Are you a busy parent struggling to squeeze in some family downtime in your jam-packed schedule? Is making dinner a constant source of stress? You would like to offer your loved ones a delicious home-cooked meal, but most of the time, you probably end up with takeout or grocery store convenience food on the table. Well, you are not alone. Most busy families struggle with these issues, but some of them have found the solution: cooking meals ahead of time and putting them in the freezer until dinner time. In short, freezer cooking.
What Ingredients Do not Freeze That Well
Some ingredients do not freeze that well. They either lose texture, flavour or become good only for the trash can. Here is a shortlist of ingredients that should not be frozen.
- Pasta: There are tons of deliciously filling meals with pasta, such as this easy chicken tetrazzini recipe that could feed a family of four. But pasta can get real mushy after spending some time in the freezer. So, cook the pasta al dente or even less than that if you plan to freeze the entire meal and reheat it for dinner.
- Rice: The same goes for rice. Rice can get soggy when reheated even if it was undercooked. You could prepare the rice at mealtime to avoid this inconvenience.
- Fried foods: These too become mushy when taken out of the freezer. So, steer clear of them.
- Cabbage: It gets mushy when thawed, but it is safe to use as an ingredient in cooked dishes.
- Cooked pizza dough: Freeze only uncooked pizza dough to prevent a mushy disaster for dinner.
- Soft cheeses: They change texture if frozen. Depending on the cheese, it might still be edible in a cooked meal. It is best to add the cheese when you are reheating the whole frozen meal.
Getting Started
When you are just getting started with freezer cooking, do not overdo it. Your make-ahead freezer dinners should follow some simple rules.
- Pick meals that are easy to make; one freezer meal should not take more than 15 to 20 minutes to toss in a freezer bag.
- Steer clear of complicated meals your family has not tried yet; your family recipe book is your best bet.
- Your freezer meals should not need to be thawed overnight, but you can put them in the refrigerator or slow cooker to have them ready by dinner time.
- Your freezer meals should require minimum preparation time (like cutting veggies) and should not require pre-cooking.
- Look for healthy ingredients and real foods when assembling a freezer dinner. There is no point in packing a home-cooked meal with all the nasty ingredients you would rather steer clear of when grocery shopping.
Is Freezer Cooking Worth Trying?
The benefits are incredible! First, you will never have to worry about dinner again, and you will always have a plan B even on those weeknights when you are too busy, too tired, or simply do not have what it takes to cook a family meal from scratch!
Freezer meals are also healthier than the convenience food you buy at the grocery store, like pizza and lasagna. If you cook those at home, you will never have to worry about food additives and other chemicals routinely added to convenience food, which can make you and your family sick in the long run.
What is more, getting into freezer cooking means less time spent in the kitchen as there is less preparation time (think about gathering all the ingredients for seven different meals in one go)! There will also be fewer dishes to clean as you will be reusing many when preparing several meals at once.
The Freezer is Your Ally
Preparing your own make-ahead meals as a busy mom or single parent juggling multiple jobs can save you tons of headaches and stress! You just need to get more organized, plan ahead, and make the freezer your ally. However, there are some rules to take into account when freezing your food. Also, keep in mind that you can prepare whole meals or parts of those meals to assemble them later. The choice is yours!
