Cooking large
Photography by Michael Alberstat
Several months ago I stood in my kitchen and prayed for divine intervention. My sister and one of my best friends, both pregnant and with little ones to take care of, needed help, so I volunteered to do some cooking for them. But when an overtime project came up at work, I realized I was in over my head...(Continued below right)
Continued from above...
I didn’t want to back out of my offer to cook, nor did any of our tight budgets have room for takeout. So how could I do all this cooking and work at the same time?
Desperation hatched a plan: triple my favourite casserole-type recipes and make several at once. I went on a whirlwind trip through the grocery store, then set up an assembly line in my tiny kitchen. Chaos ensued. Food, dirty dishes and plastic wrap were everywhere. Twice I had to interrupt my cooking and return to the store for forgotten ingredients. Despite this, four hours later I had 15 meals in resealable bags sitting in my freezer. I was successful! But was it a fluke? I decided to do it again.
This time I was more organized. Two-and-a-half hours and another 15 meals later, the scope of my discovery became clear. I could just cook once a month, once every two weeks or once a week – whatever worked best for me. I could give meals as gifts. I could cook with friends and share the meals. And best of all, I love the results, the money I save and never having to order in.
So along with The Canadian Living Test Kitchen, we’ve developed an assortment of recipes that are easy to double or triple and give you enough to have on hand for extra meals.
Get ready
• Decide which meals to serve and write them down. (I use a blank calendar and plan meals around my family’s schedule.)
• Inventory your food so you know exactly what you do and don’t have.
• Clean out the fridge to leave plenty of room to properly cool meals.
• Use the monthly menu and food inventory to write your grocery list. Buy in bulk.
• Assemble pots, pans, measuring cups, cutting board, knives and utensils.
• Put recipes in plastic page protectors and tape them to cupboard doors at eye level.
• Set out any canned or dry goods required so everything is right there when needed.
• Chop, grate, dice and slice ingredients that appear in several recipes (such as onions, mushrooms and cheese). Do this a day ahead if possible and refrigerate.
• Save a favourite dish for supper on cooking day. Treat yourself and celebrate a job well done!
Cooking in bulk
• Cook in bulk once a week, every two weeks, once a month or at any interval that works for you.
• Try cooking with a group. Meet two or three friends in one kitchen to cook, chat and share the fruits of your labour.
• Try a new recipe first just in case your family doesn’t like it.
• Keep the sink full of hot soapy water and wash dishes as you go.
• Wash hands frequently, and knives and cutting boards after every use.
• Note new ingredient amounts in pencil on the recipe when doubling or tripling recipes. (I habitually underestimate spices, especially salt. It’s easier to add extra seasonings while reheating than to try to remove them.)
• Prepare dishes that call for the same meat or poultry simultaneously.
• Transfer large amounts of food to shallow containers for faster cooling.
• Let food cool, uncovered, at room temperature for 30 minutes then transfer to the fridge, still uncovered, until completely cooled.
• Double-wrap in heavy-duty plastic wrap or foil or double-bag in resealable freezer bags. Or freeze in airtight freezer containers.
• Date and label each package to be sure of what you have on hand.
• Thaw frozen meals in refrigerator or in microwave, never on the counter at room temperature.
• Stick a list of the meals in your freezer on the refrigerator and cross them off as you eat them. (I love my running inventory! I’m never left wondering what’s at the bottom of my freezer.)
