BeerBorg

Since I smoke the Thanksgiving turkey, I can't use traditional bread stuffing, so I cram the cavity with onions and garlic to add flavor throughout. Well, this year, I had too many onions to fit, and I don't want them going bad, so I have to do something with them.

Fortunately, I'm on vacation this week, so today I'm going to make slow-cooker beef stew and meatloaf.

Because I've got leftover onions.

I get it. I made meatloaf with leftover onions and celery from the stuffing. Jane loved it.

Not knowing your exact situation but chopped onions do freeze well for use in stews, gravies etc.

A gallon sized zip lock freezer bag full of chopped onion, celery, garlic, (the "Holy Trinity" of Cajun cooking) plus bell pepper and parsley frozen flattened so you can break off a tablespoon or two will add flavor to almost anything simmered or sauteed.

Brewbirds wrote:Not knowing your exact situation but chopped onions do freeze well for use in stews, gravies etc.

A gallon sized zip lock freezer bag full of chopped onion, celery, garlic, (the "Holy Trinity" of Cajun cooking) plus bell pepper and parsley frozen flattened so you can break off a tablespoon or two will add flavor to almost anything simmered or sauteed.

You forgot the hatch chili's. Hatch chili goes in everything EVERYTHING

That's good to know, Birdie. As it worked out, the timing was right, and I made both the stew and the meatloaf on Monday, portioned them out, and have a freezer full of individual meals ready for reheating! But I'll remember your advice for the future. I have plenty of room for such stuff in the chest freezer downstairs, so that's not a concern. Rather than use a Ziploc bag, I'd probably vacuum seal them in small portions -- 1/4 cup or so, if I wanted to use them in gravies or recipes such as the ones I made.

FedoraDave wrote:That's good to know, Birdie. As it worked out, the timing was right, and I made both the stew and the meatloaf on Monday, portioned them out, and have a freezer full of individual meals ready for reheating! But I'll remember your advice for the future. I have plenty of room for such stuff in the chest freezer downstairs, so that's not a concern. Rather than use a Ziploc bag, I'd probably vacuum seal them in small portions -- 1/4 cup or so, if I wanted to use them in gravies or recipes such as the ones I made.

You can even vacuum seal liquids if you do it right.

The trick is to put the liquid in the bag and freeze it first, then seal it.

For the love of God don't put them into a beer

Gymrat wrote:For the love of God don't put them into a beer

No, I save my leftover asparagus for that.