Plastic Containers & Storing Food -- Especially Hot Items Like Chicken Stock

I frequently make homemade chicken stock and freeze in plastic Glad-like containers. I thaw the stock out in those same containers, sometimes having to microwave for a short time to loosen them, before completely thawing/heating on the stove. But plastic use + food/storage options & dangers have me worried and confused. How else can I best freeze chicken stock? Glass seems heavy, impractical in the freezer and expensive, though I'm open to the idea if it's the best one. Advice?

SuperFineSugar
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10 Comments

pierino
pierino September 19, 2010
I like the muffin tin thing for "pucks" as you might need to use them for taking practice slap shots from the blue line. You never know.The lake freezes and...
 
ketherian
ketherian September 19, 2010
I freeze my stock in mason jars. If there's less than a cup (the smallest mason jar I have), I freeze it in ice cube trays, then load the frozen cubes into a ziplock for storage. Most of the advisories/warnings I've read have been about chemicals leaching into the food when the food is heated; so long as you thaw without heat -- I figure you'll be OK.
 
Kimberly M.
Kimberly M. September 19, 2010
I use silicone muffin tins to freeze stock (in half-cup portions), then pop the frozen pucks out and put them in gallon ziplock freezer bags. When I need stock, I can pull out exactly the amount that I need, and I can reuse the ziplock bags rather than throwing them out.
 
pierino
pierino September 18, 2010
Personally, I'm an advocate for glass. I have a bunch of containers of different sizes with tight sealed lids. And unlike Ziplocks they are reusable and not landfill.
 
SuperFineSugar
SuperFineSugar September 18, 2010
But ziplock doesn't solve the plastics +food problem.
 
katiebakes
katiebakes September 18, 2010
I do the Ziplock thing too. It makes it easiest to stack them. We have a large freezer, so I keep a running inventory on my laptop, so that when I need a certain amount of broth, all I have to do is check my inventory and see if I have it. Better than digging through the freezer!
 
Kevin
Kevin September 18, 2010
I also use ziplocks. They lay flat, stack, and 15 minutes in hot tap water is enough to get it out of the bag and into a saucepan or soup pot.
 
mrslarkin
mrslarkin September 18, 2010
Another cool way to freeze stock is in ice cube trays. When frozen, store cubes of stock in zipper freezer bags. Great for when you need just a bit of stock in a recipe - just grab a cube or two!
 
Amanda H.
Amanda H. September 18, 2010
It's a good idea to cool the stock before pouring into plastic. Also, I sometimes freeze stock in an 8-inch square baking dish. Not practical but entirely safe.
 
Jeters
Jeters September 18, 2010
I freeze chicken stock in ziploc freezer bags - it's easy to portion out that way (small for sauces, large for soups) and theres no need to partially thaw it in order to get it out of the container, you simply rip the bag up the sides and peel it off the frozen stock.
 
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