17 Ina Garten Recipes You Can Make Now & Freeze for Later (2024)

FAQs

What foods can you cook then freeze? ›

Her eating, she says, is “pretty orderly, actually”: “I have toast and coffee for breakfast;” tea every day at 10:30 a.m. — not a minute earlier or later; soup for lunch (Italian wedding soup, on the day of the recording); and for dinner, she and her husband, Jeffrey, go out with friends or order in.

Zip-top bags are great for freezing food because it's easier to get all the air out of them than it is with rigid containers. And zip-top bags have an added space-saving benefit: You can stack them, if you lay them flat to freeze first.

Milk, yogurt, cream, sour cream, buttermilk, and soft cheeses all become inedible once frozen, since they separate and curdle upon defrosting, changing the texture and consistency entirely.

Barefoot Contessa hasn't produced new episodes since 2021, and anyone who still has cable knows that Food Network doesn't show Garten's TV shows as often as we'd like. However, Garten recently announced that she's working on new episodes for the cooking network.

Another, pricier option is the White Dinnerware set from Pillivuyt, a French brand Ina recommends for serving ware as well. Aside from the simple, clean lines, both sets are dishwasher-, microwave-, and oven-safe, a must in Ina's—and our—book.

The Simplest Dish In The World To Make, According To Ina Garten. After testing recipes for various projects all day, Ina Garten prefers to make something simple, quick, and ready straight out of the oven. Her favored dish is roast chicken. To make a roast chicken, preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

So when a man from Enterprise, Alabama wrote Garten to ask what brand of butter she used for cooking, she responded with great intel all of us could use: She often goes with Cabot Creamery's butter — before diplomatically adding that “there are many good brands of butters available.”

Not just any old oatmeal will do when it comes to the Barefoot Contessa. "I've had the same thing for breakfast every single day for ten years: coffee and McCann's quick-cooking Irish oatmeal," Garten told Bon Appétit in a 2017 article.

Is it better to freeze meals, cooked or uncooked? ›

Foods you might overcook: Foods that cook quickly like homemade burgers or marinated chicken stir-fry should be frozen raw so that reheating doesn't overcook them.

Mashed potatoes last up to one month in the freezer. After that, their liquid and solid components separate, and they unfortunately won't regain their creamy, pillowy consistency when reheated.

The opposite is also true: You can use regular zip-top storage bags in the freezer — I'll admit that I have from time to time. But foods stored in these bags in the freezer might not hold up as well over long periods of time, and can be more prone to punctures and rips.

Yes, freezing is one of the safest ways to store food and, when done correctly, will lock in flavour and nutrition. Some leftovers don't freeze well due to loss of texture and appearance (see list below). How soon can you freeze food after cooking? To ensure food stays safe, cool cooked dishes quickly before freezing.

Timing: It's best to freeze food as soon as possible after cooking or purchasing it.