My wife, Kaisari, and I both enjoy cooking, and do so often. But with so many things to do in our retirement, we cannot find time – or inclination – to cook for every meal. We don’t eat out much, either. And canned and manufactured frozen foods are consistently disappointing, not to speak of being expensive and sub- par in the health department, bar a precious few.
Our solution to this quandary is, and has been for a long time, to cook for the future – that is, to cook enough for several meals. If the food is delicate and won’t freeze well, we will sometimes have the lunch leftover for dinner.
For foods that will keep reasonably well in the fridge for a day or two, we serve it perhaps the next day, or the day following. For others, we freeze in individual two-serving portions as soon the foods have cooled, serving them perhaps the next week or even next month.
Proper freezing, thawing saves quality
If you follow some basic guidelines for proper freezing, their quality will remain acceptably good. It is important that you freeze foods in suitable containers or bags. I prefer freezer bags, because I can press out most of the air from them; it is oxygen in the air that robs the quality of stored food, frozen or otherwise. A vacuum-sealer gadget should work even better.
You also have to know which foods will not freeze too well, potatoes or cream for instance, although they keep not too poorly in puréed soups.
Proper thawing, too, will help save food quality; for most foods, that should be done overnight in the fridge. But certain items should go straight from the freezer to the oven or fryer. Proper reheating is also important; you must know which food can be microwaved, which should be done in the oven and which on the skillet or in the pot. A reliable toaster oven is essential, since you don’t want to fire up the big one for just reheating 2 servings. It not only will save energy but, more importantly, time as well.
Add new flavors and ingredients
When re-serving meals, there is one neat trick you can pull to make the meal appear and taste fresh, or at least fresher – add a new flavor or some new ingredient as you reheat it. It can be just a delicate touch of a new herb or your favorite wine or wine vinegar; or additions such as separately sautéed peas or chopped vegetable or even cooked pasta or rice. A light touch here plays better.
The kitchen cabinet plays a role, too. A good selection of dried herbs comes very handy – not just the basic parsley, which really adds little in its dried form, but more assertive ones such as oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, dill, mint etc., or perhaps an Italian seasoning mix. Lay off the seasoning salt, though.
If you have some fresh herbs such as cilantro, basil and mint (standard in our kitchen), all the better. A bunch of fresh store-bought cilantro will keep fresh for a week, stood up in a tall glassful of water in the fridge; basil much longer, even out on the counter.
Another way of serving a gourmet meal in minutes is to have certain basic foods in the freezer. These can be quickly defrosted in the microwave, or if you are prone to plan ahead, as my wife is, the item or items can be defrosted overnight in the fridge.
Here are some such staples that we have, biding time in the freezer: Well-marinated and barbecued or pan-grilled chicken breast halves that can then be served in a variety of ways: whole with a salad, or sliced and sauced in several ways.
Barbecued or pot-roasted beef (some cheaper cuts offer great flavor), can be served the same way as above. Plain pilaf or its fancier cousin, the chicken pilaf – cooked with nuts, raisins and, of course, saffron – or just plain cooked basmati rice freezes quite well.
The secret weapon: Cutlets
Our secret weapon, however, is what is known in Indian cuisine as "cutlets." They are commonly made with ground chicken, but ground beef can make fine cutlets, too. (For some very special occasion, they are fashioned out of minced prawn, with the tails inserted into the narrower ends of the teardrop shape as decorative handles; they are rarely frozen though.)
To make "cutlets," a little bit of fresh bread crumbs, diced onion, chopped cilantro and/or mint, together with ground spices and Worcestershire sauce are mixed with the ground chicken or meat. They are shaped into thin tear-drop patties and coated with dry bread crumbs.
We tray the cutlets first, then pack them in freezer bags. Take out what you need, sauté them in oil and a pat of butter, and voilà! You have a gorgeous meal that you can serve with cooked fresh or frozen veggies and garlic toasts.
Next week: I’ll give you the full recipe for cutlets, as well as some other helpful hints .
NOTES FROM OUR KITCHEN
Tray-freezing prepared foods first before placing them in freezer bags keeps the items separate. You can then easily take out whatever you need without having to thaw.
To do so: Brush a baking tray with oil, lay a single layer of the cutlets or whatever without crowding; if you have more, lay a second deck on top, separating the two with parchment or foil. Freeze for a few hours until solid, then pack in a freezer bag, taking out as much air as you can.
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