Title: “Once a Month Cooking”
Exhibitor: Melissa Sundwall
Description: Time-saving technique for families on the go, working
adults, or those who just don’t like to cook. Meals prepared in one day can last up to four months, depending on how they are used. Saves time and money and is great to use when feeding missionaries or delivering meals to those in need.
How To’s: Organization Techniques
1. Pick
a perfect partner! Some
considerations include:
¨
Same family
size
¨
Same family
tastes
¨
Compatible
working style
2. Resources
& research. OAMC
requires lots of research!
¨
Search your
own recipes for meals that will freeze well.
¨
Look for books
on freezer cooking.
¨
Check out this
website:
Frozen Assets: OAMC Web Pages
http://members.aol.com/OAMCLoop/index.html
On this site you can print out a two-week
plan to try before you buy.
3. Plan
your menu. The key to a
successful cooking day is a well-planned menu!
¨
Pick a cooking
date & place. Plan to start shopping 2 weeks before cooking day, if you’re
the bargain-hunting type.
¨
Start with a
pre-decided cooking plan (i.e. a plan from a book).
¨
Add &
delete recipes according to your family’s taste.
¨
Label your
cooking recipes with F= frozen & C=cook.
¨
Create master
recipe list in a logical cooking order. (not too many C’s together)
4. Make
your ingredients list
¨
Plus &
minus ingredients according to the recipes you added & deleted.
¨
Create a master
shop list.
Tip- when cooking with a partner you both buy
all the ingredients on the list.
¨
If cooking
with a partner – see what you can split up to buy to save $ and time. (Bulk
items, like cheese, sour cream, etc.)
¨
Decide which
freezer containers you’ll be using:
Ziplocs: gallon vs. quart
Foil
containers: Wal-Mart cheapest
Heavy
duty foil
Pie
pans
¨
Determine
which meats you need to pre-cook, and which meats need to be uncooked (like for
meatballs) on cooking day.
5. Go
Shopping
¨
Take a
photocopy of your master list along with you. It may get ruined.
¨
Don’t take
your kids!
6. Prep.
Day – day before
¨
Arrange a
sitter for your children for cooking day. You cannot do both.
¨
Have all
shopping done so you can stay at home.
¨
Brown
hamburger (tip- buy cheap hamburger & rinse it to cut down on fat,
save the expensive hamburger for meatballs & meatloaf).
¨
Boil &
cube chicken.
¨
Cook spaghetti
sauce.
¨
Cook roasts in
crock pot.
¨
Chop all
veggies & put back in refrigerator.
¨
Organize food
& set-up your store:
-staples – all out & within reach
-extra tables- one for cooling
-canned goods - out & organized
-pans out & ready
-have something to sit on—stools, a comfy
chair…
-Clear off your countertop. You’ll need all the space you can
get.
¨
Grate cheese
(if bought in blocks).
¨
Assemble your
simple “F” meals.
7. “Smile”—it’s
cooking day!
¨
Follow your
master recipe list.
¨
If have a
partner, split up your meals to cook as you go.
¨
Wash dishes as
you go. It will save you a lot of time. (Consider hiring a Y.W. to wash for
you.)
¨
Have at least
2 garbage cans stationed in the kitchen.
¨
Have a table
(or table space) devoted to meals that need to cool before bagging. Be sure to
have lots of hot pads/placemats to put pans on while they cool.
¨
Check off your
master recipe list as you go and record how many of each meal you have.
¨
Label &
number your meals.
¨
Plan wisely as
you put your meals in your freezer.
¨
HUSBAND CLEANS
UP! (one can dream…)
1) Use name brand plastic bags (Ziplocs). We’ve
had bad luck with store brands.
2) Clean out fridge & freezer of all
unnecessary leftovers, foods, freezer-burnt waffles, etc. Having an extra
freezer is nice, but not necessary.
3) Foil AND bag casseroles. Buy pre-cut foil
sheets from Costco.
4) Realistically evaluate your recipes. If a
recipe is complicated, don’t select it for OAMC.
5) Number meals if you’ve made more than one
(e.g. Texas Hash 1 of 2, Texas Hash 2 of 2).
6) If you’re not cooking at your own home,
bring a cooler & ice for your meals and empty it at lunch.
7) Always make your own recipe if another is
almost identical.
8) Collect lots of big bowls—you’ll mix recipes
and store ingredients in them.
9) Have lots of hot pads and placemats.
10) Make extra sauce when splitting a casserole
into two meals.
11) Buy good cuts of meat to use in steak
recipes (unless you really want to give your jaw a workout when you eat the
meal!).
12) Start easy—if it’s your first time cooking,
start with a 2-week plan.
13) UNDERCOOK your noodles/pasta by at
least ½ the recommended time. If you don’t, you’ll end up with mush
since pasta absorbs moisture in the freezer. If the recipe allows, don’t cook
the noodles until you’re serving the dish.
14) Pans that you’ll use over & over are
large stock & pasta pots, large wok or stir fry pan, and a large skillet.
If you have access to a Cuisinart or food processor, you’ll be one happy camper
when you’re chopping onions. J
15) Buy ingredients that will save you time,
like pre-grated cheese, sliced mushrooms, boneless skinless chicken breasts,
etc.
16) Meats frozen in marinades need 12-24 hours
to sit in the marinade, once defrosted.
17) Sauces served over noodles or rice regain
the consistency when reheated in a saucepan. You may need to add a bit of
water.
Foods That Do Not Freeze Well
q
Cake icings
made with egg whites become foamy.
q
Cream fillings
and soft frostings have an undesirable texture.
q
Pies made with
custard or cream fillings become watery or lumpy.
q
Cooked egg
white become tough and rubbery.
q
Fried foods
tend to lose their crispness and become soggy.
q
Fruit jelly in
sandwiches may soak into the bread.
q
Soft cheese
(such as cream cheese) becomes watery with an undesirable texture.
q
Mayonnaise
separates.
q
Sour cream
becomes thin and watery.
q
Potatoes
cooked in soups and stews become mushy and may darken.
These Foods Change Somewhat During
Freezing
q
Gravies and
other fat-based sauces may separate and need to be recombined by stirring or
processing in the blender.
q
Thickened
sauces may need thinning after freezing; thin with broth or milk.
q
Seasonings
such as onions, herbs and flavorings used in recipes can change during freezing.
These are best added during reheating to obtain accurate flavors.
q
Vegetables,
pastas and grains used in cooked recipes usually are softer after freezing and
reheating. Undercook before freezing or add when dish is reheated.
q
Heavy cream
can be frozen if used for cooking, but will not whip.
q
Some yogurts
may suffer texture changes.
q
Raw vegetables
lose their crispness, but can be used for cooking, stews, etc.
q
Cheeses change
texture in the freezer. Most hard cheeses turn crumbly, which makes them okay
for grating, but not for slicing.