Cook'n is the best selling recipe organizer

"Summer time, and the livin’ is easy…” Yeah, well, if you’ve got the “What’s for dinner?” question covered, that is. One approach I often use (besides turning to Rhodes Bake ‘n Serve recipes, that is) is to make meals ahead and freeze them—sometimes known as Once-a-Month-Cooking (OAMC).

It is so joyous to come home after an exhausting outing and not have to worry about dinner. Before we leave I pull something out of the freezer, let it thaw in the refrigerator, and when we crawl into the house I pop our meal into the oven and crash until the timer rings.

I often share my enthusiasm for OAMC with friends and neighbors and consistently hear the same questions. So I thought I might just answer them NOW, in case this mealtime strategy appeals to you this summer as well:

Q) How do you keep track of which meals are still in the freezer?

A) I post a list of all meals on the freezer door, either on paper or a small white board. I always mark them off as I use them. I note what the meal is and when it was put in the freezer. This way I never let any meal “go bad” because I forgot it was in there.

Q) How do I know what will freeze well and what won’t?

A) When I’m unsure, I just freeze a small amount of the night’s dinner as a test. I’ve learned that greasy foods just get greasier when frozen, for instance.

Q) What can I use for freezer containers?

A) Plastic food storage boxes, Tupperware, glass or stainless steel bake ware (I stay away from aluminum), and heavy-duty freezer bags are my choices. I keep an eye out for these at garage sales and thrift stores. Walmart runs sales on them frequently as well. And a hot tip: square and rectangular are better than round or oval just because they are more efficient space-wise.

Q) How do I label things? What sort of labels, pens, etc. do I need and what ought to go on the label?

A) Inexpensive labels applied to the foil before freezing usually work well. When using freezer paper, I write directly on it with a Sharpie marker (this writes on foil also).I write the name of the meal, the date I’m freezing it, number of servings, and any reheating directions or other unusual instructions (i.e. “Sprinkle with grated cheese before baking,” etc.).

And finally, the most common question—the biggie:

Q) I love this idea but don’t have a full day available for a big cooking session. Is there another approach I can use?

A) Absolutely! Cook 3 or 4 meals at a time rather than an entire month’s worth. Any number of meals ahead is better than NO meals ahead! Also, doubling and tripling favorite recipes will help quickly build up a stock of frozen meals. It really doesn’t take more time to make a massive pot of taco meat for freezing extras, than it does to make a single meal’s worth of taco filling.

Do YOU have a meal-related freezing tip you could share? Pass your wisdom and experience on and I’ll share your contributions next time!