Filling a Freezer
One of my favorite types of jobs is a Freezer Stock. Spending the day cooking meals that will be packaged in re-heat able containers to fill a freezer. In an about 8 hours I can make 16 to 20 entrees, 8 to 10 side dishes and 4 to 8 quarts of soup. It is all in the planning and prep. The first thing I do is plan a menu. Recipes that can be doubled, tripled or quadrupled work best. After I choose what will be prepared comes a shopping list. By dividing the ingredients into categories I can purchase the appropriate quantities and that makes setting up to cook go much faster. Checking to make sure that I have the appropriate storage containers on hand is next. By shopping the day before or early the morning of a cook I am all set.
Yesterday was a freezer stock day. This is what I made in an 8.5 hour cook:
· One 9” round – Sesame Chicken (boneless)
· Two 9” round – Schnitzel Fingers (boneless)
· One 9” round – Schwarma Chicken (boneless)
· Three 9” round - Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
· Four 9” round - Mac n Cheese
· Two 9 x 13 – Honey Mustard Chicken w/ Red Bliss Potatoes & Green Beans (boneless)
· Two 9 x 13 – Egg Roll in a Bowl - Beef
· Two 9 x 13 Chicken & Mushroom Rice bake (boneless)
· Four 7” round - Jasmine Rice
· Four 7” round- Quinoa Pilaf -
· Two 9” - Garlic Roasted Green Beans
· 4 Quarts Chicken Soup
The shopping list looked something like this:
· 6 pkgs. Boneless Chicken breast (three breasts per pkg.)
· 3 lbs. Boneless Skinless Chicken thighs (I order these in bulk, so I had on hand)
· 1 Whole Chicken for the soup
· 6 lbs. Ground Beef
· 3 cans Crushed Tomatoes
· 2 boxes Panko Crumbs
· 3 lbs. Fresh Green Beans
· 5 lb. bag of Red Bliss Potatoes
· 1 Rutabaga
· 1 Turnip
· Parsnips
· Carrots
· Celery
· 1 Sweet Potato
· 2 lbs. Jasmine Rice
· 2 pkgs. Tri Color Quinoa
· 16 oz. Fresh Mushrooms
· 1 box Imagine Brand Portobella Mushroom Soup
· 4 bunches Scallions
· 2 pkgs. Cole Slaw Shreds
· 3 16oz. pkgs. Elbow Noodles
· 32 oz. Shredded Cheddar Cheese
· 2 boxes 2 gallon Ziploc Freezer Bags
Then I gathered the items that I had on hand and made sure my kitchen was clean and ready to go. Having a clean workspace to start really keeps things flowing. My work-station set up was next. One counter became my meat prep area, my island was set aside for veggie prep and a small counter was set up for making the mac n cheese. First up is to get the soup started since it needs to simmer for a few hours so if it is started first it will be ready to cool and package by the end of the day. Then things that need to cook in the oven and while those are cooking stove top items can be prepared. Technology comes in super handy too. Alexa allows me to set up timers vocally for each item. Having the proper equipment also is essential to making this type of cooking work. By using a large 12 cup rice cooker I am able to prepare my grains quickly in the quantity needed while I am using my oven and stovetop for other things. Setting up the storage containers to be able to place the prepared food into them immediately is also a huge time saver. In the case of oven baked/ roasted items this is one time I say go ahead and cook in the storage containers if possible as it saves time. Having multiple sheet pans is also a huge time saver.
Each time I undertake a freezer stock there are different hurdles and again I can’t stress how important it is to be flexible. Don’t have corn starch use potato starch, recipe says low sodium tamari but all you have are coconut aminos; it will still work. Having a well-stocked pantry, spice cabinet and freezer definitely helps. Take the time to plan and if you haven’t done a day long freezer stock before planning small will give you a good start. Go for 4 to 6 main courses and 2 to 4 side dishes. Once you get a rhythm going you will be better able to plan the next day of cooking.