COOKING FROZEN HOTPOTS

[Linda51]

I am making some homemade hotpots to put in the freezer for my daughter while we are away, but what is the best way to cook them, from frozen or defrost them first. Thanks.

[gingejbee]

Well, they will be cooked already - she will be reheating them. Best to thaw out overnight then heat when completely defrosted.

[ethandron]

it really doesn't make any difference, defrosting just makes the reheating time less. lots of things like this that you can buy in the frozen section of a supermarket say to put in the oven direct from the freezer.

[gingejbee]

Defrosting first means that you are less likely to have a cold or semi-frosted centre to your hotpot etc!

[ArrabellaBrass]

If it was me I would defrost before cooking. I've always gone by the rule that if you buy something already frozen, then you can cook from frozen, but if you freeze it yourself then it's best to defrost before cooking.

[ethandron]

why arabella? i can't see what difference it makes, i do it all the time.

[ArrabellaBrass]

Well it's always puzzled me why they tell us not to cook chicken from frozen and yet if you buy chicken products that are already frozen you can cook them straight away.
So I just decided it must be ok to cook things straightaway if you buy them already frozen.
Also I've noticed on the back of some foods it will say 'freeze on day of purchase' but also adds 'derost thoroughly before cooking.'
It's only what I would do, I'm not saying it's the right thing to do.

[tamborine]

if its cooked, frozen then it only needs to be nuked

[rsvp]

the crucial thing is, whatever method you use to re-heat, de-frost whatever - is that the final product is hot, hot, hot through and through.