Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Things I've Learned About Freezer Cooking...

 **** I am reposting this today in an effort to spur myself on towards love and good deeds and getting back into the freezer cooking habit :)

I am so not the expert in anything domestic.  Believe me, I can make three leaps forward in the kitchen (like the freezer cooking thing) and all the other things take two steps backwards.  But, I am loving the freezer cooking idea, have been able to implement it into our family's lives for several months now, and am finally seeing the results time-wise and financially.  So, if you are thinking about doing it here are some suggestions from the trenches.  I am learning something new every time I do a session.

*Make sure the kitchen is cleaned and the dishwasher is empty BEFORE you begin.  Take the trash out (or get one of your little domestic servants to do it).  Don't think, "I will just clean as I go."  You won't.  You will be too busy juggling recipes and the stove.  Empty the dishwasher and the sink and then get to work.  As you finish with something you can just put it into the dishwasher.  It is such a nice feeling to shut the door and turn it on and be able to leave the kitchen knowing all that food is cooked AND the kitchen is clean.

*Let the food cool before you put it in the freezer.

*Let the food cool before you pour it in the bag.  At least a little bit.  Fingers burn when you are filling the bags and removing the air from the bag.it  I know.

*You can use a straw to pull the air out of your freezer bag.  I have done the straw thing before, but my hands work just as well.  You just have to go slow.

*Write everything on the front of the bag or the top of the casserole.  I know I'm not going to look that recipe back up again to find the directions and I would hate to ruin something I worked so hard for.

*Let your crockpot do the work-beans, crockpot meals, meats.  Seriously, I am in DEEP LIKE with my crockpot.

*Write the portion size on the bag-such as 1 or 2 cup -diced onions.  I have found if I don't label I tend to stand and stare and try to figure out what it is and then I just put it back into the freezer.  Until the next time I stand and stare.

*Keep a running list of what is in your deep freeze.  I have so many different plans and schemes in my head all the time and I tend to forget what exactly I put in there and what exactly I thought about putting in there.

*The absolute easiest way to freezer cook is to double whatever you are already cooking.  I did this last night with Chicken Pot Pie.  We had one for supper and one for the freezer. 

Start small-I learned this from Money Saving Mom and from experience.  It all adds up very quickly.  You do not have to do 30 meals in one day.  I'm not against that, but right now I don't have the time or the resources to do it.

Do you have any hints I need to know about?  Please share!

Today I am linking up at

http://teachinggoodthings.com/blog



6 comments:

  1. I don't freezer cook...on purpose. But I do always make up extra taco meat, pizza sauce, meatballs, etc so that I can get a jump start on the next meal.

    I may get more serious about it in the future. It would be so nice to have something there for a busy night.

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  2. Found your post via Growing Home. Care to share on my Healthy Tuesday hop as well. :)

    ahumblebumble.blogspot.com

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  3. Hi MaMaHen, Love these tips! I have been adding more to my freezer as a result of reading about what you're doing. Thanks for sharing! Blessings from Bama!

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  4. Great tips. I love the cooking double and freeze the extra!

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  5. Freezer cooking is something I haven't tried yet. I've been considering it, but I've just never actually done it. I enjoyed your post!

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