Make Better Use of Your Freezer

In this week’s Minimalist column in the New York Times, Freeze That Thought, Mark Bittman gives advice about how to prevent wasted food and save time on meal prep. The tips are not news to anyone who’s made a habit of putting up a bountiful harvest of produce or saving extra portions, but are still good basic advice. Personally, I never thought of freezing the extra dough rather than eating an entire delicious batch of cheese biscuits! You use your freezer as an extension of your pantry, as a way of extending the life of ingredients that might otherwise go unused or spoil, prepping ingredients for later use, and creating your own frozen dinners.

For more on freezing, canning, and drying foods, see the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

By the way, my daughter has now heard me refer to Mark Bittman so many times that she has asked me whether I was making something out of the “Bittman book.”

ADDITIONALLY: I usually try to mention that, since we live in hurricane country, if you have a lot of money invested in food stored in a chest freezer, you may want to either have a generator for backup power, plan on using up the contents around hurricane season, or have some other alternative plans in place to protect your investment.

I also found this nice guide to freezing at Real Simple: Freezer Fundamentals.