Making Freezer Meals

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Freezer meals can be described as food that is prepared in advance and frozen for later consumption. The food is prepared in bulk quantities and stored in the freezer. Freezer meals are also called 30 days meals, as the food is made for a period of 30 days in advance. They are also referred to as Once a Month Cooking, frozen assets, freezable meals or investment cooking. They also act as lifesaving agents in times of emergency. If there is urgency, then a meal can be quickly heated, instead of relying on fast food.

Freezer meals are gaining popularity in recent years. With lives getting busier day by day, frozen food comes across as an easy alternative for parents. It helps parents to maintain the right balance between work and household activities. Frozen food items also reduce the chance of binging on outside food. They are much more nutritious than cooking commercial frozen meals, ordering a take out or eating fast food. They save a lot of time that you usually spend on regular cooking and also cut down on the laborious task of thinking what to cook each day.

Tips and Ideas for Freezing Meals

• There are certain items which you should under cook when you freeze them, otherwise they might just get mushy during reheating. Items like casseroles, lasagna, pastas and rice need to be undercooked. During reheating, you just have to increase the cooking time.
• Sour cream, cottage cheese and cooked potatoes do not freeze well. Add them to dishes after taking out of freezer.
• It is always advisable to have extra rolls, bread dough, French bread or loaves of bread in your freezer. They will be a handy accompaniment to freezer meals.
• The meals you store should be in freezer bags or wrapped up in several layers of tin foil or plastic storage containers.
• Freezer meals can be stored individually, in separate containers, for easy lunches/dinners.
• Waffles or pancakes are excellent alternatives to breakfast. You can place them in toaster and serve for quick breakfast freezer meals. A fun idea for breakfast is to freeze French toast cut in sticks. Warm up and let the kids dip them in syrup.
• Desserts, cakes and cookies also freeze well. Make them in bulk quantities and store for future use.
• Do not forget to label each item. Most of the food items look similar when frozen. Labeling will make the task all the more easy in future.