Filling the Freezer - Prep & Assembling Meals (Part 5)

We use the "Advance Preparation" list from Advantage Cooking software so we can do all the chopping/dicing/browning/etc done before we even start cooking. This makes assembly of the recipes go much faster and where you save a lot of time. It's easier to dice a dozen green peppers and clean up once rather than dicing what you need and cleaning after each one.

When it comes time to actually assembling the meals, Mike and I each work on our own. If you have more than one person assembling a recipe, you can easily forget something or add too much and unless you have a big kitchen with an island, space becomes a real problem. We tend to have our favorites that we always do and the others we just grab and go.

When trying to decide what recipes to assemble first, some things to think about are

1. Does this need to flash freeze before packaging? If so, do it early on while the freezer is empty?
2. Do the ingredients for this recipe take a lot of space in the refrigerator? Clearing space in the refrigerator is always a good thing.
3. Does this have to marinade? If so, get it started early so you can work on something else while you wait.
4. Is this something I can assemble while sitting down? If so, save it until later in the day when you need a rest.

Next (Part 6)

Filling the Freezer - Shopping (Part 3)

If you have a Sam's Club in your area, check out their Click 'n' Pull service. Shop online and then just pick up your order there. When you arrive, it's loaded in a cart and/or on a flatbed and ready to go. No need to unload it at the register; a quick scan of the barcode and its done. Fresh meat is not available on click 'n' pull but everything else in the store is.

• Be prepared for the total - just remind yourself how many weeks or months you are buying for.



• We do an order at Sam's and then pick up the rest at Wal-Mart. Sometimes you really don't need 50 lbs of something. Now is not the time to buy a lot of extras - once you load and unload the groceries you'll have to find some place to put them all until cooking day.



• In the last few days before your shopping trip(s), try to use up as much as you can out of the refrigerator and freezer. You'll need the space.

Our grocery list is generated by the Advantage Cooking software. The program totals up amounts of each item and also reports how many you need of whatever unit size you actually buy in the store. For example, if you need 54 oz of black beans, it lists 4-15 oz cans.

We print it out and then go through the pantry and refrigerator to see what we already have. Next, we look at what we can get at Sam's vs. what we can get at Wal-Mart. We buy our spices at the local co-op grocery store so we can buy just what we need. This saves a lot of money over buying a jar at the grocery store. Items that we use a lot of like taco seasoning, chicken bullion cubes, and italian blend are purchased at Sam's. Check out our grocery list here.

Next (Part 4)

Filling the Freezer - Helpful Hints & Supplies (Part 4)

• Gloves for handling food, saves on clean up when dealing with raw meat or anything messy


• Rapi-cool - this is something used in restaurants to cool large pots of food, you could also freeze a half-gallon milk carton to do the same thing


• Aprons


• Dishtowels - between washing dishes and cleaning up, you can go through several in a day


• Dishrags - keep extras out so when you have to clean up from raw meat, it's easy to toss and get a clean one


• 2 Laundry baskets (one for dirty towels and one for hauling food to freezer)


• Big boxes for trash & recyling - saves a lot of time taking out the trash & recyling (line trash box with plastic bag). Ours doubled as a gate to keep Elinor from wandering through the kitchen!

• Huge pot - boiling hamburger, making spaghetti sauce


• Extra measuring cups & spoon - we keep an extra set of measuring cups, measuring spoons, and a 4-cup measuring cup. The extras are a different color from the set we keep in the kitchen to make it easier to pack up.

• Freezer bags (quart and gallon; the sliding zipper pulls work best)


• 13x9 dishes


• 11x7 dishes


• Sharpie


• Small containers - We have a set of prep bowls that work great for storing small amounts of items (https://www.pamperedchef.com/ordering/prod_details.tpc?prodId=9792&catId=123&parentCatId=22&xPrntItmId=1741)


• Mix 'n Chop (https://www.pamperedchef.com/ordering/prod_details.tpc?prodId=15658&catId=8&parentCatId=8)


• Food Chopper (https://www.pamperedchef.com/ordering/prod_details.tpc?prodId=240&words=chopper)


• Can strainer (https://www.pamperedchef.com/ordering/prod_details.tpc?prodId=12011&catId=123&parentCatId=123)


• Knives - a couple of good knives make work a lot easier


• Aluminum foil (restaurant size box) - we usually double wrap food in foil, then in plastic cling wrap


• Cling wrap (restaurant size box)


• Wax paper sheets (restaurant size box) - used to wrap individual items

• Sheet protectors to hold recipes - we keep a binder of all the recipes and then pull out the ones we need for the day


• Dry erase markers to mark on sheet protectors - mark the number you are making on the sheet protector to remind you


• Scotch Tape - Unless you have a ton of counter space, hang the recipe you're making on the cabinet door.


• Large bowls - for mixing ingredients or holding cooked ground beef until ready to use

* I do not benefit in any way from purchases made through Pampered Chef, I'm just providing the links because we like the items. I've purchased items from Susan Hatfield http://www.pamperedchef.biz/susanhatfield if you are interested in purchasing anything.

Hints

1. Don't start cooking for 3 months, try 2 weeks or a month at first.


2. Try new recipes first before you cook multiples of them!


3. Label everything - baked french toast and garlic bread look exactly alike when frozen. Baked french toast does not taste good with spaghetti.


4. If it's cold outside, cool and/or freeze the food outside before putting in the freezer.


5. Boil your ground beef. It's faster and you reduce the fat.


6. They sell boneless skinless chicken thighs which gives you some dark meat and more flavor to mix in with dishes using cooked, chopped chicken.


7. Line pans with foil when baking chicken for easier clean-up.


8. Boneless, skinless chicken tenders are usually cheaper at Sam's and taste the same in recipes. They also make great kid size servings.


9. Combine ingredients in ziploc bags instead of making a huge batch and dividing it.


10. Put ziploc bags in bowls or coffee cans to hold them up while you fill them.


11. Label the bags before you put the food in with the name and date.


12. Freeze extras (cheese, chopped onions, etc) to use later.


13. Make a pot of spaghetti or soup at the end so you can use up the odd amounts of tomato sauce, peppers, onions, etc.


14. If you are working with someone, make separate recipes.


15. Clear as much as you can out of the refrigerator and freezer before you go grocery shopping.


16. Plan some meals for cooking days that don't include anything you are preparing.


17. Wear comfortable shoes.

Next (Part 5)

Filling the Freezer - Planning (Part 1)

The freezer was empty and we were eating out too often which meant it was time for another cooking session. Mike and I were off work after Christmas so that seemed like a good time. If you're reading this and have questions, please feel free to send me a message.

• December ??? - Picking recipes and planning how many to make. We use Advantage Cooking* software to make planning much easier.
• December 26 - Trip to Wal-Mart to get what we can't get at Sam's (we usually go to Sam's first)
• December 26 - Place the Click-n-Pull order at Sam's
• December 27 - Pick up the order at Sam's (one flatbed and one cart full)
• December 29-30 - COOKING DAYS!!!

*We are not affiliated with or profit in any way from the purchase of products or software from 30daygourmet.com. We started freezer cooking with their book and found it very helpful.

Next (Part 2)