freezing extra food safely

Cool it, freeze it as quickly as possible, thaw and reheat VERY thoroughly and all should be fine, jeanie.

Rice is a bit dodgy because of the toxins that can develop if it is left warm in a big heap for too long. Cool it really quickly, thaw and reheat thoroughly as above.

I tend to 'batch-cook' once a fortnight or so as I still can't get used to only cooking for 1, and it is hard to get anything in single portions.
I use my plastic tubs, but lined with a freezer/sandwich bag. Pop the food in the bag (that's in the tub), into the freezer un-sealed, then, when it's frozen (usually the next morning) I just pull the bag out of the tub, seal it up and pop back in the freezer...that way I have the tubs still free for the next lot!
I currently have chilli, liver and bacon casserole, tuna pasta bake and meatballs and spaghetti in there...soon to be joined by sausage casserole and shepherds pie(well, the mince part of it anyway).
I've also found the little foil tubs with cardboard lids that you can get are good. Can get a pack of ten for £1.50 in my local sainsburys!

I have frozen home-made shepherd pies and cottage pies with the potato already on the top, gratefulgran. I sometimes grate some cheese on top after thawing and forking up the potato. They keep fine for a month or more.

I might do some with mash on top rosequartz, but I tend to just freeze the meat bit so I can change it into something else if the mood takes me , like, for instance, baking a spud and just having it with that, with some grated cheese on top!
Oh, and I forgot I have some sweet and sour chicken in there too!
All set for at least a month I reckon!

Yes, I do that as well, gratefulgran. Add a few things and make it into a quick spag bol etc.
The potato does freeze OK though if you do try it (only keep it for a short time I would think).

Oh dear. Still a bit confused! However I will try some freezer bags as this seems to be good. (I like that it takes the shape of the cooking container.)

I panicked a bit when I found I'd been using some poly. pots sneakily labelled dry food only! ! ! This info. is in tiny moulded lettering on the base, so very hard to see.

I looked up poly. containers for freezing and the web site led me to some no.s which of course are not on a lot of my boxes (-very old Lakeland). These are 1,2,3,4,and 5, but the different headings didn't entirely agree about them.

BTW what is Philpotts Syndrome? It sounds very nasty. . . .

Philpotts syndrome is one of Phoenix's constructs.

It is when you can can never manage to judge the right sized bowl, jar or whatever container, you need at the first attempt.
The result is that sufferers find there are a lot more pots to wash up than for non sufferers.
I am one of those who rarely get it right.

Exactly which poly whatnot containers are considered unsafe? I think hope all mine are freezer proof.

One of DS's girlfriends had Philpotts syndrome. She would start cooking (on MY ceramic hob) in a pan that was far too small for everything she was adding. When it overflowed she transferred everrthing to the next size up, then when it overflowed that pan it all went into the largest. Meanwhile the sink filled up with dirty pans and the ceramic hob with burnt-on overflow.

She didn't last long.

Hopefully, she isn't in the freezer Elegran but, if she is, I hope the container is the correct sort.

I think she is the US. Not sure what size of container, but it probably started out too small and she has changed it.