was a dismal failure.
I had baked a pork chop in the oven, made Stove Top dressing and put them together in a freezer bag. I put a serving of frozen carrots in a small Zip Lock bag and added them to the chop and dressing. Into the freezer it went.
Today I thawed the pork chop meal, put it on a plate and microwaved it until it was heated through.
It was awful. The pork chop was tough, the dressing was dry and the carrots were only about half cooked. I had cooked a chop from the same package earlier and it was tender, so I don't think there was anything wrong with the chops. I buy these same chops all the time and have never before had a tough one.
I doubt I will make any more freezer meals for the microwave. Tomorrow I will cook a different meal made for the crockpot and see how that turns out.
Live and learn.
This and That
15 hours ago
Have you ever heated stuff in a double boiler? My wife swears by it. It's mostly for warm-ups, though, so you'd have to cook the stuff first.
ReplyDeleteGorges...I never thought about using a double boiler to reheat food. I couldn't make myself throw away food so I put it in the fridge. I will try the double boiler tomorrow. Thanks for the idea.
Delete...microwave cooking is an art in itself...it heats only the water in the food, so it dries out if uncovered...an (almost) sealed container holds it in...adding some water helps...Don McCollor
ReplyDeleteThanks for the information, Don. I didn't know that's how it works. I covered the meal, but only with a paper towel. I have one more pork chop meal in the freezer and next time I will do things differently. Ya learn something new every day. :)
Deletethat's why it's an 'experiment', right?
ReplyDeleteSJ
SJ...That's right. Guess you don't know unless you try. :)
DeleteEactly..'nothing ventured,nothing gained'.
DeleteCan you rescue the chops with a gravy or BBQ sauce and reheat the chops in those liquids?
Another thought - I reheat meats at 70% power so they don't turn into shoe leather. Perhaps it was the microwave that was the issue,not the freezer.
It's overcast today and lower temps, yea! We had a minor heat wave, mid80s, for the last few days. Dog was sprawled in front of my portable AC unit - ear hairs waving in the breeze. They're so smart!
Take good care and have fun with you experiments. SJ
*Exactly...couldn't go back to edit.
DeleteSJ...I used Gorge's method of reheating the chop and dressing in a double boiler and it worked. Meat was much more tender and dressing moist. I have never done much cooking in a microwave, mostly heating water for tea or hot chocolate, or making popcorn, so perhaps I should stick to cooking methods I am familiar with. :)
DeleteSunny here with temps in the 80's yesterday and promised for today. My building was built in the late 1800's and has really thick walls so my apartment stays fairly cool. Dog is indeed smart. They know what is important. :)
I never heat anything that is not covered. If I heat anything that was put into a freezer bag, I only leave 1//2 inch open in the seal.
ReplyDeleteTry microwaving your meal like that on a plate with a cover--another plate works. I microwave one minute, let it stand, microwave another minute. Let it stand. The food heats as it stands and heats through. You might try sprinkling a little water over all before you start.
There was nothing wrong, just microwaved too long. You can try putting meat on and heating, then add carrots and dressing and heating a bit more.
You have to play around with a microwave to get it right. You can do it. I never make meat or bread tough now like I once did. A little liquid of any kind helps things.
Thanks, Linda, for the microwave cooking tips. I guess I just haven't used a microwave for cooking very much - mostly for heating water or making popcorn. I suppose it boils down to whether I want to ding around with microwave cooking or just go back to cooking that I am familiar with.
DeleteForget my other comment. I just read this one. I think you may need to separate all the items like a TV dinner. vs all in one bag.
ReplyDelete