How to properly and safely freeze fresh pike

Are there days when you don’t have the time or desire to stand at the stove? Prepare for them in advance!

What can you store in the freezer?

We have already written that fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs, tomatoes for pizza and much more can be frozen for the winter, and the fact that during the harvesting season this material is a huge success means that our readers always have some in their freezers. useful preparations!

But did you know that you can freeze not only plant foods, semi-finished products, dumplings and dumplings? It is much more economical in terms of time to freeze ready-to-eat dishes, which you only have to reheat and serve. For heating, it is best to use a microwave - one of the most important household appliances in the house.

Take these basic recipes and start experimenting with your favorite snacks!

How to freeze chicken

Every third housewife thinks about whether it is possible to freeze fried chicken, but only every fifth decides to experiment! In fact, chicken cooked in the oven or according to the tapaka chicken principle tolerates freezing well and practically does not lose either its taste or consistency.

After defrosting, the chicken completely retains its shape, the skin remains in the same place, the color does not change. Checked! If you're afraid, try freezing a small piece, such as a wing or leg!

You can cook chicken on a free day, and it is much more convenient to bake several carcasses at once; this will save time, since you will have to wash the dishes and oven once. Cool the finished chicken well at room temperature, then wrap it in cling film so that less air gets into the packaging, and place the appetizer in the refrigerator. If you have an unexpected visit from guests or simply when you don’t feel like cooking, heat it up, prepare the quickest salad as a side dish and enjoy!

Cutlets and meatballs - a quick dinner

When preparing cutlets, meatballs or other minced meat dishes for lunch, cook them in double quantity. In terms of time spent, you will lose practically nothing, well, maybe an extra half hour will be spent on frying the cutlets. But then, when you don’t have time to prepare dinner, these preparations will definitely help you out.

The cutlets look no less appetizing than fresh ones

It is best to cool meat cutlets for freezing and wrap them in film, 2-4 pieces at a time. Meatballs can be frozen directly in tomato sauce by placing them in a portioned plastic container that can withstand both low and high temperatures. You can also freeze fried pieces of meat with or without sauce, chops, including lazy ones, stuffed peppers and cabbage rolls.

Freezing dumplings and dumplings

Now a little about how to properly freeze dumplings and dumplings. Dough products intended for cooking are best frozen raw. Always place dumplings in a single layer on a plate, trays or heavy cardboard.

To prevent the dough from sticking, it is recommended to cover the base with film. After freezing, pour the products into a bag and tie tightly. In this way you can freeze lazy dumplings and dumplings and dumplings made from choux pastry.

You can prepare homemade dumplings not only on the stove, but also in a slow cooker. This will save a lot of time. They are also convenient to use for quickly preparing soup or for a hot snack in portioned pots.

Dumplings in vareniki should be placed in one layer

Preparations for soups

To avoid wasting time preparing frying soup, make several preparations at once. Fry onions, carrots, mushrooms, and other vegetables that you like to add to broths and freeze it all in small portions in plastic bags or plastic cups. The glasses will then need to be wrapped in film to prevent air from entering.

With the same success, you can freeze broths, which, for example, remain after boiling meat or chicken for salad. Plastic bottles and containers are suitable for this purpose.

The broth can be frozen in bags

Basics for pilaf and julienne

If you fry the meat in pieces, onions and grated carrots, and then freeze this mixture, then it will take a few minutes to prepare the pilaf. All you need to do is defrost the base, heat the meat and vegetables in a cauldron, add washed rice, add boiling water and wait for the dish to cook!

For a quick julienne, prepare mushrooms and onions. You can also add fried chicken or boiled mussels here. At the right time, heat everything in the microwave and follow one of the recipes. By the way, fried mushrooms can be added to potatoes or rice.

How to freeze a cake

Many desserts can be frozen, but the best results are for honey cake, which can be prepared even without an oven or from ready-made cakes sold in stores. The main thing is to use butter-based cream for the layer, not sour cream. The cake (or its pieces) should be wrapped in film before placing in the freezer, and it should be defrosted in the refrigerator, taking it out several hours before use.

You can serve the cake with coffee made from frozen cubes. Just brew the aromatic drink in a higher concentration, and then pour boiling water over it. But it’s better, of course, not to be lazy, but to prepare fresh coffee with foam!

The cake can be frozen whole or in portions

Ready-made pancakes with or without filling, fried and baked pies and pies, pizza, biscuits without filling, and bread tolerate freezing well. We could go on and on and on about dishes that can easily withstand freezing without losing their properties.

We are confident that our readers, being passionate women, will not be afraid of experiments, will try new things and share their advice with us and other housewives in the comments.

Sometimes you really want to prepare a lot of food in advance. For a couple of weeks, for example. But how to save it? Not all dishes will last that long in the refrigerator. If you have a large freezer, you can freeze food. And then slowly defrost and eat gradually.

By the way, this is very convenient if you want to help your older relatives. They will be able to eat home-cooked meals for a long time, without having to come and cook for them a couple of times a week.

Let's figure out which dishes or preparations for them can be frozen.

How to cook stuffed pike: step-by-step recipe

• First you need to remove the scales; they are removed from the tail to the head. Then wash and cut the fish. To do this, make a small transverse incision near the head and carefully remove all the insides. Cut off the head, but do not throw it away; remove only the gills, since all the most harmful and dangerous things accumulate in them.

Pike: how to properly clean fish for cooking

• The most important step is removing the skin. It must be removed very carefully and without damage. In this case, when baking, all the juice will remain inside, and the fish will turn out quite juicy and aromatic. In some cases, to make it easier to remove the skin, a rolling pin is used. With its help, the pike is beaten on both sides, thanks to which the skin can be easily removed with one stocking. When skinning, when you reach the tail, cut the spine with a knife.

Pike: how to properly peel the skin

• Making minced meat. In accordance with the step-by-step recipe for cooking stuffed pike in the oven, you need to remove the meat from the ridge and remove all large bones. Leave the smaller bones, as they can be put through a meat grinder or crushed using a blender. Experienced housewives recommend passing the meat through a meat grinder twice in order to grind all the bones 100%. Add chopped onion and a little lard to the minced meat; some housewives add a soaked loaf to it, but this is not for everyone.

Pike: how to make minced meat correctly

• Fill the skin of the predator with minced meat. It is necessary to evenly place the minced meat obtained from the pike, starting from the tail. At the same time, there is no need to stuff it too tightly, since during cooking the skin may tear and then all the juice will leak out. Tie the end tightly enough with thread.

Pike: how to stuff it properly

• Preparation. Place the carcass on a baking sheet; it is usually baked in the shape of a semicircle, so that when finished it lies on the table very beautifully and originally. It is prepared at a temperature of 180-200 degrees. Baking time is usually one hour, but it all depends on the oven and the size of the fish. Some housewives cover the top of the carcass with foil so that it does not burn or dry out.

Stuffed pike: step-by-step recipes with various fillings

We looked at a step-by-step recipe for stuffed pike with photos. It is important to always use fresh pike. When choosing, you must first pay attention to the eyes and the condition of the gill bone; there should be no darkening or spots, the gills should have a rich red color. Almost everyone adds a little lard, onions and garlic to the minced meat. The latter ingredients help eliminate a specific odor that is not pleasant to everyone.

Filling options:

Stuffed pike with mushrooms

A unique dish for a festive event, especially with family and friends. Those who really love river fish and mushrooms will especially like it.

• Pike – 1 piece;
• Mushrooms – 6-8 pieces;
• Cream – 1 tablespoon;
• Sour cream – 250 grams;
• White wine – 1 tablespoon;
• Starch – 1 tablespoon;
• Greenery.

Pike stuffed with mushrooms: step-by-step recipe with photos
Process the predator, completely remove the entrails and bones, let the fish dry a little. Boil fresh champignons in white wine for 5-7 minutes. After this, boil the cream and pour in the starch dissolved in water in a thin stream. Mix the greens with cream and add diamond-cut mushrooms to the mixture. Fill the pike skin with the finished mixture and sew it up. Grease the surface of the fish with sour cream and bake for 40-50 minutes at 180-200 degrees.

Freezing whole pike

You can cook pike whole baked very tasty. Freezing fish for such a dish is perhaps the easiest way. First of all, we clean the carcass from scales, cut off the fins, gut it, rinse it thoroughly, put it in a bag and put it in the freezer. It is better not to cut off the head; in this form, the baked pike looks much more impressive.

Pickling

The salting procedure itself does not imply high temperatures, but one must understand that salt destroys all pests that could be on the meat. The skin of salted fish is also disinfected, but, as a rule, is not eaten.

Chefs note that it is not necessary to wash fish before salting if there are no noticeable traces of dirt on the skin. It is not worth washing the inside at all, as this spoils the taste of the finished dish.

However, many housewives prefer to rinse the carcass both outside and inside after cleaning and gutting. This removes small scales and remaining entrails. It is necessary to sprinkle with salt and then rinse the fish with cold running water if the gall bladder is affected - otherwise the meat will be bitter.

Important: Wash the fish under low pressure, in a deep sink, so that there is no splashing, otherwise you will then have to wash half of the kitchen from the smell and bacteria.

In the freezer

How long you can store pike in the freezer depends on the storage temperature and the form in which the product is.

In any case, preparation for freezing begins with cleaning the fish. Its entrails are removed and then washed well.

1. Fillet . Boneless meat pieces can be cut into strips or chopped. Meat should be packaged in portions in small tight bags with a zipper. Store at -18°C for up to 12 months.
2. Ground meat . Fish fillets are ground using a meat grinder with the addition of onions, salt, and spices. The finished mass is placed in freezer bags in small portions and stored at -18°C (and below) for up to six months.
3. Entirely . Freezing pike as a whole is appropriate if you plan to stuff it or bake it. The fish should be gutted, washed, placed in a tight bag and frozen at -18°C (or lower). The shelf life of whole frozen pike is up to 6 months.

Defrost the fish on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for 8 - 10 hours (depending on the size of the predator). Re-freezing is not allowed.

How long can processed fish be stored in the freezer?

Fish can be frozen not only fresh, but also processed. The following are frozen:

• cold and hot smoked fish;
• salty;
• fried;
• boiled.

Keep in mind that processed fish will noticeably change its taste after defrosting; it will become less rich and pleasant. This especially affects smoked products. It can be frozen only in extreme cases.

Do you always follow the correct storage of food/medicines and their product proximity?

Yes, of course, this is very important so as not to spend money on your health later.

49.12%

Not really, because there won’t be anything like going to the toilet.

26.32%

I look at it by appearance and if I use anything after heat treatment.

24.56%

Votes: 171

When storing processed products in the freezer, I recommend paying attention to these conditions.

Hot smoked fish (including mackerel)

The product can be frozen. It must be kept at a temperature of no more than -20 degrees, the permissible storage period is 1 month. Only fresh product can be frozen. It is prohibited to place stale hot smoked fish in the freezer.

Cold smoked fish

Keeps longer than a dish prepared using the hot method. When placing it in the freezer, make sure the packaging is sealed. Otherwise, the aroma may spread throughout the freezer.

Salty fish

Any salted fish can be frozen. Red fish, such as salmon and trout, keep well in the freezer. It’s better if the salting is homemade, so you can be sure of freshness and quality.

Boiled fish

How long can fish be stored in the freezer and refrigerator?

Methods for storing lard in various forms in the refrigerator

How to properly store hot and cold smoked fish in the refrigerator

It can also be stored in the freezer, but after defrosting it becomes more watery and loose. Fatty varieties change their structure especially pronouncedly.

Fried fish

It can remain in the form of steaks in the freezer for up to six months, and then changes its taste due to the fact that the oil ages. Before putting such a workpiece in the freezer. It needs to be cooled at room temperature.

Attention! Fish in the form of preparations can also be stored in the freezer, but you need to keep in mind that you should not count on a complete restoration of taste characteristics after defrosting.

Freezing pike as steaks

You can very carefully and beautifully prepare pike for frying or baking in the form of steaks. We clean and gut the fish as in the previous case, only we cut off the head. Next, we cut the pike carcass into portioned pieces of the desired thickness, carefully place it in a convenient container or bag and store it in the freezer. There is no need to throw away the head; you can also freeze it and later prepare an excellent fish soup or aspic.

How to properly freeze pike for the winter can be seen in the video
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Freezing pike in parts

If the housewife plans to cook stuffed fish, then she needs to remove the skin, the so-called “stocking”. To do this, do not rush and cut the pike along the belly to gut it, you can cut off the fins, make an incision around the head and carefully remove the skin. First you just need to very carefully clean the scales so as not to damage the delicate skin. When the “stocking” is separated, carefully remove the entrails from the pike, remove the bones and grind the meat in a meat grinder. Next, you need to carefully fold the stocking, and pack the minced fish in portions in bags or plastic containers.

Pike stuffed with rice

Rice and vegetables are used for cooking. You can use fresh or frozen fish. Vegetables can be used as additional ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium-sized carcass;
• 1 chicken egg;
• 1 onion;
• 1 carrot;
• 100 g rice cereal;
• 1 lemon;
• allspice and black pepper, bay leaf, mayonnaise, salt.

Cooking method:

1. Remove scales and rinse the carcass thoroughly.
2. Carefully separate the head from the body and remove the gills. Separate the skin from the carcass.
3. Cut the onion into cubes and lightly fry in oil. Mix with meat and grind thoroughly using a blender.
4. Boil the carrots until half cooked and cut into small cubes.
5. Boil the cereal in salted water. The ratio of cereal and water should be 1:2.
6. Mix all the ingredients and fill the skin “bag”. Place the pike on a baking sheet and garnish with mayonnaise. You can also use raw yolk or vegetable oil for this purpose.
7. The carcass must be placed on a baking sheet and covered with foil.
8. Pike stuffed with rice is cooked for 2 hours at a temperature of +180°C.
9. 30 minutes before the end of cooking, remove the foil and continue cooking until golden brown.

In addition to carrots, you can add red sweet peppers, prunes, mushrooms, and hard cheese to the minced meat.

If there is any minced meat left after filling the skins, you can prepare small meatballs. The formed balls must be filled with sour cream and simmered over low heat. This dish can be prepared for small children.

Some useful tips

Fish scales perform a protective function, but are completely unsuitable for food. However, it is worth noting that it contains many rather rare and at the same time useful substances. Therefore, if the pike is used exclusively for cooking, then it does not need to be cleaned. This leads to two ways to properly clean a pike:

1) The scales along with the entrails are removed before cooking.

2) The scales, along with the skin and bones, are separated from the meat after cooking. This option is used if you are going to cook, for example, fish cutlets.

There is one more golden rule. The scales need to be removed only when the insides are removed. You should not separate these two processes, since they are fundamentally interrelated with each other. Sometimes you come across fish with rather dense scales. In this case, the fish should be slightly steamed by dipping it briefly into a container of boiling water. And, of course, every housewife knows how to properly clean a pike so as not to cover the entire room with scales. In addition to a sharp knife, you will also need a regular plastic bag. The cleaning process will take place inside it, which will prevent the possibility of waste being thrown around.

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