{"id":12019,"date":"2008-09-04T09:02:00","date_gmt":"2008-09-04T09:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/production.ou.org\/life\/other\/freeze_with_ease_for_your_high_holiday_celebrations\/"},"modified":"2015-10-29T11:05:40","modified_gmt":"2015-10-29T16:05:40","slug":"freeze_with_ease_for_your_high_holiday_celebrations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/food\/cooking\/freeze_with_ease_for_your_high_holiday_celebrations\/","title":{"rendered":"Freeze With Ease For Your High Holiday Celebrations"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As the Jewish Holidays approach, my phone starts to ring and my inbox overflows with emails from people who are panicking about preparing for the upcoming holidays. The number one question on everyone\u2019s lips is \u201cDoes it freeze?\u201d The second question is \u201cHow far in advance can I make this?\u201d<\/p>\n

Here are some helpful guidelines to help you with your holiday preparations. And be sure to save this column for future use as a reference guide!<\/p>\n

Chicken soup freezes well, as do most soups. Flash-freeze your matzo balls on a cookie sheet in a single layer, then transfer them to resealable bags, seal tightly and freeze. Cooked noodles also freeze well when stored in resealable plastic bags. They will defrost when you reheat them slowly in the hot soup.<\/p>\n

Roast brisket, veal or other meats will freeze very well, but if you don’t want to freeze them, you can make them a few days ahead and keep them tightly covered in the refrigerator. See my scrumptious recipe for Cranberry Brisket with Caramelized Onions (below) from my latest book Norene\u2019s Healthy Kitchen: Eat YOUR Way to Good Health (Whitecap $34.95), which includes terrific tips to make preparation easier.<\/p>\n

Chicken and turkey freeze extremely well and so do meatballs and cabbage rolls. However, don\u2019t stuff chicken, turkey or roast veal if you plan to freeze it.<\/p>\n

Frozen gefilte fish balls will become watery when thawed. My mother taught me her secret to freezing gefilte fish which I am now sharing with you: Just simmer the thawed fish balls for about 15 minutes in enough water to cover, then drain well. Your gefilte fish will taste freshly cooked!<\/p>\n

Side dishes like knishes, kugels, latkes, mock kishka, couscous and kasha all freeze well but vegetable salads are best prepared shortly before serving.<\/p>\n

Honey cakes freeze very well and will stay moist and tender for several days when stored at room temperature if you wrap them well. Sponge, chiffon, carrot and chocolate cakes also freeze well. Apple pie or other fruit pies freeze well if you assemble them and freeze them unbaked \u2013 just be sure to double-wrap them well first. They can be baked without defrosting by unwrapping them and placing them in the oven right from the freezer.<\/p>\n

Apple cake might get a little soggy when thawed, so a good trick is to place it in the oven, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes to evaporate any excess moisture. Same thing applies to fruit crisps.<\/p>\n

Home-made challahs can be made in advance and frozen. One of my friends makes a big batch of medium-sized challahs and freezes them for the whole month of holidays.
\nCookies of all kinds (chocolate chip, mandelbroit, biscotti) and squares freeze well and even taste good straight from the freezer!<\/p>\n

In my latest book, Norene\u2019s Healthy Kitchen (Whitecap Books), I made sure to provide do-ahead advice for each and every recipe, how long it could be prepared in advance, how long it could be frozen.<\/p>\n

NORENE\u2019S STORAGE AND FREEZER GUIDE<\/span>:<\/b><\/p>\n

SOUPS<\/span>:<\/p>\n