By Wanda A. Carter
Potato Plan page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
Serving instructions:
Most of the potato dishes I freeze are very forgiving and you can reheat them just about any way you find convenient. I frequently use the microwave. I use the thaw feature for 2-3 minutes and then heat on full or partial power. It will depend on what the item is and what the wattage of your microwave is; mine is 1100 watts so it goes pretty fast. Just play around with yours a little, figure out what works best and when you're satisfied, make a note on your recipe so you don't have to guess the next time.
Twice baked potatoes I thaw for about a minute in the microwave and then stick them in a 350 degree toaster oven
Oven fries and potato wedges are only partially cooked when I freeze them so they need to go in a 450 degree oven for an additional 30 to 45 minutes, turning halfway through. Cooking time will depend on the size of the fries or wedges. Use a non-stick baking sheet, a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, or a baking stone. The oven fries can also be finished in a deep-fryer.
To serve filled potato skins, bake in the toaster oven or oven at 400 degrees. Remove from oven and add anything else you may want such as sour cream. For the crispy skins that you froze empty, bake at a high temp or place them under the broiler until they crisp up, fill and place back in the oven to heat through and melt the cheese.
Casseroles can be cooked from frozen but it takes about an additional 30-60 minutes or so (depends on how big and how dense the casserole is). I prefer not to do it that way because of the extra energy it uses. (My stove is electric and our rates went up about 60% last January.) If I'm cooking an entire casserole I prefer to thaw in the refrigerator first (it takes 1-2 days, depending on the casserole.). If you froze it and removed it from the dish, remove the wrapping, place back in the same dish, place in the refrigerator to thaw, and bake. If you froze the casserole in a freezer bag, it has to be thawed, placed in the casserole dish, and baked. Most of the time, I cook the casseroles before freezing, divide into serving size portions, flash freeze, wrap, place in a labeled freezer bag, and return to the freezer. Since there are only two of us now and we are constantly watching our diets, this is perfect portion control. If I'm heating single portions, I do it in the microwave from frozen (thaw first, then finish heating).
Baked potatoes can be thawed in the microwave and then heated or they can be thawed for a minute or 2 in the microwave and then finished in the toaster oven or regular oven at whatever temperature works for the rest of the dinner you're serving. The oven method crisps up the skin better than the microwave. The amount of time will depend on the size of the potatoes.
Mashed is just heated in the microwave and stirred. If you wish, they can also be heated on the stove but do it on a low temp and remember to stir several times as they thaw and heat.
Soups are either heated from frozen in the microwave or on top of the stove. Just stir a few times as it thaws and heats.
Loaded potatoes are defrosted for a couple minutes in the microwave and then heated in the microwave or in the toaster oven or regular oven at 350 degrees until heated through.
Potatoes are one of the most versatile foods we have and one of the easiest to prepare for the freezer. If you don't have a large block of time, it's easy to prepare just a few dishes (or even one) at a time. And think of the satisfaction you'll have when all those entrees and side dishes are in the freezer and available at a moment's notice.
Potato Plan page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
Wanda is a member of Menus4Moms Yahoo group and has been bulk cooking for years.
