it goes in the freezer bag).
@@hxhdfjifzirstc894 I'm kind of a minimalist and not entirely sold on the sous vide yet (though thinking more and more about it), but thanks for all the good tips!
In my case, it'd be a detriment, I can't control my food eating tendencies, and if I know there's food around, I'd destroy that shit quicker than regretting my decisions in the future.. It's already hard enough to control myself with almost nothing at home, if I had those pre-prep stuff, I'd probably become obese :')
@@John_Fisher you can put something in the SV and just let it cook. time changes the texture but the temp is how cooked it is. it's great because you dont really have to babysit it unless it's over 12-24 hours as you'll need to add water.
Only down side to SV is the time. Sausage is 2-4 hours, steak is 2-8 hours, veggies are still 40 minutes (varies).
I use a regular stock pot for my SV.
@@John_Fisher It's good to minimize because of diminishing returns. You absolutely do not 'need' a sous vide cooker, but I've found the lack of babysitting is the thing that produces results for me (eating when I get home from work, without cooking for an hour, or buying takeout). I also end up saving a lot of money, by not buying fast food or takeout meals.
The freezer bag portion technique is a game changer on its own, props to you for sharing that idea. Now I'm not gonna have to defrost an entire block of ground beef for 1 person... Thanks again!
Ikr? 🤯
I have made Ethan's handy poached chicken thighs many times, and the key is freezing them apart, whole.
@@hxhdfjifzirstc894 But I just want to be able take small portions & vacuum sealers use a lot of plastic. I also feel like putting everything in a ziploc is so much more convenient and easy but to each their own.
@@peyton.simpson reusable vacuum bags exist!
@@peyton.simpson You don't 'need' a vacuum sealer, but if someone wants one, they're like $150 new, so buying one at goodwill for $10 is a good way to figure out if you like it.
Also, the bags come in rolls, and you can make them as small as you want... just big enough to hold one portion, for example. You can even cut a bag in half and seal each one individually. You can melt seals wherever you want.
@@hxhdfjifzirstc894 Didn’t know that, are the goodwill ones clean and do they work?
Hello Ethan! It's because of you my fridge has squeezer bottles with tons of flavours and my eating habits have skyrocket . Now you have shown the only missing puzzle of how to make delicious meat anyday anytime within 10mins! Man!! You are a blessing to us all 🌟🙏🏻
Ethan you have no idea how much I appreciate your insights on meal prep and the ideas I get from you. It has helped me immensely since my grandmother passed and the family fell on harder times. So thank you for making these and keep up the awesome work
I bought a vacuum sealer a while back, and It's transformed my shopping (large cheaper bulk purchases) my cooking, some of the meats are marinaded in the vacuum bag, ready for sous vide or pan cooking: and also my leftovers, portioned out. Great video as always Ethan, the freezer is the food prep helper!
Thanks for all the real tips and advice I’ve never known about. Cooking used to seem hard as fuck but you make it all seem possible.
Cooking seemed hard? Lol
Best investment you can make is a vacuum sealer. I always buy meat in bulk on sale and while it does take some prep time to get it all sealed up it is so worth it. I also salt (Brining) all the meat before packing and freezing. I label the bags with sealed dates and type or weight/pieces of what ever it is. Here's the great part. If your in a hurry and forgot to pull it out of the freezer to thaw just put the bag in a container of cold water. If your using the suggested method of making sure the cuts are uniformed you can thaw out in an hour or less. change the water to room temp and let sit another 15 min if you want it to be room temp. Cut the bag, and pull it out, pat it dry, season to your preference remembering its all already salted (the salt penetrates and seasons the whole cut not just the surface) and cook to your preference. Its so simple. It's great for sous vide cooked steaks as they are already packed and they can go in to the sous vide frozen however you do have to add cook time and I have found its best to thaw them in cold water before sous vide. Also chicken cooks up so much more juicier because of the salt.
Loving these videos and ideas on making your own meals as a busy individual. Been helping me improve as a cook, saving time with some small prep, and saving money from eating out!
This is an excellent video on how to combine the great ideas of your previous meal prepping videos, with the clever techniques presented here, on how to store that food in the freezer, and then cook it from frozen. The idea of using flat-packable freezer bags, with foldable and easily detached portions, is superb. Given your top tip-of only freezing meat for 2 months, that still gives a lot of time for not having to prep food every week, and still have a regular supply of ready prepped meals.
This video is a game changer. Thank you. Would love to see what you could do with the frozen meats. You could expand this into a book and series as it's literally not been done before.
Frozen beef is especially good, combined with a sous vide cooker. You can take it out of the freezer on your way to work and drop it in the water bath... it'll be fine, WHENEVER you get home, and cheaper cuts actually benefit from cooking longer (an entire work day or even 48 hours). I season mine before it goes in the freezer bag.
If you do something like that with instant mashed potatoes (I add garlic powder and broil cheese on top), you'll have a decent meal with damn near no work involved, and it's very quick.
YES!!!! thank you so much for this video!!! this is the kind of stuff that's super helpful!! all the other channels just do recipes, but day to day it's hard to manage your food/grocery shopping/meal prep when you're working full time, so videos like these are amazing!!! thank you again!!
This is so beyond helpful to me, I travel a lot for work and prepping uncooked food rather than standard meal prep actually works so much better for me. Thanks so much for this video!
Having just watched a video that Kenji shared on why you should temper meats (let them come close to room temperature before cooking), I would be interested in seeing a comparison of cooked from frozen vs cooked from fridge vs cooked from room temperature
Excellent suggestion, Binary Agenda! I would love that also. 😊
Well, ofcourse you should have fresh meat, prime cuts, good quality, all the time in the world, make good preparations and then also cook the food and enjoy it at it's best. It's not even a compitition, it will win every time compared to frozen. However, that is not what all cooking is about. The scenario of this video already explains that you didn't have time for the first option, so then this is a good strategy rather than throwing it away.
its mostly about the cut. as you can see he thinned out the portion before preparing them, so they will heat up more evenly and lose less moisture in the time it takes to properly defrost the interior of the meat. I'll argue its better than defrosting them, since defrosting tend to damage the cells and make the meat lose a lot of moisture while its defrosting (since it may take a while). but if you are cooking a thick cut of meat then you HAVE to let it defrost first, or it won't cook properly.
knowing ethan, i really thought this was gonna be the experiment here. But no experiment at all, i hope he does it eventually to see if flavors are lost or whatever happens
Max the meat guy did a comparison between fresh and frozen steak. The conclusion was that fresh is better, but the frozen one was shockingly close to the fresh one. A regular person who's busy over the week will gladly take a minor loss in quality if it saves them a lot of time. If you've got the time or want to impress guests, fresh is the way, if not frozen works just fine to get a meal on the table in a reasonable amount of time.
Super valuable video. I bought a vacuum sealer at a thrift store years ago, and have finally decided to use it recently. I had the insight of eliminating excess air and trying to make the protein as thin as possible, but i struggle when it comes to planning meals and defrosting meat ahead of time. This video gives crucial info to bypass any roadblocks in the cooking process, as well as avoiding the freezer burnt graveyard. Thank you!
You're right in thinking this might be the most valuable video you've ever made Ethan! Great framework, i look forward to implementing these ideas in my household!
I just discovered your channel and I love it already! Thank you so much for making such great content free and available to everyone 🙏🏻❤️
4:33 what a nice placeholder. Thanks for the video, I always forget about the meat in my freezer
I stored a picanha in the freezer vacuum sealed for 18 months and when I ate it, it tasted just as good as if I ate it the day I bought it 😋 Long term storage is possible if it’s vacuum sealed well.
Hi Ethan! I made that Thai sausage and it is so dang delicious that I have made another two pounds to freeze. Easy, fun to make, and exciting aromas from start to finish. A truly priceless recipe. Thank you for this pearl. 🖖
This is great. Your videos are SO thorough and helpful. 🎉
I live in an area that grows berries. I'll buy a 'flat' (large quantity), wash them, cut them in half, and freeze them on a sheet. When there're frozen, I'll dump them into a freezer bag and put them back in the freezer. I can have farm-ripe berries everyday!
This is so helpful!! The thin chicken breast that can be cooked from frozen is actually mind blowing 🤯
This is great! I am just starting to meal prep with my freezer, and any more ideas for freezing ahead meals would be a wonderful addition to your video catalogue. Thanks for this! Its amazing!
What I like about this video was that it wasn't just recipes, it was also methods and techniques. Not only can I now make the dishes presented, but I can apply that knowledge to my own recipes to preserve almost any protein. Great video, excellent work!
Awesome video! Very helpful. I’d love a video about how to best use frozen veges, they always seem to turn out mushy when I use them :)
I only eat boiled vegetables because I freeze ingredients and cook once a week for the whole week. If you boil them still freezed, you will get a fresh flavor but if you leave it to thaw it looses water and oxidizes. At least that is my experience.
He did a really good video about one year ago called “why do restaurant vegetables taste so much better” or something like that (preview is a picture of Brussels sprouts). I just re-watched it because it was so helpful. In the video he talks about how to roast frozen vegetables so they turn out crispy!
I find I mostly fry my frozen veggies. I put them in a non-stick pan and cover to steam a bit, then add some fat and fry till the veggies have some brown on them. My current preference, and faster than prepping the 'fresh' ones.
Straight frome freezer to cold sheet pan and into 400 degree oven for about 20 min. I season before cook with salt, garlic powder and onion powder. After cook parmesan/parmigiano and squeeze of fresh lemon. My family loves all types of frozen veg roasted this way, toddlers included.
Olive oil before seasoning. Toss after to combine.
As far as fish goes; I learned that if you put it into a large container ( I use waxed-cardboard milk containers) and fill it with water, the ice acts as an insulator for freezer-burn (how cold does ice get?). Just thaw in , slowly running, cold water
This is a little known technique!
I've been waiting so long for a video like this. Thank you
You've actually saving me time, money & total effort in my every day life with this one. Great stuff man.
I've been doing the Sunday braise regularly and it's been amazingly helpful and this seems just as useful. That sausage method is awesome and going to be something I'll be doing. Kiełbasa is what I'll be trying first.
Now this is a great video! Slenderizing thick meats, like poultry, is a good idea, but having Ethan show us how to do it, explaining how he divides the portions and demonstrating it, as well as offering alternatives is brilliant. I believe we have an overflow of new home cooks who will find these nearly obvious solutions to a more experienced variety of home cook, a gold mine of information. Everyone can expand their cooking ability just by following you. Thank you Ethan, for countless hours of research, taste testing and also cooking the endless pile of the good, the bad, and the ugly ingredients. Kudos to chef's, whether they be home cooks or restaurant ⭐⭐⭐⭐ chefs. 💕💕💕
The thinner it is... the faster it freezes... the fewer ice crystals form... the better the flavor. 👍
You've become the only food channel I watch. Thanks for the quality content!!
This is quickly becoming one of my favorite channels. Practical food science is something that everyone should learn.
Don't forget to label the food and date, sharpie and some masking tape is great. Unfortunately lot of things look the same once vacuum packed and frozen!
Another tip is freeze liquids/sauces along with protein. I often make carnitas like he showed his beef, I then freeze separately the reserved fat/drippings. Then I have that liquid to fry up the frozen pork with.
This is perfect as a single guy living by myself who goes on one big grocery run a month. Amazing content!
Ethan, you are a genius! Thank you so much for your practical ideas.
This video is awesome. People really underestimate how useful a freezer can be. Keep it up Ethan 👍🔥
This is a great technique for cooking for 1 or 2 ppl! I'll be utilizing it
This theory holds true for toast as well: Freeze your bread and make toast from the frozen bread. The outside becomes just as crispy, and the inside is fluffy and bread-y. It makes it less "Cracker like".
People who don't freeze their bread are psychopaths. There, I said it.
This was sooo incredibly helpful for quick day of food prep!!!
Ethan I am so glad I found your channel. Thank you.
My only (minor) criticism with this video is the emphasis on using food within 2 months. Like Ethan says, food does degrade in quality over time but a properly frozen meal with as much air removed as possible still tastes incredibly good even after a year. Degradations will be extremely minor if at all and even the worst degraded meals can be saved through good cooking technique and proper seasons/saucing. So don't throw out something just because it's been in the freezer for a long time!
I'll never understand why people buy foods and keep them for a freaking ice age… I like to just use them up, it's way less gross and I'm probably getting the best value from the food that way.
To me, freezing is the exception and not the rule. This past week, I made several portions of coq au vin and just ate it within a safe number of days.
The main thing isn’t flavor degradation it’s nutrient degradation food left in the freezer will loose it’s nutritional value
Agreed, and the topic of how different types of freezers work/defrost and temperature ranges was probably just outside the scope of a video this length. He got the basics done, perfectly.
I had bought a prime rib and cut it up into steaks and vacuum sealed. Even after over a year these steaks still have that purplish hue that you get when cutting into fresh meat.
In places like Iceland and Greenland they bury fish in ice for a year. There's nothing wrong with keeping meat for a long time in your freezer. Better that, than throw it away.
Another Pro Tip, use plastic wrap to cover the baking pan so the proteins doesnt freeze to the pan and this also helps with clean up :)
Parchment paper 👍
Silicone baking mat
this has been one of the more useful videos I have seen in a while. Thanks
I love how you dissect your food as your eating.
How do you manage ziploc bag usage? Do you clean and reuse them? Or do you use a new one each time?
This is a game-changer. I almost never buy meat because I’m a single person who only cooks for myself and I get stressed out about cooking all of it before it spoils. Definitely going to make use of that sausage recipe.
Cook it all, then divide the leftovers in freezer containers.
You don't understand how badly I've needed this video!!!
Excellent video and I will try those recipes. I've been doing something similar with a sous vide and vacuum sealer and the cooked bags go right into the freezer. This gave some great new ideas.
Would love to know more about freezing vegetables too, always find the results less than worth it.
Depends on the veggies. Some need to be blanched first and some can go straight in the freezer
This video is the gift that keeps giving! Last night I finally cooked pulled pork and froze it on a baking sheet. I broke off small portions and have them hanging out in a freezer bag for when I want some! I cook chicken a few times a week and even burgers from frozen in my air fryer has been awesome. I don't waste meat anymore and have plenty of options on hand to keep things interesting throughout the week. Thanks for this!
Love the portioning trick!
I really enjoy how you break down things into a logical structure and easy-to-follow instructions.
I can also recommend to salt the meat before freezing. During the time the chicken is freezing and thawing, it can dry brine in the bag.
I always unfreeze using my sous vide circulator at room temp, it usually takes up to 1h in the worst case scenario but it is usually less, and I use that time to prep everything else. My sous vide circulator and vacuum sealer has been my best kept secret as a home cook! It's very inexpensive and very effective
1. Individual portions of chicken and fish in freezer bags will thaw in water in about 20 minutes.
2. You can actually cooking frozen steaks and they taste great. Slightly thaw the outside of the steak to get a good sear then finish in the oven. The cooking time is longer but you don’t have to rest the steaks after.
3. Every week, Buy the $5 roasted chicken at Costco or similar stores and you have lots of great chicken for a week. Even if you only get one meal from the chicken you still are saving $$$ and time.
And stock or soup can be made from the carcass
Love this practical meal prep content Ethan!
This video is destined to become a classic! Given the hugh cost of absolutely everything today, making the most of the freezer is essential. Oh, and by the way, great cooking is a big plus.
If you have a cold enough freezer, you can use a spray bottle of water to add an ice-glaze to your meat that will keep it from getting freezer burned. (water sublimating out of hte meat is what causes it, so a sacrificial layer of water-ice protects it.) Just freeze, then spray it, then back in the freezer for a few minutes, repeat 2x for both sides (or more if you like).
You can also make sure your freezer is always full, by adding things like water inside an old 2 liter or milk jug. Just take them out, if you need more room, and put them back when you don't.
This is genious. You are changing our lives Ethan!
Looking at doing food prep and batch cooking more.
I was somewhat put off by the idea of having to plan my defrosting in advance, and started looking up ways to not have to do that.
Gives me a lot of options, so thank you.
I love this advice! I will definitely start using my freezer (after thinning out the proteins) when I get home from the grocery store or Costco.
"Freezer sausage" happened to me once. I realized too late that what I had put on the grill wasn't bratwurst but peeled bananas.
Hey Ethan, could you please do a "How to save time, effort and money" as well as a "How to pre-portion your food for freezing" video? I'm asking this because I just lost my mom 4 days ago and now I'll have to buy smart and be able to portion it accordingly and whatnot and that's always where I struggled... I'm used to buying family size portions that are like 5 pounds of ground meat for me and my mom (she was past 70 years old), because its the cheapest and same quality as regular packs of 1 pound, but we used to put a lot of meat into anything just because we were always unable to portion it properly. I'd like to keep the "trend" of buying the bulkier item, but be able to portion them properly for a single person, yet have the portions be useful, just like in this video with the meat ideas. For example, in this video "Save time = portion them", "Save effort = already seasoned in bulk" and "Save money" obviously because it was bought in bulk... but maybe give advices like "Instead of buying this type of noodle which is expensive, go for this...which is basically the same but cheaper"... That'd be lovely!!
Heck, to be frank, I think you could turn this into a series! Make 2 or 3 videos on ground meat bought in bulk; how to freeze it, how to portion it for 1 person, then give ideas on how to season it, how to thaw it (or cook it straight away). Then, do the same for bulk raw chicken, same for bulk pork, fish, etc. I know it is easy for some, but for others its hard. My mom always had the "I have to cook for a big family" mentality because they were something like 8 in her family, even though it was only her, my dad and me... so, portion-wise, I don't really know how to portion stuff properly, I always end up making soups for 5 days even if it seems like a decent quantity, etc...
Learning portioning and scaling can be so hard! Something I do (cooking for 2 adults) is breaking down those big family packs of meat into multiple smaller ones like Ethan shows here. Keep in mind that one serving of meat is generally 4-6 oz (1/2 to just over 1/3lb).
Ground meat is portioned into 1/2 - 1lbs which makes 1-3 meals for us (usually stuff like tacos, sandwiches, rice bowls, salads, etc.). For bigger proteins like packs of bone-in chicken thighs I will go up to 2 or 2 1/2lb in the package knowing I will be using it for larger batch meals like a braised dish that I will eat as-is or repurpose over several days.
This video is basically half the equation. Chicken breast is about as cheap as you can get for protein, just follow what he did and stick it on a bun with some cheese you'll have great meals, or salad as he did.
@@Johngreggor99 Yes, its just... I think it could be a great series and could help us get out of the regular stuff as well. It,s too easy to go for the "chicken sandwich" and "chicken salad" ideas. And Ethan always has brilliant ideas for easy to make stuff! I'm thinking chicken carbonara as a very quick meal too, but I don't really like repetitive stuff... and I'm sure I'm not the only one :)
My condolences about your mother, I hope you've got a lot of great memories of her!
My best advice is to get a foodscale and blast that shit out the moment you get home from the store. If you're like me, you're going to hate it during and be so, SO grateful when it's time to prepare a meal. No joke, I had a day where I was tearing up over how thankful I was that I had a meal I could toss in a pan and not fiddle with after a bad day of work; it makes that big a difference. Best of wishes to you
Learning so much from this channel! Second video in, you're already one of my favorites. Thanks so much for the info!
This gave me more inspirations on things I can add to my list of preps when I get down for the whole month! I can see myself adding this to my italian meatball, albóndigas, and breaded turkey burgers routine I make while my stocks simmer
TO GET AIR OUT OF THE BAG!! DIP THE BAG WITH THE FOOD INSIDE, INTO A CONTAINER OF WATER, THE WATER WILL FORCE THE AIR OUT OF THE BAG, AND SEAL THE BAG. 😊
"I've never clicked on a video so fast" , said Me: *the guy who legit just groaned at forgetting to thaw chicken the night before*
A small cost saving trick I use is to individually wrap my portions in cheap regular ziplock bags, and envelop multiple packages in a large freezer bags. Not only does this save on the bag price, the large freezer bag is reusable if you are careful.
Gives me more confidence to use my freezer -- thanks!
4:34 "Add note about what these are great for:"
Lmao, I missed that one when I was doing the final edit.
Hi Ethan! Is it okay to pound out the chicken breast rather than cutting it to thin it out/even out the thickness?
Obviously. It's actually preferred to pound instead of cut
Love your videos! always so informative and useful for home cooks
Love your channel! This is so practical and useful. Thank you. Thank you, thank you. That's what I want. Practical useful. I can use everyday not all the fluff.