Well, I managed to do it. It is hard to admit but I think everyone has figured it out, already. I put too much on my plate. I went to the super buffet and loaded it up because I forgot that I could take seconds. Each item on my plate brings me tremendous joy (most of the time) but the stuff loaded on the plate is spilling off of it and I’m beginning to have a mess to clean up. Thankfully, I know that the biggest item on my plate–my winter-term class–will be over in just four more weeks (and then I will be in class three nights a week but the learning is spread out over 16 weeks instead of 6 intensive weeks). I’m just wishing I had some Saran Wrap to help me hold everything together in the remaining four weeks!
One huge way to reduce stress, waste, and save money is to be an efficient food manager. Anne mentioned Once a Month Cooking and asked if it was okay to do as a modern retro woman. I say, “Absolutely!” I have long been an advocate of “freezer cooking” as a way of saving time. The great thing about it is that there are very few rules about how to “feed the freezer.” My method simply calls for “encore meals” to be put into the freezer. Since there are only two of us and most recipes serve 4+ people, I wrap up the leftovers into two serving size packages and stick them in the freezer. With that simple trick, I have created my own frozen dinners without all of the salt, high-fructose-corn-syrup, and unpronounceable chemicals that manufacturers have to put into their boxed frankenfood. I use canning jars (straight up and down, not ones with shoulders) and Pyrex storage containers for food storage in both the fridge and freezer. Just be wise and don’t try to put hot foods in glass containers into a freezer, leave head space for expansion, and don’t put the container directly from the freezer into a hot oven. Glass doesn’t like the sudden temperature change.
As you will see from this film from the mid-1950′s, homemakers have been feeding their freezer for a very long time. I have a cookbooklet from Sears from 1962, entitled “How to Prepare Foods for Freezing.” I have even seen some vintage cookbooks with little “freezer friendly” notations next to recipes.
I found this video about how to use plastic wrap (I learned in my textiles class that Saran really is considered a textile–it just isn’t woven like other fabrics). It is about 20 minutes long and provides a few helpful tips–including how to wrap food for the freezer.
Click here to watch video if player doesn’t work
Great! You’re back! We have a GE chest freezer that my grandfather bought in the 1940s. Still have the book that came with it. It’s not frost-free, of course, and we love that steady cold for food preservation. Like you, it’s just the two of us, so we also freeze meals. Not only is it handy for a quick meal but it provides the opportunity for a more varied diet.
Fun video. Loved the housewife in her heels and apron.