Golden Sausages, Straight From Frozen
Kitchen-tested
Golden sausages straight from the freezer, with no defrosting and no burnt-outside-raw-inside gamble. A quick poach makes them safe and juicy; the oven makes them brown. It is the weeknight rescue everyone secretly needs.
Ingredients
- — First-in batch · sausages —
- 6 sausages (frozen or chilled), separated if they are stuck together
- Water from the kettle, just enough to cover
- — Second-in batch · oil before roasting —
- A little cooking oil, tossed through the drained sausages before they go into the oven
Method
- Oven to 240 °C conventional / 220 °C fan, grill setting. Grill at its highest setting (stage 3 on a 3-stage grill), door closed, preheated for 3 minutes, with the shelf set so the top of the food sits 8–12 cm below the element.
- Sausages into the 1.6 L, water just to cover. Lid on loose. Bring to the boil — about 7–8 of 9 on an induction hob, level 4–5 on a portable hob (see Heat below) — then turn down to a gentle poach, barely bubbling — about 6 of 9, or level 2–3 on a portable hob. Set a timer for 12 minutes from frozen (8 minutes from chilled); when it goes off they are cooked through — give them up to 3 minutes more (2 from chilled) if you like: the timing is deliberately generous, so there is no chance of undercooking. Don't cut one to check: it spoils the look and bleeds the juices.
- With tongs, lift the sausages onto the upturned lid; oven gloves on, pour the water away. Return the sausages to the container.
- Toss the sausages in a little oil in the container so they and the base are filmed — never put the container in the oven dry. Into the oven, lid off. Set a timer for 10 minutes; when it goes off, turn the sausages (oven gloves) and set a timer for 10 minutes more; when it goes off they should be golden — give them up to 5 minutes more for colour. Check early — ovens vary.
- Bring to the table and serve.
- To reheat: storage lid off. From the fridge, the cooked sausages back into the 1.6 L with the lid off, oven at 200 °C conventional / 180 °C fan, and set a timer for 10 minutes; when it goes off, turn them (oven gloves) — they should be sizzling, and up to 5 minutes more brings the skins back to crisp. No oven on? A teaspoon of water into the container, cooking lid on loose, medium heat — about 6 of 9 on an induction hob, level 2–3 on a portable hob — and set a timer for 6 minutes. Either way, cut one open before serving: it should be steaming and piping hot right through.
Heat
| Stage | Heat into the pan | Induction hob (settings 1–9) | Portable induction hob | What to look for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bring to the boil | about 900–1200 W | 7–8 of 9 | level 4–5 (the 900 W and 1200 W settings) | steady steam from the lid gap, then a rolling boil |
| Poach gently | about 300–600 W | about 6 of 9 | level 2–3 (the 300 W and 600 W settings) | barely bubbling — a few extra minutes do no harm |
| Oven | 240 °C conventional, 220 °C fan | — | — | go by colour and the check in the step — ovens run hotter or cooler than the dial says |
Hob settings are not standard — the same number means different heat on different hobs. The power figures show how hard the pan is actually being heated. The settings shown are for a typical fitted induction hob with settings 1–9, and for a plug-in portable induction hob with power settings. Go by what you see in the pan, then remember the setting that gave it on your own hob.
Cook’s checks
- Poach: timing IS the check (generous window). Oven: golden colour.
- From chilled: 8–10 min poach. Never heat the container dry — oil before the oven step.
- Cook with the cooking lid loose or vented; never heat with a friction-fit storage lid sealed. Container and lid get very hot — cloth or oven gloves.
Nutrition
| Serving | Calories | Protein | Fat | Saturates | Carbohydrate | Sugars | Fibre | Salt / sodium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 661 kcal | 24 g | 52 g | 18.5 g | 23 g | 5.6 g | 5.6 g | 1.0 g sodium (2.4 g salt) |
Nutrition information is provided for general reference only. Values are estimates based on typical ingredient data and will vary with brands, cuts, portion sizes and preparation. They are not intended as precise nutritional, dietary or medical guidance.