Allen Taylor

Especially regarding the pathogen “danger zone” of temperatures.

2. See #1.

3. Other stocks/broths/liquids: made when I have scraps or remnants, deglazing liquids, etc. Right now my collection includes lamb stock, concentrated chicken braising liquid, and corn stock (made from corn cobs). Reduce to at least 3x strength, to save freezer space.

4. Tasty fats: bacon grease!, chicken fat, skimming from braising liquids, rendered salt pork for chowda, etc. For most recipes that call for bacon, I use the grease instead. It means there’s no bacon in the dish but it’s much faster than chopping the frozen bacon, sauteing it, straining it out, crumbling it, and *then* using the bacon grease. Plus, in my household the bacon never lasts to be put back into the dish anyway.

5. Ice. For rapid cooling and ice water baths. (If I didn’t have an ice maker I probably wouldn’t do this.)

6. Veggie scraps: onion peels, carrot & celery scraps, other scraps suitable for stock making. I also use onion peels to dye hardboiled eggs tan.

7. Flavorful meats: bacon, smoked turkey wing, ham hock or ear, it varies. I freeze the whole package (be it commercial/Hormel or butcher’s). To use I chop off bits from the end. Presto! Instant bacon bits.

8. Bulk herbs & spices: I keep a moderate amount in jars on my counter (actual amount depends on how often I use it), the rest in the cold, dark freezer to prolong shelf life.

9. Frozen shrimp, both cooked (for a fast meal) and raw. Not living right next to a shrimp farm I don’t have access to never-frozen-but-still-fresh shrimp. Shrimp frozen on site is the next best thing. I never buy unfrozen shrimp at the store since it’s all “thawed for your convenience.”

10. Other frozen & Food Savr’d meats: the meats and levels vary over time. The usual suspects include boneless skinless chix breasts, chix thighs w/ bone, pork chops/roasts/tenderloins, pork to grind, interesting sausages.

Looking over the list, I’m struck by what different people consider worth taking the time for, and what they don’t. I make stock in my sleep (sometimes literally), often grind meat, and never throw out a liquid – even liquid from a ham desalting bath, which can be used to boil dry beans. But I don’t render bacon fresh and I don’t process whole chickens even though I use most of the parts.

Go figure.

I try not to tell other cooks what to do but with regards to ginger I’m tempted. I find frozen ginger to be watery and tasteless when it’s defrosted. Instead I slice it thick and store in a jar of rice wine (or dry sherry) in the fridge. Very, very good for Asian dishes and keeps forever. As a bonus you get gingery rice wine as well.

While I agree that pounding your own spices usually yields the best flavor, cinnamon is the exception. Spice makers don’t expect anyone to grind cinnamon from scratch (there’s a reason: it’s really, really hard to get a fine enough powder without manufactoring-level equipment), stick cinnamon is low quality, just good enough to make mulled drinks with.

If you still want to grind your own, you crazy cook you, buy from Penzey’s or The Spice House. They’ll sell you good quality sticks. The supermarket, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, etc., never will.

Scraps for stock include bones, shrimp shells, corn cobs in the summer.

In response to Bittman on beans: I agree that home-cooked beans are far superior in taste & texture. Usually. Goya canned black beans, however, are at least as good as homemade. It’s easy to make homemade if you have a pressure cooker. It takes about 15 min from beginning to end, for any dried bean but chickpea: Put beans and a LOT of water in the cooker, bring to boil, bring to pressure, no more than 10 min. I like to quick presoak first (boil for 2 min, let sit an hour) but ya don’ gotta.

Aaron Kagan: basic corn stock is simmer cobs in lots of water for an hour or two. Drain. If you want to an extra step, let cobs cook then squeeze the liquid out of the cobs.

Emily: I freeze meals in Tellfresh storage containers (good pix on The Container Store’s website). It comes in many dimensions and sizes, all square or rectangular, which saves a lot of space. I put an erasable label on each (again, from The Container Store) so I can easily label each dish with contents and date. Both container and label are machine-washable. Since I have a really large freezer, I keep a list of what I have in it so it doesn’t get “lost.” I scribble on the list when I take something out, and every now and then go to the computer to update and print out a new list. Include the date bought on the list so nothing goes bad on you.

If you must, cheese that you can grate (cheddar, Monterey Jack, Gruyere, Parmesan etc) will freeze and thaw fine IF grated first- in my experience. Obviously, you’ll use the cheese in cooking… Grate cheese, and freeze in small sandwich zipper bag. Put small bags inside large freezer bags. Perfect for lasagna, pizza, fondue, grilled cheese sandwich, souffle etc.

Sylvie