Discussion Forums
for the
Personal Chef Industry

Hello All,

I will be joining your ranks as soon as I can save up the money for the kit. However, I am starting to test recipes right now. My question is how long should one leave test dishes in the freezer before diving in to taste the delicious new creation? Thank you for any advice you can provide!

Nancy

Hi Nancy. When I test recipes that I don't know the freezing results, I have tried to leave them in the freezer for at least one week to sometimes two weeks. (There has been a few that the "first" meal has only lasted in freezer for 3 days). I now "PC" for me & my husband, but occasionally we will get a taste for something that is not on the menu so to speak. Like one Sunday, we had a hankering for BBQ chicken breast. I cooked 6 out on the grill, we ate two, & I wrapped the remaining breast seperately, in foil, then put into a ziplock bag, & threw them in the freezer. Two weeks later, we ate two, which to my amazement was just as good as when first cooked (being white meat, thought it would dry out upon reheating).
The longer they are in the freezer, will give you more accurate results on if it will break down or not upon reheating.
Hope this helps.

------------------
Jackie Alejo
Cooking For You
A personal chef service
Houston

There are no magic numbers -- one day and one week should be pretty much the same. Over time, food will lose texture, flavor and moisture. 30 days = the degradation from one day in the freezer times 30. I encourage my clients to eat their meals BEFORE the 30 day mark. Not that they expire -- but they may notice that it's just not as good as it was earlier in the month. No one has ever complained....

Sometimes sauces will be more likely to separate after 2 weeks, than after only one -- and twice as likely after 30 days. This is not the end of the world -- if you've covered this at your client assessment "Sometimes, as items thaw, they will separate. Simply stir as the item reheats and it will come back together."

Go to www.fmi.org, go to the consumer section and print out the Foodkeeper brochure -- it will give you proper storage times for individual items.

------------------
Meredith
Whisk For Hire
Kensington, MD