Containers for Freezing

On October 23, 2023 by Once a Month Meals

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The most common question we get:

What types of containers are best for freezing?

The answer varies a lot by recipe, space, and budget. Our meal plans and recipe cards have all the container information factored in for your indicated servings, you simply need to look at the printable recipe cards for that month for our specific suggestions. We most commonly use freezer bags and 8×8 foil pans for our meal plans. This way we can accommodate all freezer sizes and still maximize your meal plans!

Here are a variety of containers we use or recommend:

Create Your Own Menu - Evaluate Quantitiy

Eat the Rainbow Chickpea Tagine

Zippered Freezer Bags

We use these most often for items that will be thawed in the refrigerator first, and then cooked. You DO NOT want to skimp on cheap freezer bags, after all, you are wrapping an investment, a food investment.

  • When freezing items, especially sauces and liquids, in freezer bags you may want to make sure that the contents are lying completely flat when you place them in the freezer. I have even used cake pans before to make sure that they freeze flat. Remember, whatever form they freeze in is how they will stay!
  • Leave 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch headspace (the space between the food and the zipper or top of the container). Foods expand as they freeze and you don’t want the bag to burst or to leak.

Common Uses:

  • Sandwiches, Quesadillas
  • Muffins, Waffles, Pancakes
  • Vegetables
  • Soups and Sauces
  • Kinds of pasta
  • Meats
  • Full Meals

Products:

 

 

Reusable Freezer Bags

These bags are great if you want to be less wasteful with plastic freezer bags and use something more eco-friendly.

Again, leave 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch headspace (the space between the food and the zipper or top of the container) as the food will expand as it freezes.

Common uses:

  • Portioning smaller portions of food
  • Preserving your flash-frozen items like broth, pureed baby food
  • Holding baked goods like muffins, waffles, pancakes, and more.
  • Storing whole freezer meals in.

Products:

 

Easy Chicken Lo Mein

Plastic or Glass Containers

These are perfectly fine for freezer use, they are actually thicker and thus protect against freezer burn better than zippered freezer bags. They are higher cost than zippered freezer bags but they can be reused again and again which makes them a better environmental choice. And if you can happen to get enough use out of them they are less expensive than zippered bags. I also like the fact that they stack better in the freezer.

  • These are also great options for portioning out lunch items or items that will go with a family member to work or school in individual portions.
  • If you can get your family members and your cooking partner to return these to you, they are a very good option. Again, if using these types of containers you will want to leave 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch headspace for food expansion.

Common Uses:

  • Soups
  • Sauces
  • Individual portions

Products:

Disposable Pans

Foil

We know this is not the most environmentally friendly method, but it is simple and easy on assembly and cleans up. We also prefer these types of pans because they make it easy to take food to others in need. We don’t even have to worry about getting my pans back.

  • Meal plans typically indicate 8×8 pans or Deep Dish 8×8 pans. You can usually find both at either the Dollar Store or Christmas Tree Shops. I have also used the Deep Dish 7×11 pans when I can’t find Deep Dish 8×8 pans.
  • When you have completed the dish, cover it with a double layer of aluminum foil. This helps seal in the meal and prevent leaks as well as prevent freezer burn.

 

Plastic

We found some plastic baking dishes about a year and a half ago and have frequently used them for meals that we know we will be taking to others. We LOVE that if we forget to thaw the item, we can throw them in the microwave to defrost for a bit and then throw them in the oven without worry. We definitely can’t do that with foil pans.

  • They are more expensive than their foil counterparts but come with a lid and are so much easier to stack in your freezer. Less chance of a mess.
  • The downside to these pans is that you have to cook them on a cookie sheet and I feel like that ends up adding to the overall cook time. BUT I suppose if you adjust for that you should be just fine.
  • **Update** These are hard to find these days.  You can find the kind that can be used in the microwave, but it is hard to find the oven-safe kind.

Common Uses:

Again, casseroles, dishes that I don’t want to have to thaw before placing in the oven, and dishes that might end up going to a friend in need.

Products:

 

Glass Baking Dishes

There are many that use personal baking dishes. Some have enough to freeze all of their meals, others do not. I have heard of readers scouring garage sales and thrift stores to find pans that are the right size and reusable. You can freeze your meal in the dish that you are planning to use or you can line your pans with foil to freeze them. You just need to make sure that the pan you “formed” the meal to will be available when you are ready to cook your meal. If you are freezing food in glass baking pans just make sure that you slowly thaw out the dish and don’t place the frozen dish directly into the oven. You may end up with a shattered mess.

The key to keeping your meals as fresh and free from freezer burn is to keep them as airtight as you can, cool them to a proper temperature before putting them away, and leave space for liquids to expand.

Common Uses:

  • Casseroles
  • Bread
  • Kabobs
  • Lasagna

Products:

Reusable Round Containers

We love these containers specifically for all-in-one meals as they stack beautifully and freeze solid as round molds. They are great for 4-6 servings per container and make assembling really easy as you just dump it all in.

 

Common uses:

  • Great for whole Instant Pot meals to cook from frozen and go straight in the pot
  • Whole slow cooker meals that are also easy to assemble and put together

Products:

  1. 50 oz. Betty Crocker Round Containers (Dollar Tree): Works well for a 3qt Instant Pot and holds 2-3 servings
  2. 64 oz Round Containers (Amazon): Works well for a 6qt Instant Pot and holds 4-6 servings
  3. 72 oz Betty Crocker Round Containers (Dollar Tree): Works well for a 6qt Instant Pot and holds 4-6 servings
  4. 72 oz Sure Fresh Round Containers (Dollar Tree): Works well for a 6qt Instant Pot and holds 4-6 servings
  5. 96 oz Betty Crocker Round Containers (Dollar Tree): Works well for an 8qt Instant Pot and holds 8-12 servings
  6. 136 oz Sure Fresh Round Containers (Dollar Tree): Works well for an 8qt Instant Pot and holds 8-12 servings

**Our personal favorites are the 72 oz Betty Crocker Round Containers from the Dollar Tree or the 72 oz Sure Fresh Round Containers also from the Dollar Tree. We have had the greatest success in cooking from frozen (for families of 4-6) using these two containers.

**Most Dollar Tree containers are in limited supply or out of stock online at the current time due to Covid 19 production issues.  Check your local store in person to check into their supply of round containers.

Related:

Do you have any favorite tips or tricks when freezing your meals? Share with us below!

Additional Resources:

Freezing Tips

More Products:

2 Comments

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    1. Thanks for the heads up Nancy! These are basically just round containers. You can also use a gallon freezer bag and freeze the bag inside the Instant Pot liner or any other round dish that would fit inside your IP. That way it freezes in the round shape.

      Reply

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