Sunday Morning Food Prep
Other
I have just spent an hour or so prepping, blanching and bagging up parsnips and potatoes for the freezer. I have the slow cooker on full of chopped veg which will hopefully deliver a healthy veg stew tonight or may be blended down into a soup.
I have little time for cooking on weekday evenings so am always glad I have done this when I have a few hours to spare on Sundays. Can anyone else share ways to save time and money.
Last year I bought a food dehydrator and, although I don't use it weekly it has been very useful. I love to cook and so this gadget allows me to dry and store in smaller airtight bags, taking up less room than cooking and freezing. I had a glut of home-grown tomatoes last summer and was able to bag up base sauces to freeze and then dehydrate slices of tomato for snacks. (the flavours of dehydrated veg and fruits become intense and sweet)
Lynibis I believe Americans have been drying foods for a long time and consider it a way of life - it's really becoming popular here too. It is unbelievably easy and there is a certain pleasure in drying foods that would otherwise spoil. I have a Vonchef if that helps your search.
In the past when I had a large garden parsnips, carrots, peas, rasps, currents, plums and gooseberries went straight in the freezer without pre-prep or blanching. Give the bag a bash and they all separate so easy to take out the quantity you want.
I must admit that, although I love gardening, I have never produced large quantities/varieties of food. I hope to do more when retired. You are right, and I certainly wouldn't bother prepping soft fruits but will blanch, cool and dry stuff like potatoes, parsnips, Swede etc. I find that the potatoes roast beautifully straight from the freezer into hot fat and because I lightly dust with flour before freezing they are lovely and crispy too. I also freeze single portions of mash, so handy when I want a quick meal with boil in the bag fish and veg.
Mango4 yes I cook the potatoes, mash thoroughly (with lots of butter lol) and when cold pack into clean Chinese takeaway boxes (doing my bit for the planet lol) and stack in freezer.
So far I haven't microwaved as I love to fry mash or, if the oven is going on, I put in an ovenproof dish and before it comes out sprinkle some grated cheese over it ....yum!
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