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Storing Food

jars

In the Vicki Tate article, The 7 Major Mistakes in Food Storage, I learned we need to use our stored foods now, so that we know how to cook them, and our families get used to eating them.

A major hurdle to actually using our stored foods, though, can be all the extra time it takes to prepare them. We just don't have the time! However, with a little preparation and planning using our stored foods can be as fast and convenient as using store bought. One trick is to use homemade mixes! Standard homemade mixes are an immense time saver, but did you know you can inexpensively purchase powdered margarine, vanilla, shortening, cheese, and eggs to use in your mixes?

I discovered this from the Mix-a-Meal Cook Book by Deanna Bean. It goes even further than simple homemade mixes by using dehydrated ingredients to make truly "just add water" convenience! All the benefits of cooking from scratch, but all the convenience of "just add water" mixes. The thing I like the absolute best is that every recipe includes a "mini" version so you can test it and see how your family likes it before making a 10-ton batch.

A second time saver is to make extra and freeze it. For example, when you make tuna salad, make a giant bowlful, then freeze it in meal size portions in ziplock bags. It doesn't take much more effort to make a lot more, but it saves a lot of effort down the line.

"Mixes still take too long, and the freezer might not work!" you say? Well how about the speed and convenience of home-made mashed potatoes in a jar? or your favorite chili or beef stew?

Too expensive if bought at the store, you can easily make your own "canned" meals in just a couple of hours on a weekend afternoon. Come on! You owe it to your sanity and your budget to check it out before you say you don't have time: Home-made "Fast Food" Dinners for Busy Cooks.


Visit my Cooking page for more recipes and great cooking links.

Take a look at some great books about food storage and pantry cooking at the Chickensense Bookstore.