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I just need to make clear - again - in case of any doubt - that I am NOT a domestic goddess!
And no this is not false modesty with an expectation that you will immediately jump in and assure me that my house "is always spotless" - it really isn't.
And I can't even cover my domestic inadequacies by claims to be a great chef. I am not bad at baking when I get some practice but basically I am bone idle about cooking and so my mission in the kitchen, as in all other areas of the house, is to achieve the most I can on the smallest possible effort. And that means learning to love my freezer!
Having only last year moved from a Victorian flat with the tiniest kitchen that couldn't hold more than an ice box, I am a freezer newbie, so forgive me if I am blogging the blindingly obvious but as in so many things I have all the evangelical zeal of the recent convert ...
Healthy meals in minutes! Hallelujah!!
Bulk cooking! Amen!!
Emergency supplies! All hail and everlasting praise for the freezer!!!
It did take me a while to get past the peas, fish fingers and ice cream but I have now discovered with the wonder that is bulk cooking that with only 30ish minutes effort I can make 6+ weeks worth of pasta and cheesy sauce with load of blended veg, (as explained in previous post, essentials in our house where the carnivore only eats hidden veg), that can then be quickly thrown into spag bol, arrabiata, chilli, lasagna etc.
It's also brilliant for fiddly stuff that I love but which takes ages, (e.g. skinning peppers), seasonal fruit & veg which is so expensive out of season and those things that we don't eat much of at a time, (in our house meat as littl'un is the only carnivore).
Am quite sure that other people who have been doing this for ages have got a million more great ideas - please, please share! - but in case you're a novice like me this is my list of great things to keep in the freezer that save time and money and get you out of a fix when the meal planning has gone awry ...
Freezer Essentials for Fast Food
- Pastry - likes being frozen & easier to do fiddly stuff without child attached to your leg
- Pitta bread - don't last long but don't take up space & great for snacks
- Wraps - like pittas don't last long but great for snacks
- Breadcrumbs - great way to use slightly stale bread & can use in so many things
- Pizza dough - with frozen tomato sauce can make fab pizzas with kids in 20 minutes
- Bread - I so often need my emergency loaf
- Butter - ditto always good to have for emergencies
- Ice-cream or frozen yoghurt - of course!
- Yoghurt tubes - I put half the box in the freezer and it reduces wastage
- Ice pack for injuries - saves wasting a bag of peas!
- Fish fingers - what child doesn't love them & mummy DOES love FF sarnies!
- Fish fillets - can microwave or bake in foil with simple dressing in less than 15 minutes
- Prawns - kids may not like but fab fast supper w / salad or spaghetti
- Fish cakes - far too fiddly to make with little one in tow
- Berries - taste so good frozen! And some kids who don't like fruit will eat frozen
- Seasonal fruit - pick your own or get great value in season blackberries, strawberries, rhubarb, damsons, gooseberries, plums etc
- Cooked apple - handy for whipping up crumbles, cobblers and pies etc
- Fruit ice cubes - use pureed fruit to make sorbets & can get non-fruit eaters to eat fruit
- Sausages - couldn't survive without meat and veggie versions
- Mince - cheaper to buy in bulk especially if only using small portions
- Stewing beef - again great value if bought in bulk
- Chicken breasts - can be bunged together with so many things to produce meal in no time
- Burgers - great to make own but can be fiddly so best made in advance
- Meat balls - fab instant meal with great frozen tomato sauce
- Stock - a tub of meat and/or fish
- Cheese sauce - great made in bulk & blended with veg for lasagna, moussaka, cheesey veg etc
- Curry sauce - another great thing to make in bulk & doesn't take up space if blended
- Tomato sauce - yes you can buy it but a big pot of slow cooked sauce tastes so much better and can be used for everything from spag bol, lasagna, arrabiata, chilli, meat balls etc
- Teething stuff - teething rings, muslins etc
- Frozen peas or sweet corn - does take up space but handy if they'll eat no other veg
- Peppers - fiddly to grill and skin them so much easier to do in bulk
- Spinach - can blend into so much stuff for secret goodness :-)
- Peeled ginger - is a waste fresh as you never need to use enough at one go
- Garlic crushed - prevents waste if not using up whole head
- Seasonal veg - all those yummy things that have a short local season and are expensive bought out of season e.g. asparagus, broad beans, fresh peas, runner beans
So that's my list - do come and share your essentials and great ideas with me on Facebook and Twitter.
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