Mashed: Frozen left-over mashed potatoes

Subject: Frozen left-over mashed potatoes
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
From: Trent (trentsauder at hotmail.com)
Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2002 03:22:52 GMT
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If anybody hasn't tried this yet...

The next time you make mashed potatoes, make a BIG batch...and then freeze the remaining in individual serving sizes. When ready to use, nuke them on high from frozen.

I freeze them in small margarine tubs...then nuke for 2 minutes to break them free from the container...then another 5 minutes in a microsafe container. Let set 2 minutes...then stir to distribute the heat evenly.

They're actually better re-heated than they are fresh!!

I always add butter and horseradish sauce to the batch I'm makin'...and sour cream if I have any laying around.
From: Deacon (deacon_2002 at hotmail.com)
Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2002 09:42:57 -0500
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Trent wrote:
>I freeze them in small margarine tubs...then nuke for 2 minutes to
>break them free from the container...then another 5 minutes in a
>microsafe container.

Trent, try them frozen in a ziplock freezer bag...you will get an even heating in the microwave and you can squeeze most of teh air out of the bag before you freeze it...
From: Trent (trentsauder at hotmail.com)
Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2002 16:26:34 GMT
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Deacon wrote:
>Trent, try them frozen in a ziplock freezer bag...you will get an even
>heating in the microwave and you can squeeze most of teh air out of
>the bag before you freeze it...

Can the bags take the heat, Deacon? I'd worry about the bag melting.

Even with the margarine tubs, I have to take the taters out of them...'cause they can't take the high heat.
From: Deacon (deacon_2002 at hotmail.com)
Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2002 11:37:19 -0500
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Trent wrote:
>Can the bags take the heat, Deacon? I'd worry about the bag melting.

I have never had a problem with brand name bags, if you use Generic or Store Brand they have caused me grief...

Try it...the flatter you get the product in the bag the more even I have found it to heat in the microwave.
From: David Sutera (sutera at iqmail.net)
Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2002 12:12:27 -0600
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Even better is to put those in a frying pan with some olive oil and fry em till its a crispy patty....gargle...
From: Deacon (deacon_2002 at hotmail.com)
Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2002 13:20:33 -0500
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David Sutera wrote:
>Even better is to put those in a frying pan with some olive oil and fry em
>till its a crispy patty....gargle...

Uh huh BTDT... :-)
From: Trent (trentsauder at hotmail.com)
Date: Fri, 15 Mar 2002 01:47:09 GMT
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David Sutera wrote:
>Even better is to put those in a frying pan with some olive oil and fry em
>till its a crispy patty....gargle...

I do that...but I add an egg and some salt and pepper...and make patties out of 'em.

They make a good filler that way, too, if you mix them with salmon for salmon patties.
From: Trent (trentsauder at hotmail.com)
Date: Fri, 15 Mar 2002 01:45:05 GMT
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Deacon wrote:
>Try it...the flatter you get the product in the bag the more even I
>have found it to heat in the microwave.

I'll try it, Deac...thanks for the tip.
Have a nice one...
Trent

Cat...the OTHER white meat!
From: Kate Connally (connally at pitt.edu)
Date: Fri, 15 Mar 2002 09:43:34 -0500
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Trent wrote:
> Can the bags take the heat, Deacon? I'd worry about the bag melting.

I frequently boil up a large batch of spaghetti or egg noodles and store the leftovers in plastic bags and then reheat them in the microwave. It works great and the noodles taste just like freshly cooked ones and the bag is just fine. In fact some times I do it 2 or 3 times until I've used up all the noodles. Bag holds up just fine. The only difference with mashed pot. may be that they usually have butter in them so that could "cook" the bag in spots. But I think it would work.

> Cat...the OTHER white meat!

I would think they'd be dark meat, more like rabbit.
From: Trent (trentsauder at hotmail.com)
Date: Sat, 16 Mar 2002 01:00:44 GMT
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Kate Connally wrote:
>I frequently boil up a large batch of spaghetti or
>egg noodles

I do the same thing, Kate. Whenever I make either of these...any pasta, actually...I always prepare the entire bag or box. Whatever I have left, I put in margarine tubs. When I want to use some of it, I put the pasta from frozen into a colander...under medium-hot water. In a couple of minutes, I have just the amount I need...broken off from the outside of the frozen glob...and then I refreeze the rest.

I don't like the micro for defrosting or cooking most things...especially things that are flat...because of the way that a microwave operates. It tends to cook/defrost from the outside toward the middle...making the outside tough and cooked much quicker than the middle. This isn't always true if you can do the defrosting in a container...which will help to contain any heat that's generated...and help in the defrosting process. Your idea for the bag might work well...because of the containment ability.

>and store the leftovers in plastic
>bags and then reheat them in the microwave. It
>works great and the noodles taste just like freshly
>cooked ones and the bag is just fine. In fact some
>times I do it 2 or 3 times until I've used up all
>the noodles.

Me, too. But I use the hot-water technique. It sure saves a lot of time, doesn't it. As a matter of fact, I *ALWAYS* cook in big batches...so I have some to freeze for a next meal.

One of my favorite kitchen utensils is my pressure cooker. I usually make a cooker full of whatever I'm preparing...and then get 4-6 containers to freeze...which is 4-6 quick meals sometime later.

>Bag holds up just fine. The only
>difference with mashed pot. may be that they usually
>have butter in them so that could "cook" the bag in
>spots. But I think it would work.

From what I've read, you have to be careful of any product that can retain heat to high temperatures. So, yes...I think things like butter, oil, etc. might be a problem...and actually melt the plastic.

I have some store-bought containers :) that will take the entire heat range of defrosting and cooking. So I can defrost in them to the boiling point...and I use them for soups, chili, etc.

But I don't trust my margarine tubs. I defrost for 2 minutes only...to break them loose from the containers. Then I transfer to a super large cup or bowl and continue from there...usually in 5-minute increments...with 2 minutes wait time between each.

>> Cat...the OTHER white meat!
>
>I would think they'd be dark meat, more
>like rabbit.

Ummm...maybe we should find out for sure!!! lol

Actually, Kate, its only meant to be a joke, as you probably know...a take-off of the 'Pork...the other white meat.'

I like cats. Actually, I like MOST foods! lol
From: MH (bastzine at worldnet.att.net)
Date: Sat, 16 Mar 2002 05:39:07 GMT
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Trent wrote:
> I do the same thing, Kate. Whenever I make either of these...any
> pasta, actually...I always prepare the entire bag or box. Whatever I
> have left, I put in margarine tubs. When I want to use some of it, I
> put the pasta from frozen into a colander...under medium-hot water.
> In a couple of minutes, I have just the amount I need...broken off
> from the outside of the frozen glob...and then I refreeze the rest.

I don't understand this. Pasta takes only a few minutes to cook, 9 minutes about, so why does this save a lot of time? With the time it takes to cook a huge batch, plus the time to place it in plastic baggies and freeze, you haven't really save much. Mashed potatoes I understand, but pasta?

Martha
From: Deacon (deacon_2002 at hotmail.com)
Date: Sat, 16 Mar 2002 10:44:48 GMT
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MH wrote:
>I don't understand this. Pasta takes only a few minutes to cook, 9 minutes
>about, so why does this save a lot of time? With the time it takes to cook a
>huge batch, plus the time to place it in plastic baggies and freeze, you
>haven't really save much. Mashed potatoes I understand, but pasta?

Two reasons we do it here:
Makes a quick easy portion sized lunch to microwave at work from left overs.
Makes a quick easy portion size lunch for the kids when we don't want to cook...
From: MH (bastzine at worldnet.att.net)
Date: Sat, 16 Mar 2002 15:36:06 GMT
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Deacon wrote:
> Makes a quick easy portion sized lunch to microwave at work from left
> overs.
> Makes a quick easy portion size lunch for the kids when we don't want
> to cook...

Ah, ok, I understand that. When I freeze lunch servings, I freeze with the sauce. Thanks.
From: Deacon (deacon_2002 at hotmail.com)
Date: Sat, 16 Mar 2002 16:01:36 GMT
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MH wrote:
>Ah, ok, I understand that. When I freeze lunch servings, I freeze with the
>sauce.

Yup, I have done that as well when I just have a pesto sauce, when I make a meat sauce I store and heat it seperately.
From: Trent (trentsauder at hotmail.com)
Date: Sat, 16 Mar 2002 12:37:28 GMT
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MH wrote:
>I don't understand this. Pasta takes only a few minutes to cook, 9 minutes
>about, so why does this save a lot of time? With the time it takes to cook a
>huge batch, plus the time to place it in plastic baggies and freeze, you
>haven't really save much. Mashed potatoes I understand, but pasta?

Total prep time, Martha...from start to finish...

Take out the pan...add the water...wait for it to boil...add (what?) a handful of pasta, then reseal?...cook 9 minutes...rinse in colander. Plus take up maybe needed room on the burner.

Take pasta from the freezer, break the container's sides seal by running the container's sides under hot water, put into small, hand colander, run under hot water until just enough breaks loose for the meal that you want...refreeze. Wash colander. Actually, I just rinse it under hot water and dry it.

Not that big a deal, I agree. But there's somethin' psychological about it...and it IS quite a bit faster...when you figure the cleanup and all.
Subject: Rec: Fishcakes with shrimp and smoked salmon was: Re: Frozen left-over mashed potatoes
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
From: fusina at radix.net (Elizabeth)
Date: Fri, 15 Mar 2002 12:36:25 -0500
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Here is a great recipe I think I cut it out of Bon Appetit, although it may have been Cooking Light.

1 lb. potatoes, peeled, and cut into small pieces
1 6 oz. fillet of some kind of white fish, it says orange roughy, but we are lucky when we have anything but catfish, so usually use tilapia
4 oz shrimp (more if you like shrimp) steamed and chopped
3 oz. smoked salmon, chopped
1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced into rounds, white and green together
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill (or 2 tbl. dried, have made it both ways, the fresh is better, but using dried it is still good)
2 tsp grated lemon peel (again, fresh is good, but you can sub. 1 tsp of dried lemon peel, a couple drops lemon oil and a tsp. of lemon juice) bread crumbs

Steam potatoes and fish about 10 minutes, until the potatoes are mashable and the fish is white and flakes easily. Mash the potatoes, flake the fish, and let cool for a few minutes. Then, in a good size bowl, mix all the ingredients together, add salt and pepper to taste. I usually do like meatloaf, and knead the stuff together really well. Form into balls, flatten into cakes. Roll in bread crumbs. (I use the Italian seasoned ones, yum!) Heat 3 tbl. oil in large skillet, saute fish cakes until lightly browned, about three minutes per side, adding oil as needed. Serve with lemon wedges.

Personally, I like these the next day on a hamburger bun with lots of mayo, although it is starchy.
From: zxcvbob (bob at a51web.net)
Date: Fri, 15 Mar 2002 14:23:19 -0600
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Elizabeth wrote:
> Here is a great recipe I think I cut it out of Bon Appetit, although it
> may have been Cooking Light.

I made some fishcakes last week to use up some surimi ("Krab") that I bought that tasted too fishy to just eat cold with cocktail sauce. I mixed about 10 or 12 ounces of surimi with a can of drained water-pack tuna, and added an egg, about 3 ounces of fresh bread crumbs, a dollop of mayo, 1/4 tsp Zataran's liquid crab boil spices, salt and pepper, dried parsley, and a little lemon juice. Fried in a lightly oiled non-stick skillet.

I never thought of using potatoes for filler -- although the krabcakes I made didn't have much filler. Your recipe looks really good; I'll start watching for frozen whitefish to go on sale. Have you ever tried using canned smoked sardines or herring instead of the smoked salmon?

Best regards,
Bob <-- couldn't actually *follow* a recipe if his life depended on it
From: fusina at radix.net (Elizabeth)
Date: Fri, 15 Mar 2002 15:54:09 -0500
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zxcvbob wrote:
> I made some fishcakes last week to use up some surimi ("Krab")

Didn't actually think of using anything else, but mostly because I always hated most fish growing up (sardines in mustard and tunafish inna can being the exceptions), probably a reaction to my Mom's Salmonloaf, kind of a dry and fishy tasting meatloaf. Come to think of it, I was rather suspicious of meatloaf for a long time as well.

I drive my husband, coincidentally enough he is also Bob, berserk, cause I only follow a recipe the first couple times I make it. After that, it is me trying to find something that I can improve. What drives him berserk is if he likes it just as made originally.