Comments on: Can Once-a-Month Cooking Really Work?

By: Emma

Emma — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 06:35:53 +0000

I found a very easy way to get started with freezer cooking, without having to plan an entire month of meals in advance, or devote a weekend to cooking (which can be somewhat overwhelming for the first time!):

Slowly, every night when you cook something, get in the habit of thinking: “Can this recipe be doubled/frozen?” If the answer is yes, then make a double or triple batch and throw it in the freezer. Eventually you’ll build up a stock of frozen meals, and get into the habit of cooking extra and freezing.

By: Briana @ GBR

Briana @ GBR — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 23:25:45 +0000

This was a great resource, especially since I’m about to start a diet soon. If I make meals ahead of time, I think I’ll be less tempted to eat out (and badly) during lunch and for dinner. Definitely visiting the site, making my list, and going for it!

By: Diana

Diana — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 06:18:37 +0000

It has actually been a slow month for me because I’ve been knee-deep in computer problems (I do have my priorities, after all), but I did want to mention that cooking this way, whether it’s for a week or a month, isn’t as difficult as it might seem. a few days ago, for instance, I made spagetti and meat sauce. I had one serving and put 6 double servings into the freezer. I also put on a pot of kidney beans for the chili con carne I was making yesterday. The crockpot did all the work. All I had left to do was to brown the meat, add the tomatoes, tomato paste, spices and let it do it’s thing. Had some chili for lunch, and put the rest in 5 double serving bags for the freezer. The beans I didn’t use to make the chili went into a freezer bag for a future recipe. I decided against making the stuffed cabbage rolls today because I was pressed for time, so I came up with a new version that I’ll call ‘cabbage rolls unwrapped’. I just made meat balls with ground beef, an egg, precooked rice, minced onions, salt and pepper. Instead of precooking the cabbage and going through all the work of coring it, burning my fingers getting the leaves off, etc., I just cut about half of the uncooked head into thick strips. I layered the bottom of my crockpot with the cabbage, then covered that with the meat balls, another layer of cabbage, another layer of meatballs, and then covered those with leftover cabbage leaves. I poured a can of tomato sauce over the top, then brown sugar, and raisins. Total prep time, not including cooking the rice, was only about 10-15 minutes. The kitchen smells heavenly and when it’s ready in the morning, I’ll have enough for 7-8 servings. I made a large bowl of cole slaw with the remaining cabbage. The beauty of packaging things up in 1-2 serving packages is partly because they thaw quicly. But, I’ve also found that it’s almost like putting money in the bank when I send some of packages to the chest freezer out in the shed. I intentionally cooked more rice than I needed for the cabbage rolls and froze it in several packages, too. It will become rice pudding, spanish rice, broth and herb flavored rice side dishes, and my breakfast cereal, too. One of my favorite breakfast Mom used to make was white rice with raisins cooked in, milk and brown sugar. If 30-days is too much to think about, I’d recommend taking it more slowly. A couple of once-a-weeker’s will convince most people that it’s a pretty darned good idea.

By: Aryn

Aryn — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 20:13:55 +0000

I like once-a-month cooking in theory, but I’ve never tried it in practice because I actually try not to make the same thing more than once every 2-3 months. So, I’d have to cook 30 dinners at once, and that’s just not practical. I do freeze extra portions of fall/winter foods like chicken pot pie, turkey and bean soup, and chili. Then it’s a treat when I dole them out two months later!

By: Cheryl

Cheryl — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 16:59:16 +0000

Avery labels don’t stay stuck very well at freezer temperatures. I go for a sharpie pen and freezer tape, or write on the sealed edge of the vacuum sealer bag as it will be cut off when opened.

By: de

de — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 16:47:25 +0000

I did once a month cooking for several years, then switched to “batch” cooking. You would be surprised how many meals will fit into a refrigerator’s freezer if you freeze them flat in ziplocks and store them like books. I use 8×8 pans and pop them out when frozen. They fit perftectly in gallon zip locks, and I can them put them in a square glass pan to defrost in the microwave.
The Frozen Assets yahoo group archives are a great resource, as are the books by the group’s moderator. Googling OAMC plans will turn up menus from vegan to low carb.
Batch cooking and prepping ingredients for the freezer, along with my slow cooker have saved us tons on not eating out after a long day. It is worth researching and trying it out regardless of your circumstances, unless maybe you live out of the back ofyour van or in a hotel.

By: Evita

Evita — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 16:35:04 +0000

….. and I second Gail’s suggestion about the labeling. I freeze a lot of dishes for my Dad and keep a masking tape dispenser and sharpie in the kitchen. These “labels” are very cheap, quick, and easy to remove without residue before putting the container in the dishwasher.
Avery labels are a luxury for me. And not very eco-friendly….

By: Evita

Evita — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 16:30:07 +0000

Well Trent….
Have you REALLY tried it for a full month?
DOES IT WORK FOR YOU ?
- is it practical ?
- is it economical ?
- are there pitfalls ?
do tell!

By: Gail

Gail — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:42:32 +0000

Let’s take savings to a new level. Forget the Avery label maker. Use a piece of masking tape and a sharpie to label and date what the item is. The masking tape never falls off, and is so much more economical than spending more money on new stuff you don’t need. Just a thought…

By: cherie

cherie — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 10:42:14 +0000

I have done OAMC but much prefer bulk/batch cooking – have done it for years and want to put, in big print, some advice that is not loudly announced enough:

DON’T FREEZE RECIPES IN BULK YOU HAVE NOT TRIED!

There’s nothing worse than a freezer filled with things no one likes that you spent time and money on

Freeze what your family likes after eating it once, but freeze only one, and make sure they like it after it’s frozen [and if they don't ask someone who knows better if you could have frozen it differently or at a differentpoint in the prep]

Only when it’s been successful should you invest time and money in making more than one

By: holly

holly — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 09:06:06 +0000

There are people online in assorted grocery shopping/cooking sites that absolutely swear by cooking this way – and it is often a 2 day process; one for prep & one to actually cook. I do want to get into making things like the breakfast burritos and healthy muffins so I am better prepared but I already batch make pancakes, waffles and 2 serving egg dishes.

For me as a single person household, I prefer once a week. I want to get the highest value for my limited grocery dollar so I watch sale & clearance prices to determine what I make. This week its was 3 ½ lb of chicken legs, roasted; then I removed the skin & deboned Weighed out 3 oz portions – got 6 servings. Ate one on cooking day and froze the rest to become: stir fry, fajitas, chicken pot soup, chicken/veg/pasta, chicken & avocado tostadas…….later this week or over the next few weeks.

Last week I made my Mom’s swiss steak: chuck steak, can of diced tomatoes, bell pepper and sliced mushrooms – ALL bought on sale and got 5 servings. Ate 1 serving-rest in the freezer. I have lentil stew, pot roast, chicken soup, roast beef, browned ground turkey (tacos, taco salad) and a few other things in the freezer right now. I will be making chili and lasagna in the near future. Lunch is generally a sandwich, soup or planned leftovers. Dinner prep time is about 15 minutes.

Two weeks ago it was individual meat loaves & garlic mashed potatoes – still have about 4 servings in the freezer.

I also buy things like cilantro, onions, mushrooms, berries and bell peppers at rock bottom sale prices and prep (clean, cut into usable pieces) and freeze as they occur. Why should I pay $1.99/lb for bell pepper in January when I can buy it now for $0.49/lb?

By: Diana

Diana — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 08:59:07 +0000

I love the once-a-month cooking idea and use it myself. I don’t follow anyone else’s plan, but mine works perfectly. For one thing, I don’t try to overplan the quantities I’ll end up with. It would be impossible, considering that I use the same cut of meat to make a variety of entree’s (eg. several pounds of hamburger might be made into spagetti sauce, chili con carne, taco filling, and stuffed cabbage rolls). I just separate out what I need for what I want to make, and keep making more things until I’ve used it all up. In other words, when I make up my menu prior to shopping, I have a general idea of what I’ll be making and buy the ingredients to make them. Then, as I finish each entree, I separate them out into 2-3 serving sizes per quart size freezer bag or in aluminum foil, as appropriate. No labels yet. All those entrees will be placed inside a gallon size freezer bag and I just lable that one. I do the same with my side dishes. It’s important that when you put things in the plastic bags that you get the excess air out and flatten the bag down to freeze without wrinking. That will prevent them from sticking together as much. I also make most of my desserts this way. Granted, there was some trial and error to get things right, but the benefits are nothing short of astounding. I do it all in the 3-4 days following my shopping trip, but literally don’t cook for at least a month thereafter. At first, I used only my small freezer in the fridge, but have since employed a small chest freezer which is getting fuller and fuller. I could already (this is only for the past 4 months) eat for a month without shopping now. My savings is HUGE and the variety is wonderful. There is simply no waste at all. Oh, and something I do that I have heard isn’t recommended, but has never been a problem is quick defrosting. I put the indivdual plastic bag in a dishpan of hot water long enough to easily remove it from the bag and put it in a microwave dish on defrost. It takes almost no time this way. If the bags get too stuck, I put the gallon bag into warm water just long enough to get them apart, and return the rest to the freezer. Have never had a problem doing this. I always have something to feed unexpected (or expected) guests, and get to enjoy the company instead of spending hours preparing for one meal, too. No downside in my book.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 00:46:40 +0000

I do this a lot, although not 100%. Things like lasagna and enchiladas take about the same amt of time to prep regardless if you make one or 3 pans. So I make multiple pans and the extras go in the freezer for later. Same with soups, chilli, bread, etc. I also freeze pizza crust, sauce, pie crust etc for fast prep without using store bought.

We use a freezer meal about 2 times a week, sometimes less, or more. Like this weekend I am laid up after foot surgery and on Vicodin, which means I am not good for much, but can tell husb to pull this out, set temp, set timer, etc. We have been eating healthy meals rather than take out because I planned ahead.

This sort of thing is great for when babies arrive too.

By: AK

AK — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 23:23:57 +0000

I have a standard side-by-side freezer and have cooked enough breakfasts and lunch/dinners for DH, a toddler and me for a month or more. It took a little of planning, but it all fit.

By: Peggy

Peggy — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 22:54:19 +0000

@ #6 Leah – It’s just me and my hubby, and I do batch cooking in a standard over-the-fridge freezer. I freeze soups, stews, sauces, and casserole fillings in zipper bags (the quart size works well for the first three; gallon size for the last), stacked on top of each other.

I should add that I alternate using pre-made things like that with cooking chicken or pork chops. That combination seems to offer the most flexibility for the least effort, at least for my family of two.

By: LeahGG

LeahGG — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 21:29:38 +0000

Cheryl and ValleyCat – Why do things take so long to defrost?
If it’s something that’s likely to take a long time to defrost, then I shove it in the microwave for a bit…

By: Cheryl

Cheryl — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 20:03:43 +0000

#5 You don’t have to wait an hour and a half for something frozen to cook. Take it out the night before and put in frig to thaw. Then it only takes the regular amount of time to cook.

There used to be a OMAC site that advocated putting the finished dish in a ziplock bag and flattening it out so many bags could be stacked in a frig top freezer. I prefer freezing in square shapes, then take them out of the container and vacuum sealing. Then I take out of the bag and thaw in the original container.

By: Teri Pittman

Teri Pittman — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 16:19:28 +0000

recipezaar has both menus and grocery lists. I don’t do once a month cooking. I do bulk cooking on the weekends (bread/pot of beans/one other dish that can be reheated for a couple of meals).

By: LeahGG

LeahGG — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 15:33:34 +0000

This might work if you have a chest freezer, but if you have a standard fridge on the bottom, freezer on top model and you have more than one person in your family, this is a non-starter, I think. Besides, things like chicken are so easy to make that I’d rather cook them fresh each time.
And yes, you didn’t answer the question you asked in the title.

By: valleycat1

valleycat1 — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 15:25:11 +0000

It’s just my DH & me at home & we have very limited freezer space, so this doesn’t really work for us. Not to mention the storage space needed beforehand if you’re trying to gather the ingredients on sale over time.

However, neither of us minds leftovers – either actual repeats or a remake into something else (roast chicken to stir fry to chicken pot pie to chicken enchiladas, for example), so we often do cook a big meal on the weekends and then some version of that for lunches and/or dinners a number of days afterwards.

I also would usually rather put together a quick fresh meal than wait an hour and a half or more for something frozen to bake. For awhile when this was the big thing, there were actually storefronts you could go to put together the meals – but there was no price savings by the time you paid for all their prep work!

I’m somewhat with Johanna on this too – I expected this to be about how this worked for you, rather than something you’re planning to do but expect it to work based on the cookbook’s say-so. I’m guessing we’ll be seeing some cooking marathon articles & hopefully some “look what delicious meal I pulled out of the freezer tonight and let cook while we were all outside playing while Sara was at school open house ….”