The Everything Freezer Meals Cookbook (3 page)
When you begin freezer cooking, start an inventory list and add to it as you freeze. A freezer inventory list is a list of everything you have in your freezer, and the date it was frozen. This list allows you to quickly see which freezer meals you have. Because you have a date next to each item, you can keep track of meals that need to be eaten first. A simple way to make a freezer inventory list is to hang a white board on the freezer and attach a marker with string. It is easy to erase meals as you take them out of the freezer.
Properly freezing your meals is a major factor in whether a frozen meal tastes fantastic, or whether it comes out freezer burned. Each recipe in this cookbook has a suggested method of freezing. When you are ready to package your meal for the freezer, remove as much air as possible and provide sufficient protection from the freezer. This will guard your food from freezer burn.
Use either gallon- or quart-sized freezer bags to freeze meals. This method is often used with meals that contain a marinade, soup, gravy, or sauce. Wait until the food has cooled before adding it to the bag since putting hot food into a freezer bag can compromise the strength of the bag. In addition, putting hot food directly in the freezer raises the temperature of your freezer and makes it work too hard. Before sealing the bag, remove as much air as possible.
To maximize freezer space when using the freezer bag method, try this idea: Place a cookie sheet in your freezer and lay the plastic bag flat on the cookie sheet. The cookie sheet helps the meal freeze flat, and frozen meals stack nicely on top of each other.
This method of freezing is perfect for when you make meals in a casserole dish but do not want to tie up your dish in the freezer. The idea is to flash freeze the casserole in the shape of the pan so the pan doesn't need to stay in the freezer. Before adding food, line your casserole dish with aluminum foil, and on top of the aluminum foil layer add a layer of plastic wrap. Leave enough foil and plastic wrap hanging over the edges of the dish to completely cover and seal the dish. Add your food to the dish, wrap it tightly with the wrap and foil, and place the entire dish in the freezer. After several hours, remove the dish from the freezer, take the frozen, wrapped casserole out of the dish, and place the casserole back in the freezer. Your casserole is now frozen in the shape of the dish. When you are ready to defrost or reheat the meal, unwrap the frozen casserole by removing the foil and plastic wrap. Place the frozen casserole in the same dish used when freezing, and defrost or cook.
Use this method for food items that do not fit into a freezer bag. The plastic wrap method is the best choice when freezing a loaf of bread. To use this method, completely wrap your food item with plastic wrap so no part of the food is directly exposed to the freezer. Because plastic wrap does not always stick as well as it should, use tape to secure the seams.
Tupperware and other sturdy plastic containers come in all shapes and sizes and are a great choice for freezing a variety of foods. The drawback is these containers take up a lot of space in your freezer, and can stain when used for spaghetti sauce, chili, and other tomato-based foods. Make sure you leave space at the top and don't fill these plastic containers to the rim. Because food expands as it freezes, if you don't leave space, the top could pop off exposing your food to the freezer.
To help prevent your plastic containers from staining and absorbing food odors when freezing, try this trick. Spray cooking oil over the surface of the container before filling it with food. The oil acts as a barrier and helps protect the porous container. To further prevent stains, never use plastic containers to heat tomato-based sauces in the microwave.
Flash freezing is a method used to freeze food items individually. Meat-balls are a good example of when to use flash freezing. Once meatballs are formed, place them on a baking sheet that has been lined with wax paper and put the baking sheet in the freezer. Once the meatballs are frozen (1–2 hours), transfer them to a freezer bag. When you are ready to cook, remove as many individually frozen meatballs as needed.
Always label your food before putting it in the freezer. It may be easy to tell what you're freezing before you put it in the freezer, but everything looks the same once frozen. By putting the date on your food, you know at a glance how long it has been in the freezer. For guidelines on how long food can be frozen, please refer to the Freezing Chart: Maximum Food-Storage Times in Appendix C. Although long-term freezing will not affect the safety of your meals, it will affect the quality and taste of your meals.
Take the time to write out the reheating instructions and attach them to the frozen meal; that way another family member can do the reheating or you can give the dish to someone in need.
Now that you have a freezer full of meals, it is time to reap the benefits of your labor! For health reasons, it is extremely important you follow proper defrosting procedures. Each recipe has instructions for reheating your meals, and these are different for each recipe. Some meals can go directly into the oven frozen, and others need to be defrosted first. Look for the “NO DEFROSTING NEEDED!” indication to see which recipes don't need to be defrosted first.
Growing up, you may have watched your mother take meat out of the freezer and set it on the counter all day to defrost. While you have lived to tell the story, it is not safe practice to defrost meals this way. The safest way to defrost meals is in the refrigerator. The drawback is you need nearly 24 hours in the refrigerator to defrost some foods. Another option for safely defrosting is the microwave. Most microwaves have a defrost button to help you get the right setting. A third option is to defrost in cold water.
Never use hot water to defrost your freezer meals, especially those containing raw meat. Raw meat should never go between 40–140°F for any length of time because harmful bacteria could rapidly multiply. Defrost in cold water, and refresh the water often to keep the temperature below 40°F.
There are many ways to get the most out of freezer cooking, so you'll need to pick the one that's best for you. Often the first that comes to mind is once a month cooking. Perhaps you've thought of doing once a month cooking, but the idea of preparing thirty meals in one day overwhelms you. Not to worry, there are many ways to have a freezer full of meals. Choose the method that is most convenient for you.
Doubling a meal is an easy way to create an inventory of freezer meals. When cooking a meal, simply double the recipe and make two batches; one meal is to serve that night, and one to freeze. When you double a meal, choose a recipe you know your family loves. Doubling a meal is a simple way freezer cooking saves you time in the kitchen since it doesn't take twice as long to cook twice as much. For very little extra time and effort, you have cooked an extra meal for your family to serve in the future.
When you bulk cook in mini sessions, you make 7–14 meals in one day by following these steps:
Consult your calendar and choose a shopping day and a cooking day. Ideally these should not be the same day. Plan to spend 3–6 hours cooking.
Choose a variety of recipes based on what your family likes to eat. They are not going to be happy if they have a chicken dish every day for the next 14 days, so mix it up.
Check which ingredients you have on hand and make a grocery list.
Read over each recipe and ensure you understand the instructions.
Plan your cooking session and write it out. Look for recipe steps you can combine. Do two of the recipes call for chopped onions? Chop them at the same time. When deciding the order of cooking, first do the steps that take the longest amount of time. If you need to boil a whole chicken, start this early in the day. Save dishes containing raw ingredients for last since they are the quickest to assemble and don't need cooking time.
On cooking day, begin with a clean and organized kitchen.
Stockpile cooking involves planning meals around ingredients you buy, often in bulk, at the best prices. Finding these best prices requires research, but the savings make it well worth your time. Stores often advertise loss leaders, or items stores sell at a great discount, to get you in the store. By making a weekly habit of checking the sales in your area, you can find items you need and can scoop them up in large quantities. Coupons are another way to save money on ingredients, but it is easy to fall into the trap of buying things you don't need. To get the most out of coupon shopping, make sure the brand name product with a coupon is less expensive than the store brand product without one. Maximize your savings with coupons by saving them until the item goes on sale.
What is a price book?
It is a notebook you build that keeps track of product prices. Eachpage of the notebook is dedicated to one product and lists the best prices found and the store you found them at. With this information, you can easily see if a sale price is a good price.
Shopping warehouse stores is another way to stockpile by buying in bulk. It is critical to know your prices, because warehouse stores don't necessarily have the best deal on every product. When comparing warehouse prices to grocery store prices, make sure to compare the price per unit (whether it is ounces, pounds, per item, etc.). A price book (see previous E-Question sidebar) is an invaluable tool in this scenario since it helps you recognize good prices and guides you as to which items to buy in bulk. Buying bulk and items on sale are two ways to help reduce your cost per meal.