Defrosted cooked meats rarely present well, even if they are immersed in while frozen. This is even worse when they are precut into serving/eating sizes.
If you are going to follow that advice, I *strongly* suggest you test this yourself in advance before serving to guests.
Since you are asking these questions to online strangers, I'm guessing you want to put your best food forward and serving defrosted cooked meat most certainly would NOT be my personal strategy at my dinner table.
It's entirely your call: your taste buds, your dinner table, your friends.
Freezing raw meat is a completely different story though. Marinading small meats of meat is an excellent way to do prep work in advance. You can freeze for use days/weeks later or do this hours/the day before.
Grilling is a very fast cooking method and because of the larger cooking area, you can frequently do vegetables alongside an animal protein. Hanging out around a grill as a group is also decidedly more convivial than one cook hovering over a stove.
Clearly Nancy's appreciation for defrosted cooked meats is different than mine. For sure, if you are happy with the quality, freezing cooked meats is a time saver.
To me well packed (like vacuum sealed) cooked poultry (duck legs, chicken legs/thighs) is more palatable than beef, pork, lamb or chicken/turkey breast. Carnitas and pulled pork are two notable exceptions because they are already shredded.
Anyhow, you'll just have to use your best judgment and hopefully take some time to experiment if you're in doubt of the quality of the end result.
Beg to differ. Wanted to give poster a way to save some prep time by cooking before guests arrive. Frozen cooked meat can stay ok in freezer about 2 to 3 months (albeit with some decline in quality) and now to October is well within that. Yes, frozen raw meat may give even better results. Good suggestion for poster to test a sample.
Different people will have different acceptance levels about frozen cooked meat. You have stated yourself that there is a decline in quality.
Everyone has different ideas of what is acceptable quality for guests. Clearly where we draw the line is differnt.
Again, I have frequently pointed out in similar discussions that there are frozen/leftover items that I will consume on my own but won't serve to dinner guests.
If you want to know if something is tasty after defrosting, the definitive answer will come after you do it yourself. Hell, there's probably someone out there who would cheerfully enjoy defrosted leftover Caesar salad.
After all, the taste buds you are trying to please are yours and those of your specific guests, not random commenters on the Internet.
Remember, her guest visit is *OCTOBER*. She has time to try things out and verify that they're guest worthy. It's not like they'll be knocking on the door tomorrow afternoon.
Most soups and stews can be frozen, some with more success than others. The primary caveat is to leave out any dairy (milk, cream, yogurt, etc.) that is used to finish the soup.
In this case, the potatoes will emerge from the defrosting a little worse for wear. Good enough to serve at home as a weeknight meal? For me, yes. Good enough to serve at a dinner party where you want to impress guests? No, probably not for me.
It will certainly taste okay, the problem will be the consistency of the potatoes.
The freezing/defrosting cycle always changes things. Whether you find those changes acceptable is really your call. Ideally, the next time you make a batch, freeze a small portion and decide for yourself.
From a quality standpoint, it's always ultimately your call anyhow.
Agree with 702551. Just one additional tip - if, as is likely - the texture is a little funny after defrosting, run the soup through a blender or processor.
The slightly thick chowder will still taste good and the blending will hide or minimize any changes to the texture of potatoes.
Thanks so much — this makes total sense. I have four adults visiting for a week in October & don’t want to spend all my time cooking. Looking for meals that I can freeze & still show-off some good food. Will do more recipe research🤔🙄.
Oregon Cassie - one idea for you. Think of all those articles about how you can roast a chicken or two and make several meals of it…plain roast, sandwich, mayo salad, casserole, soup. So roast whatever meat(s) you and your guests like best, cut in workable serving sizes and freeze. Then, when they are visiting, finish each meat the way you want to eat it - sauced, salad, stew, etc.
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If you are going to follow that advice, I *strongly* suggest you test this yourself in advance before serving to guests.
Since you are asking these questions to online strangers, I'm guessing you want to put your best food forward and serving defrosted cooked meat most certainly would NOT be my personal strategy at my dinner table.
It's entirely your call: your taste buds, your dinner table, your friends.
Freezing raw meat is a completely different story though. Marinading small meats of meat is an excellent way to do prep work in advance. You can freeze for use days/weeks later or do this hours/the day before.
Grilling is a very fast cooking method and because of the larger cooking area, you can frequently do vegetables alongside an animal protein. Hanging out around a grill as a group is also decidedly more convivial than one cook hovering over a stove.
Clearly Nancy's appreciation for defrosted cooked meats is different than mine. For sure, if you are happy with the quality, freezing cooked meats is a time saver.
To me well packed (like vacuum sealed) cooked poultry (duck legs, chicken legs/thighs) is more palatable than beef, pork, lamb or chicken/turkey breast. Carnitas and pulled pork are two notable exceptions because they are already shredded.
Anyhow, you'll just have to use your best judgment and hopefully take some time to experiment if you're in doubt of the quality of the end result.
Wanted to give poster a way to save some prep time by cooking before guests arrive.
Frozen cooked meat can stay ok in freezer about 2 to 3 months (albeit with some decline in quality) and now to October is well within that.
Yes, frozen raw meat may give even better results.
Good suggestion for poster to test a sample.
Everyone has different ideas of what is acceptable quality for guests. Clearly where we draw the line is differnt.
Again, I have frequently pointed out in similar discussions that there are frozen/leftover items that I will consume on my own but won't serve to dinner guests.
If you want to know if something is tasty after defrosting, the definitive answer will come after you do it yourself. Hell, there's probably someone out there who would cheerfully enjoy defrosted leftover Caesar salad.
After all, the taste buds you are trying to please are yours and those of your specific guests, not random commenters on the Internet.
In this case, the potatoes will emerge from the defrosting a little worse for wear. Good enough to serve at home as a weeknight meal? For me, yes. Good enough to serve at a dinner party where you want to impress guests? No, probably not for me.
It will certainly taste okay, the problem will be the consistency of the potatoes.
The freezing/defrosting cycle always changes things. Whether you find those changes acceptable is really your call. Ideally, the next time you make a batch, freeze a small portion and decide for yourself.
From a quality standpoint, it's always ultimately your call anyhow.
Best of luck.
Just one additional tip - if, as is likely - the texture is a little funny after defrosting, run the soup through a blender or processor.
The slightly thick chowder will still taste good and the blending will hide or minimize any changes to the texture of potatoes.
Think of all those articles about how you can roast a chicken or two and make several meals of it…plain roast, sandwich, mayo salad, casserole, soup.
So roast whatever meat(s) you and your guests like best, cut in workable serving sizes and freeze.
Then, when they are visiting, finish each meat the way you want to eat it - sauced, salad, stew, etc.