(no subject)

[alexseanchai]

Hokay SO. Cook the whole contents of the freezer time.

Inventory:
* fuckton of storebought entrees from the frozen section (pierogies, various Chinese things, and a stray Hot Pockets)
* mostly-full box of a dozen pancake sausages (you know corn dogs? that, only instead of hot dog and cornbread, it's sausage and pancake)
* ice cream and froyo
* bread products
* peas
* two 1lbish packages of ground beef
* one 1lbish package of ground chicken
* one package of 3? boneless skinless chicken breasts
* one 1lb package of raw shrimp
* one 1lb package of cooked shrimp

The things I am worried about are the beef, chicken, and shrimp. I suppose I could just brown up the beef and chicken (in three go-rounds, because the bigger of my two frying pans holds approximately one pound of browning ground meat) with a chopped onion apiece, and bake the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, and then container that all up and refrigerate it until it's cool enough to go back in the freezer, but that's boring. It's probably my plan, though.

I do not have the stuffs to make the thing I bought the shrimp to make. (Same thing, even though one of the shrimp bags is precooked and one is not. I meant to buy the raw shrimp the first time and didn't pay enough attention to the label.) And I do not know how to cook shrimp on its own for later use. (By way of example, the cooked-and-refrozen ground meats, I could thaw one container's worth, throw taco seasoning on, add salsa and greens and a tortilla, and call it dinner. I don't know what comparable thing I could do with shrimp.) And I have absolutely no idea if I can cook the already-cooked shrimp and have it still be edible afterward.

Comments

[madgastronomer]

The simplest good way to cook shrimp is to poach them. Boil a large pot of water with half a sliced onion (technically optional) and a couple of bay leaves, maybe some crab boil if you've got it. When it's at a rolling boil, add the shrimp. When it comes back to a boil and all of the shrimp look nice and pink, or white, whatever kinda shrimp you got, should be pink on the east coast, drain it the same way you do pasta. You know have cooked shrimp.

[alexseanchai]

What's crab boil?

Ooh, that sounds pretty good actually. Thanks!

[madgastronomer]

Spiced for the water you boil shellfish in. Old Bay Seasoning is a common brand.

[alexseanchai]

Oh! Okay.

[monksandbones]

Cooking and re-freezing the ground meat so you don't have to eat it all right away sounds like a good plan. You could probably do the same with the pierogies - boil them and freeze them in serving-sizes, and then defrost and fry them later with onions etc.

YMMV, but for myself, if the freezer didn't thaw completely (and depending on whether it was still cool, even if it did), I would probably not worry too much about the pre-prepared foods, and definitely not about the bread products.

[alexseanchai]

Gotcha. Thanks. (Nothing was warm, so.)

Using cooked shrimp

[dialecticdreamer]

The instructions for cooking shrimp are wonderful-- my usual preference is to throw a hand-long piece of fresh rosemary in the water, stick two or three cloves into a baby carrot (just to make them easy to find and fish out late), and a garlic clove per shrimp. Same process, different spices.

Now, the cooked shrimp are sitting in the freezer... what to do with them?

Throw them cold on a mixed green salad and proceed as ususal.

Mix small cooked pasta of any shape (small shells are our favorite) with finely minced onion and celery, and a pinch of Italian seasoning. Use half-and-half mayonnaise and Italian dressing, adding spoonfuls fo each until it hold together the way macaroni salad does. Add the cooked shrimp last and fold them in until they're coated-- DONE! (if I add them earlier, I've beaten the poor things into unrecognizable clumps.)

Stir a can of diced tomatoes together with Italian spices and garlic, add 2 cups rice and at least 3 cups water (probably four) and minced onions, celery, and peppers if you have them. Cook covered. When the rice is fluffy and cooked through, take the lid off and let the water evaporate a bit-- (think rice-a-roni texture here) add the shrimp and heat through. Spanish rice with minimal fuss.

Re: Using cooked shrimp

[alexseanchai]

Oooo nom.

[neotoma]

Chop up the pre-cooked shrimp and use it to make shrimp carbonara -- basically, use the shrimp instead of bacon in a bacon carbonara recipe. You'll need eggs, thin spaghetti or angel hair, and oregano, basil, and maybe a some balsamic vinegar and parmesan cheese.

[alexseanchai]

Oooh, that sounds like tasty.