How to put the freezer to good use
Cooking once and eating four times is a dream come true in budget cooking. Here is how to make it happen without the freezer turning into a graveyard of unmarked containers.
Key points
- Batch-cooking works well with adequate freezer space
- Choose the right containers
- Without labels meals may go unnoticed
Many households use the freezer for ice cream and frozen peas, and not much else. But a well-stocked freezer is a budget cook's best friend. Having meals ready to heat up is as convenient as take-out, but without the price tag. A practical routine is to cook one batch-friendly meal per week, and within a short time there will be a freezer full of ready-meals.
Certain types of meals freeze very well and are therefore perfect candidates for batch-cooking. Think soups, stews, curries, chilis, or Bolognese sauce. The extra effort is minimal, but the convenience and savings are remarkable. ‘Shopping the freezer’ is faster and much cheaper than ordering take-out!
Supermarkets organize their frozen-food section very well. A home freezer should be a bit like that to make it easy to identify and retrieve items. If room and budget allow to add some freezer space, so much the better. Otherwise, even a small freezer compartment works well if the contents are clearly labeled and stored for easy retrieval.
Labels should list the contents and the date when an item was frozen. Containers stack best when they are of a similar size. Freezer bags use up the least space when they are laid flat. Portions of full meals should reflect the size of a household and how much would be needed for ‘take-out’. Portions of ingredients such as cooked ground meat, beans, and rice should reflect how much will be needed to start the next pot of soup, chili, or curry.
It’s important to prevent freezer burn. Airtight containers are essential and there should be no airspace directly touching the food. Freezer bags should not contain any air. In other containers a layer of clingwrap or parchment paper should touch the surface of the food to separate it from any airspace above. It’s also important to leave some room for liquids to expand as they freeze.
Best practices for freezer batch-cooking
- Cooling down: Cool food on the counter for no more than two hours before putting it in the fridge or freezer
- Portion control: Divide large meals into single or family-sized servings to only thaw what is needed
- Container choice: Use freezer-safe bags, rigid plastic containers, or glass jars with room at the top for liquids to expand
- Flat freezing: Lay soup and stew bags flat on a baking sheet until solid. Stack them like books to save space once frozen
- Labeling: Write the meal name, date cooked, and reheating instructions on every package using a waterproof marker
- First in, first out: Put newer meals in the back and older meals in the front to use before freezer burn has a chance to set in
- Bins and baskets: In larger freezers, group similar items together in bins or baskets, so that small items won’t get list anymore and it’s easy to pull out a whole category at once
- Remove bulky packaging: When bringing frozen foods home from the store, take items out of large packaging, and transfer them into freezer bags or containers to save space and maintain organization
- Inventory list: A running list of what is in the freezer on a magnetic notepad or a phone helps with meal planning and prevents buying duplicates
- Frost buildup: Defrosting a freezer regularly prevents thick layers of ice that reduce storage space and make the appliance work less efficiently
