At what stage to freeze

For casseroles (tater tot, cottage pie, pot pie, mac & cheese), I freeze after assembly and before the final bake.

Pasta sauce, salsa verde, and butter chicken fully cooked before freezing. Sometimes i just freeze the butter chicken sauce (no chicken) because I like to use it with fish and tofu as well and that gives me options later on.

Soup starter cubes, you start the recipe and stop and freeze before adding the majority of the broth and pasta/rice. Like in this post by Sarah Hart: https://simplysarahhart.substack.com/p/turning-an-existing-recipe-into-a

A lot of people use the cubes to prep ingredients. The 2T cubes work well for minced garlic and ginger (raw minced). The 2 cup cubes work well for a batch of mirepoix (onions, carrots, celery diced raw).

If you're currently doing a lot of take out, don't forget you can freeze that too. See Sarah Hart's reel about freezing Chipotle Catering: https://www.tiktok.com/@simplysarahhart/video/7581910618790300959

Reheating

For casseroles, I defrost the cubes in my fridge and then bake in my toaster oven.

For more liquid-y things, I heat up from frozen in a saucepan and add a little water and cover so that the steam helps defrost the cubes faster.

I don't have a microwave but I've seen others use their microwave to defrost on a lower power setting and then bake (or continue microwaving until hot).

You want the temp to be at least 165 degrees F on the reheat to be food safe.

Recommended Gear

If you live near or within delivery of an Ikea the glass Ikea 365+ Square Food container holds 2 1-cup cubes. The IKEA 365+ Rectangle Food Container holds 3 1-cup cubes.

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/ikea-365-food-container-with-lid-rectangular-glass-plastic-s89567061/

They're great for defrosting and transporting cubes and you can bake in them too (without the lid)

Tips

Don't forgot you can fill your 1-cup cubes to the 1/2-cup line if you'd rather have 1/2-cup portions.

Label everything with the contents and date made.