Fill freezer with pre-made meal options

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This article was published 28/02/2018 (3092 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

No matter what time of year it is, a freezer full of food is always in season. When it comes to appliances, the cost of purchasing and running a chest-type freezer — provided you stock it and use up the contents — is a bargain. It allows you to stay on top of sales, preserve your homegrown bounty and plan ahead for meals and holiday eating.

I take advantage of all those options: stocking up on meat sales, bread (including discounted day-old) and yogurt. I quarter and freeze lemons and limes for cooking and for drinks. Frozen ginger root and turmeric root are always on hand for the micro-plane, no need to thaw). Tiny red chilis are easier to seed and chop when frozen. I make a point of freezing leftovers and using them up in other meals.

An extra cup of homemade spaghetti sauce makes an economical pizza. But you can get also get beyond “upscaling” your leftovers by planning whole meals — days’ worth, in fact.

Fix, Freeze, Feast (Storey Publishing, $22.95) by Kati Neville and Lindsay Tkacsik is targeted to bulk shoppers (or wannabe bulk shoppers who are just learning) who want to get the most out of their shopping dollar and their cooking time.

Both writers speak of freezer meals, and have written recipes for Costco’s annual cookbooks and are contributors for Everyday with Rachael Ray.

The recipes from Fix, Freeze, Feast are based, and scaled, on buying warehouse tray-packs — making good use of larger amounts of meat all at once. You pre-assemble — up to the final cooking stage — and complete entrée packages to store in freezer bags.

There are 125 recipes — including main courses, sides, desserts, sauces, snacks and breakfasts.

There is a nice variety of meatless mains and soups — an especially welcoming option if you have a vegetarian guest drop in at the last minute. Included at the back of the book are sheets of cooking instructions for each of the recipes to be photocopied and affixed to your packaged meals. There are advantages to cooking this way:

● It’s the assembly-line approach.

Preparing your meals all at once is a time saver for shopping and cooking.

● You’ll save money buying in bulk. Because you are buying for multiple meals, you will use up all of your ingredients at once.

● Packaging meals by servings means fewer leftovers you might toss away.

● You make better decisions. By eliminating the time wasted standing in front of your refrigerator wondering what the heck you’re going to cook, you are less likely to succumb to less healthy take-out options.

● You can make it a fun thing to do. Get the family or a friend involved, and enjoy the process and the rewards that come with it.

This is a yummy chicken curry recipe, not too hot with a nice hit of lemon, excerpted with from Fix, Freeze, Feast © Kati Neville and Lindsay Tkacsik. Used with permission from Storey Publishing.

 

Chicken Curry

Makes three freezer meals, four to six servings each

This mild and creamy curry is a hit with everyone. If you’re not sure whether your family will eat curry, I suggest you start here. Serve over your favourite rice.

Ingredients

2.75 kg (6 lbs) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 12 halves)

250 ml (1 cup or 2 sticks) butter

500 ml (2 cups) chopped onion (about 2 medium)

50 ml (1/4 cups) curry powder

30 ml (2 tbsp) chicken base

30 ml (2 tbsp) minced garlic

30 ml (2 tbsp) minced ginger

30 ml (2 tbsp) sugar

10 ml (2 tsp) salt

250 ml (1 cup) all-purpose flour

1 litre (4 cups) milk

1 litre (4 cups) water

30 ml (2 tbsp) lemon juice

Pack it up

Three four-litre (one-gallon) freezer bags, labelled

Trim chicken as desired and cut into bite-size pieces. In a large skillet, cook chicken over medium heat until no longer pink, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Divide cooled chicken evenly among freezer bags.

While chicken cools, melt butter in a separate large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until soft, about five minutes. Add curry powder, chicken base, garlic, ginger, sugar, and salt, and cook, stirring, for two minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, two minutes longer. Mixture will be like a paste. Gradually add milk and water; cook, stirring constantly, until sauce has thickened. Whisk to make a smooth sauce. Add lemon juice only after sauce has thickened. Cool sauce.

Divide cooled sauce evenly over chicken.

Seal and freeze. Food will stay at optimal quality for up to two months in freezer.

To cook one freezer meal

Completely thaw one freezer meal in fridge.

In a large skillet, bring chicken and curry sauce to a simmer over medium heat and cook until heated through. Do not boil.

Accompaniments for curry

Offer a variety of toppings so everyone can select their favourite flavours to sprinkle over dinner. The platter could include toasted coconut, toasted almonds, fresh apple pieces, pineapple tidbits, raisins, dried cranberries, chopped scallions, mango chutney, hot chili paste, and/ or sweet chili sauce.

Twitter: @WendyKinginWpg