Choosing the right containers can really make a difference in the flavor, color, and nutritional value of your frozen foods. Freezing in the wrong container can impact the quality of your meals.
When it comes to freezer meals you have a few options: Foil containers, plastic containers, and freezer bags. You do not want to freeze into glass when you can help it. If you do freeze in glass, make sure you do not put a cold glass pan into a hot oven.
Consider the following 10 tips for choosing the best containers for freezing:
- Think small. Your containers should always be less than a half-gallon. Choose thinner, wide containers. This is especially important if you are preparing foods for a large group. The bigger the container, the slower the food will freeze. You want the food to freeze quickly in order to preserve quality, taste, etc.
- Go with moisture and vapor-proof. If they are not moisture and vapor-proof you might get freezer burn on your meals.
- Choose food grade quality containers.
- Choose odorless, tasteless, and grease-proof containers. You do not want the containers to contaminate the flavor of the foods.
- Choose durable and leak proof containers. If you put in the work, you don’t want the containers to ruin the food.
- Choose containers that won’t get brittle, or crack at freezer temperatures. You want to check that they are freezer rated.
- Choose containers that are low cost, one of the points of choosing freezer meals is the cost savings, so if you are spending a significant amount on each container, the savings are not worth it unless you can reuse them over and over. Quality food containers do not have to cost a lot.
- Stackable. You want to be able to maximize the space in your freezer. It is cheaper to keep a full freezer frozen then one that is only partially full, so look for containers that will make good use of freezer space.
- Easy to use, seal and label. Prepare your containers before you prepare the food.
10. Use plastic bags for solid foods, freezable plastic containers for sauces, soups, and liquid foods. Choose foil containers for casseroles, or foods you would stick from freezer to oven.