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June 18, 2013

Freezer Cooking Approaches

There are various methods used to fill a freezer with meals. There are three primary approaches. Each of these is appropriate at different times and for different reasons.

The whole idea around freezer cooking is making multiples. No matter what method you choose, this is what you can expect - stocking your freezer with delicious, family friendly freezer meals.

Team Cooking Approach!:

30 entrées, 60 entrées, 120 entrées – the sky’s the limit! Cooking with a friend or a group can be fun and productive. Team Cooking method allows you to fill your freezer with fabulous freezer meal, share the work and have a blast in the process. The key to Team Cooking is thorough planning, and a full day dedicated to meal assembly.

30 meals in your freezer from one Team Cook Day can last for several months. Usually families do not use a freezer meal every night. Most freezer meals are enough to feed a family of 3-5 and have a lunch size portion for someone to work for the next day.

This fall my cooking group has planned two cook days about 6 weeks a part. We are going to take a break for the holidays. Sometime in the New Year we will plan two or three Team Cook days and take most of the summer off.

What’s-on-Sale Approach:

This is the method that could save you the most amount of money. Watch the grocery adds until you find a grocer that is having a fantastic sale on a particular type or cut of meat. Buy in large quantity and plan several recipes based on that one kind of meat. For example, if chicken breasts are on sale, but 30 lbs – here is what you could do with it.

10lb made into nuggets, patties or other favorite chicken recipe
10lb cooked, chopped and frozen in small amounts for use in casseroles or soups.
10lb to use in making quick fix freezer meals

This is a great approach for making ahead side dishes like Thanksgiving's Sweet Potato Bake, mashed potatoes or twice baked potatoes.

Freezer cooking doesn’t have to mean 2 days of non-stop cooking until you are worn out and never want to see another recipe. Use the method works best for you. Here are some options:

1. Mini-Sessions:

· Double or triple some of your family’s favorite meals. If you triple your dinners for a week, eating one recipe and putting two in the freezer you will have 10 freezer meals.

· Take a couple hours one day, make a triple batch of 4 different recipes. You will have in your freezer, 12 meals that you know your family will love when you serve them.

· I use a version of this method for holiday baking: cookies, candies and cakes freeze well and can be done ahead of time, not in the midst of the Christmas rush.

· My cooking group took this summer off of cooking together and my freezer was empting. I didn’t have any more meals to give away, so I did a mini-session on my own. I chose ground beef as a main ingredient. I made five lasagnas and a couple of meatloaves.