Freezer Series: Principle #1

Okey Dokey.  As I've been emptying the freezer of all last summer's market bounty (along with store bought frozen items and meat...) I've learned some things that will be helpful for next season.  Here we go:

Rule #1  Put things into the freezer READY TO PULL OUT AND USE. 

This is my defining, overall take-away from this round of freezer emptying.  Henceforth, nothing will enter my freezer unless it is prepared, and ready to just take out and cook. 

For instance:  An enchilasagna, all prepared and waiting:  HELPFUL!  Big hunks of frozen meat that come out needing preparation:  NOT HELPFUL. 

Here's an example for you...last night I had an enchilasagna (enchiladas, but layered up into a casserole, like lasagna) that I had pulled out of the freezer to defrost in the fridge all night.  All I had to do was pop that pan in the oven to bake, and warm up some frozen veggies--boo yah!  Done baby.  Dishes?  Zip.  Except the plates we ate off of, and the casserole dish.  So guess what I did with all that extra time?  Made these stylin' fleece PJ pants! 

These pants could be a whole other topic, but suffice it to say I got this fleece at Jo Ann's on clearance for $3. a yard, and they are totally warm and cozy!  I love them.  When I posted them on facebook I asked the question:  "what do you think those little creatures are?  Some sort of mutant bird/squid?"  I still can't figure that one out...

 

 

Now let's contrast last night's dinner experience with my freezer experience today:  I'm making Tomatillo Chicken in the crock pot.  I froze fresh local tomatillos in the fall, along with poblanos and jalapenos--so that's good, I had them all here, ready to use...however they did release a lot of moisture in thawing, and I still had to prepare them under the broiler and in the food processor...so really, this did not help me out that much. 

 

How to fix this problem:  instead of bagging the tomatillos and peppers up separately next year I will just go ahead and broil and process them right when I bring them home from the farmer's market.  Then bag them as a sauce, ready to use, and freeze.  Then in the winter all I will have to do is open the bag and dump it in on top of the chicken when I'm ready to use it.  Easy peasy.

 

Here's another example:  Tomatoes.  Ok, I've enjoyed having them frozen, whole.  But it would be MUCH easier if I would just make them into soup immediately when I bring them home, then freeze, and add in the "milk" (coconut or dairy, whatever you like to use...) when I go to heat it up.  My friend S.T. makes soup "concentrates" in the summer:  she does not add in all the necessary liquid, but freezes a concentrated version, then adds the water when she goes to use it.  BRILLIANT!  No need to take up all that extra space in the freezer.

 

So the essence of today's principle is this: put it in ready to go.  No more sticking stuff in there to "make" later...front-load that work and just prep it before it goes in.  No more putting chicken breasts in the freezer in their original package.  At the very least I can get them into a quick marinade before they go into the freezer, so I can just bake or grill when they come out.

 

OK, more principles coming up this week...but no time to write it all today.  I'll be back tomorrow...