Necessary equipment
- Very large saucepan
- Heavy duty can opener
- Cutting board that fits over your sink
- Very sharp butcher knife
- Several sets of measuring cups and spoons
- 4-5 mixing spoons and spatulas
- Big garbage can with good garbage bags
- Ziploc freezer bags
- Baking containers with lids (I like Glad plastic cookware)
Recipes
At the end of this packet I have included most of the recipes I use when I bulk cook. They are all my normal recipes that I have used often. I have tried freezing each of them and they work just fine. When I try a new recipe for the freezer I usually only make one pan the first time unless I’m sure it will freeze fine. When I know it is a good recipe for the freezer and we like it, I add it to the freezer recipes section in my cookbook. Most of my recipes are more involved that the recipes you will find in the majority of freezer cookbooks. They try to make their recipes as easy as possible, but usually they lack flavor as well.
When deciding which recipes to make on a cooking day, I have a 15-minute rule. If the prep takes longer than 15 minutes prior to putting it in the oven, it is worth pre-making and freezing. If it takes only 15 minutes, I save that recipe for a Sunday when I have a little more time to cook. That way I also stretch my freezer meals out longer for when I really need them.
Other Resources
I went to Amazon.com and the library and found everything I could about freezer cooking. Here is about all I found. I included a short review of my own and the Amazon.com rating. You can also go to Amazon.com and read reviews there as well.
The Freezer Cooking Manual from 30 Day Gourmet: A Month of Meals Made Easy
by Tara Wohlenhaus and Nanci Slagle
http://www.30daygourmet.com/
Amazon.com Rating: 5 stars
My Review:
Of freezer cookbooks this is by far the best. I like the layout of their book and the way it was organized. I think they have a lot of great suggestions and some decent recipes. Their website is definitely helpful. Check out their “5 simple steps to freezer cooking” for more tips.
The Once-a-Week Cooking Plan: The Incredible Cooking Program That Will Save You 10 to 20 Hours a Week (and Have Your Family Begging for More!)
by Joni Hilton
Amazon.com Rating: 3 1/2 stars
My Review:
There is nothing special about this book, but nothing I particularly disliked. The cooking format is very different from the way I bulk cook, but it may work for someone else. The recipes look pretty good, but I haven’t tried any yet.
Frozen Assets: How to Cook for a Day and Eat for a Month
by Deborah Taylor-Hough
Amazon.com Rating: 4 stars
My Review:
I really hated the format of this book. The layout was boring and plain. I did like how she described her cooking program and how she breaks it down. The recipes were ok, but nothing to brag about.
Frozen Assets Lite and Easy: How to Cook for a Day and Eat for a Month
by Deborah Taylor-Hough
Amazon.com Rating: 4 stars
My Review:
This book is highly improved over her original Frozen Assets. I liked these recipes better than other freezer books, and they were lighter versions. I really like how she has broken down cooking into mini-sessions based on the protein used such as beef or poultry. It makes it much easier to approach when you do five chicken recipes one day and 5 beef the next.
Once-a-Month Cooking, Revised Edition : A Proven System for Spending Less Time in the Kitchen and Enjoying Delicious, Homemade Meals Every Day
by Mary-Beth Lagerborg, Mimi Wilson
Amazon.com Rating: 4 stars
My Review:
This book was pretty good. I liked some of the recipes. This book also has recipes for side dishes as well. Most of the recipes appear to be fairly easy, but also fairly boring.
Month of Meals: One Day to a Freezerful of Entrees
by Kelly Machel
Amazon.com Rating: 4 stars
My Review:
This author’s main idea when it comes to cooking is having “stations” with one for mixing/chopping, the sink, stove, spices, and packaging. I just can’t see this working in a normal kitchen. I would be spending too much time worrying about whether everything is in its station. Also, none of the recipes appeal to me. I didn’t find one I wanted to cook. She spends way too much time worrying about the “process” and not nearly enough in developing the recipes.
Don't Panic - Dinner's in the Freezer: Great-Tasting Meals You Can Make Ahead
by Susie Martinez, Vanda Howell, and Bonnie Garcia.
Amazon.com Rating: 4.5
This is currently my favorite cookbook. Some of the recipes are more time intensive, but better tasting. I just noticed that there is a sequel to this, which I am sure would also be good.
Fix, Freeze, Feast: Prepare in Bulk and Enjoy by the Serving - More than 125 Recipes
by Kati Neville and Lindsay Tkacsik
Amazon.com Rating: 4.5
I got this at the library & liked the recipes I tried, though they didn’t make it onto my favorites list.
Dinner is Ready, Lunch is Ready , On the Side - 30 Meals in One Day
by Deanna Buxton.
Amazon.com Rating: 5
This is actually 3 books in one. This one divides the recipe by cooking method (slow cooker, stove top, assemble & oven) & recommends that you chose a certain number of each for your cooking day. This one is interesting to me because you can get software to support it. You can use the software to chose what you will be cooking for the week or for your cooking day & it will generate shopping lists for you, print freezer labels, recipes & menus & manage your recipes.
Freezing Techniques
- Ziploc Bags: Ziplocs work well for most foods I freeze. The best part about them is that they freeze flat and stack easily. They store well in your freezer and take up a minimal amount of space. I use Ziplocs for just about everything including soups, marinades, most pastas (except formed pasta like lasagna), etc.
- Only fill about half full.
- Place bag into a glass or larger container and fold top zipper around the edges of the container to make it easier to fill.
- Squeeze out as much air as possible.
- Lay on a shelf to freeze flat and then stack. The bag shouldn't be more than about 1 inch thick when frozen.
- Don't go cheap on plastic bags. Buy the heavy freezer bags. I definitely prefer Ziplocs over the store brand quality.
- Muffin Tins: Muffin tins work perfect for single servings of sandwich fillings such as Sloppy Joes or BBQ pork. Simply fill almost full and put in the freezer to freeze until firm. Once frozen pop the servings out and place in a Ziploc bag. You can easily pull out the number of portions you need and thaw in the microwave. I prefer using the silicon muffin pans for this because it makes it so simple to pop out the portions.
- Crock-pot dinners: Freeze all your ingredients for a favorite crock-pot dinner. Thaw in the fridge for about a day and place in your crock-pot to cook. I would first place the meal in a crock-pot liner then into a Ziploc for freezing.
- 8x8 and 9x13 pans: Pans present the biggest challenge for freezing because they take so much space and are more likely to allow freezer burn. I freeze my meals in Gladware ovensafe plastic pans. After assembling, I place a layer of foil over the dish then top with the pan lid. Unfortunately, they aren't readily available anymore. I had to really search the internet about six months ago when I wanted to buy more. I haven't seen them in stores in quite a while. The other easy option is purchasing disposable aluminium pans for freezing certain recipes. You can also freeze in a glass or metal pan.
- A final option is to freeze your dish in the pan and then remove once frozen. Line your pan with foil, assemble as normal and place in the freezer. Once frozen simply lift out and wrap well with foil. When thawing, unwrap while frozen and place back in the pan to thaw and cook. This technique will use the least amount of freezer space and will not require you to purchase multiple extra pans.
- Foil: Foil works well for certain foods such as chimichangas that already have form, and I am bundling together. I use heavy foil and purchased a large box from the restaurant supply section of Sam's Club. I generally wrap most foods in at least two layers of foil.
- Labeling: Don't forget to label and date your food in the freezer. Also make sure you include any specific cooking information if needed. I write this information on the Ziploc bag or with a black marker on the foil covering my meal. Dating is very important. Most things freeze well for about three months. Every cookbook I have read has a different idea on the amount of time a meal can sit in the freezer and retain it's quality, but I try to stick with three months.
- Organization: Develop some type of organization for your freezer that works for you. I previously posted about my spreadsheet to help me remember what is in the freezer. I also organize my freezer when I do any major freezer cooking so that I can readily find what I want.
Websites
http://katiskitchentips.blogspot.com/ -- This is my sister’s blog. She just started it, but she has some great info on it (& I am totally unbiased!)
http://www.momsbudget.com/freezercooking/index.html
http://www.southernplate.com/2009/03/freezer-cooking-how-why-what-and-when.html
http://www.southernplate.com/2009/03/freezer-cooking-class-part-2-lots-of-recipes.html
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