Post by benshelpmeet on Jun 29, 2005 8:53:40 GMT -5
I was wondering if anyone here does bulk cooking?
You can bake lasagna, cook spaghetti, and freeze those meals.
You can bake chicken and freeze the excess to make casseroles, mix with mayonnaise to make sandwiches and cook the bones to make broth for soup.
You can freeze extra broth to mix with the chicken for soup.
You can save left over vegetables in a plastic container in the freezer for the soup as well.
You can also make 2 or 3 different meals at the same time for use later in the week.
Depending on the size of your oven you could cook and freeze 2 or so meals of each. Or maybe prepare and cook them one right after the other.
In the winter bake your meals and prepare chilli and hash at the same time. You can make enough hash for lunch and another meal or two later in the week.
Also you can buy canned meat for the nights you don't have anything else and you are too tired to cook. Then you can cook some noodles or rice add some vegetables and cream of mushoom soup for a quick cassrole. Bake 30 minutes to an hour.
Here is a great way to use chicken!
When the local markets advertise 10-lb. packs of chicken thighs/legs, You can purchase two or three packages, cook them and do this: Cool in broth and skim off fat. See number 4.
1. The skin goes in the food processor and is chopped and frozen in small packages to mix with dry dog food for our pet.
2. The meat is pulled from the bone and canned with the broth in pint jars (see local agricultural extension office for canning tips). Each pint is the basis for quick meals: Chicken and noodles; chicken pot pie; chicken and rice; mexican chicken; chicken and dumplings.
3. Any surplus broth is canned and you can use it to flavor canned vegetables, soups and gravies. It is an excellent way to flavor dried beans without adding a lot of fat.
4. Speaking of fat: Any fat goes into my solid fats from other cooking and saved until you have enough to make a batch of homemade laundry soap (6 pounds). The recipe is on a can of lye. Be very careful, this is caustic soda...if you choose to make soap, send the children away while you do! This is a most rewarding enterprise and the soap is a most excellent stain and grease remover.
5. Pat yourself on the back! You've used everything except the bones and gristle!
There are a few things to remember........
Meats can almost always be precooked and frozen.
Meatloaf and meatballs are great examples of this.
Roast chicken and grilled chicken also work really well. Lots of restaurants cook off large amounts of chicken and dice and freeze for later use in soups or chicken salad.
Soups usually freeze well. Cream soups from vegetable purees freeze really well.
Creamy soups thickened with flour, however, do not as fare well the starches seperate when thawed.
So any kind of Veggie soup or broth based soup is almost guaranteed to freeze nicely.
Potatoes do not freeze well. They become mealy and watery when they are thawed. They can be used in small amounts in soups but that is about it.
Pasta can be used in Lasagnas and casseroles. Just under cook it a little and it will be perfectly cooked when you reaheat it.
Fully cooked baked goods can be frozen for several months if they are fully wrapped.
Bread and pizza dough can be made ahead and frozen. You can just pull it out in the a.m. and leave it in the fridge until time to cook. You can make fresh pizza dough and just roll it out and top it with our favorite toppings. It is really cheap too.
Basically almost anything will freeze except a few starches and cooked seafood.
So just make double batches for a few weeks and freeze half.
You will have to play a little on cooking times. Oh, and don't thaw things outside of the fridge. Nasty foodbourne germs thrive on the thawed portion of the food while the inside is still frozen.
..........................................................................................
Here are some helpful books
Highly recommended books!
( Mega Cooking by Jill Bond. )
She goes through step by step how to get started in bulk cooking. You can start slow or jump in. She teaches you how to organize yourself, how to get the very best prices on bulk food purchases and how to properly store your finished dishes. She provides charts also. Recipies are included in the book, but also tips for converting your favorite recipies to bulk cooking methods.
Feasts for a Farthing by Molly Finn (1985). Ms. Finn has wonderful ideas for using leftovers, cooking ahead, and in bulk. It's published by Yankee Books.
...........................................................................................
I hope this has been helpful! Enjoy!
Here's a Tip : I know now is not the time to spend lots of money, but, buying an "up-right freezer" not only saves space but is easier to maintain. They also seem to hold more especially if the containers used to freeze food are the squares not the rounds.
You can bake lasagna, cook spaghetti, and freeze those meals.
You can bake chicken and freeze the excess to make casseroles, mix with mayonnaise to make sandwiches and cook the bones to make broth for soup.
You can freeze extra broth to mix with the chicken for soup.
You can save left over vegetables in a plastic container in the freezer for the soup as well.
You can also make 2 or 3 different meals at the same time for use later in the week.
Depending on the size of your oven you could cook and freeze 2 or so meals of each. Or maybe prepare and cook them one right after the other.
In the winter bake your meals and prepare chilli and hash at the same time. You can make enough hash for lunch and another meal or two later in the week.
Also you can buy canned meat for the nights you don't have anything else and you are too tired to cook. Then you can cook some noodles or rice add some vegetables and cream of mushoom soup for a quick cassrole. Bake 30 minutes to an hour.
Here is a great way to use chicken!
When the local markets advertise 10-lb. packs of chicken thighs/legs, You can purchase two or three packages, cook them and do this: Cool in broth and skim off fat. See number 4.
1. The skin goes in the food processor and is chopped and frozen in small packages to mix with dry dog food for our pet.
2. The meat is pulled from the bone and canned with the broth in pint jars (see local agricultural extension office for canning tips). Each pint is the basis for quick meals: Chicken and noodles; chicken pot pie; chicken and rice; mexican chicken; chicken and dumplings.
3. Any surplus broth is canned and you can use it to flavor canned vegetables, soups and gravies. It is an excellent way to flavor dried beans without adding a lot of fat.
4. Speaking of fat: Any fat goes into my solid fats from other cooking and saved until you have enough to make a batch of homemade laundry soap (6 pounds). The recipe is on a can of lye. Be very careful, this is caustic soda...if you choose to make soap, send the children away while you do! This is a most rewarding enterprise and the soap is a most excellent stain and grease remover.
5. Pat yourself on the back! You've used everything except the bones and gristle!
There are a few things to remember........
Meats can almost always be precooked and frozen.
Meatloaf and meatballs are great examples of this.
Roast chicken and grilled chicken also work really well. Lots of restaurants cook off large amounts of chicken and dice and freeze for later use in soups or chicken salad.
Soups usually freeze well. Cream soups from vegetable purees freeze really well.
Creamy soups thickened with flour, however, do not as fare well the starches seperate when thawed.
So any kind of Veggie soup or broth based soup is almost guaranteed to freeze nicely.
Potatoes do not freeze well. They become mealy and watery when they are thawed. They can be used in small amounts in soups but that is about it.
Pasta can be used in Lasagnas and casseroles. Just under cook it a little and it will be perfectly cooked when you reaheat it.
Fully cooked baked goods can be frozen for several months if they are fully wrapped.
Bread and pizza dough can be made ahead and frozen. You can just pull it out in the a.m. and leave it in the fridge until time to cook. You can make fresh pizza dough and just roll it out and top it with our favorite toppings. It is really cheap too.
Basically almost anything will freeze except a few starches and cooked seafood.
So just make double batches for a few weeks and freeze half.
You will have to play a little on cooking times. Oh, and don't thaw things outside of the fridge. Nasty foodbourne germs thrive on the thawed portion of the food while the inside is still frozen.
..........................................................................................
Here are some helpful books
Highly recommended books!
( Mega Cooking by Jill Bond. )
She goes through step by step how to get started in bulk cooking. You can start slow or jump in. She teaches you how to organize yourself, how to get the very best prices on bulk food purchases and how to properly store your finished dishes. She provides charts also. Recipies are included in the book, but also tips for converting your favorite recipies to bulk cooking methods.
Feasts for a Farthing by Molly Finn (1985). Ms. Finn has wonderful ideas for using leftovers, cooking ahead, and in bulk. It's published by Yankee Books.
...........................................................................................
I hope this has been helpful! Enjoy!
Here's a Tip : I know now is not the time to spend lots of money, but, buying an "up-right freezer" not only saves space but is easier to maintain. They also seem to hold more especially if the containers used to freeze food are the squares not the rounds.