Your Personal Mise en Place

If you are lucky enough to have a chest freezer separate from your combination refrigerator/freezer in your kitchen, you can really stock up on these items for quick cooking and recipes. It's important to wrap everything very securely, since freezer burn is a nasty side effect of being sloppy.

Freezer burn is actually dehydration of the food, which destroys cell structure and ruins the texture and flavor. So invest in freezer wrap, markers, and thick freezer bags to ensure everything stays in top condition. If you just own a kitchen refrigerator/freezer, keeping things organized is even more important because of reduced space. I like to designate one shelf for each type of product, so organization is easier.

It's a good idea to keep a notebook or pad near your chest freezer or kitchen freezer to write down what's actually in that appliance. Then you can rotate items and keep track of all your advance planning so recipes are a snap.

Freezer Items

• Frozen Meatballs
  I rely so much on frozen fully cooked meatballs. The brand I buy, Armour, is wonderfully flavored, with a tender texture. I never make my own meatballs anymore! Buy the 10 lb. size if you use them a lot, and be sure to tightly reseal the bag after use.
• Meats
  All meats should be well wrapped in thick, high quality freezer wrap. These foods are most susceptible to freezer burn. If you buy ground beef, make thin patties before you freeze, and store them separated by parchment paper, so they thaw more quickly. I keep pork chops, ground beef, stew meat, turkey tenderloins, and salmon steaks and fillets.
• Chicken
  Frozen fully cooked chicken, diced and in strips, flash-frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts, flavored ready-to-cook chicken breasts, breaded chicken patties and chunks are my favorites. Remember that you should never thaw and refreeze meats.
• Vegetables
  The quality of frozen vegetables is really excellent. I depend on whole leaf spinach, baby early peas, corn, broccoli, asparagus, bell pepper stir fry, hash brown potatoes and other potato products, and vegetable mixes. Take some time every month to browse through your grocer's freezer section; new combinations of veggies are constantly being developed.
• Fruits
  I like loose pack blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, peaches, cranberries, and raspberries.
• Frozen Pasta
  Favorites in this category include Soups, Broths and Stocks
  If you take some time to make your own broths and stocks, freezing them in small quantities (in an ice cube tray) will let you store them in heavy freezer bags, then simply drop into the pot when cooking soups, stews, and sauces.
• Nuts
  Many people store nuts in the pantry, but because of their high oil content, they can become rancid very quickly. I freeze nuts, well wrapped, and let them thaw completely before chopping; otherwise they can become mushy.
• Coffee
  Freezing coffee helps preserve its flavor and aromas. Try packaging the amount of coffee you use every day in a filter, then wrapping each tightly and freezing. Then just pop it in your coffeemaker in the morning.
  Breads
  Freezing bread is the best way to preserve flavor and texture. If you slice it before freezing, it's easy to pull out a few pieces and toast in the toaster oven. I also keep some Boboli pizza crusts in the freezer for easy pizzas, and sliced onion rolls.
• Frozen Doughs
  The doughs I use include puff pastry, filo dough, roll doughs, and frozen bread doughs. I've recently begun stocking puff pastry shells and tiny filo shells for main dishes and appetizers.
• Ice Creams And Sorbets
  Keeping these foods on hand means you can quickly offer an easy dessert, topped with sweet toppings, put into a prepared piecrust, or used in parfaits. Novelty products are a good thing to keep on hand for summer snacking.
• Frozen Meals
  I think it's a good idea to store some frozen prepared products like stuffed chicken breasts and potatoes, pizzas and such for emergencies. And you also can make your own meals and wrap them in individual portions, to be reheated in the microwave.
• Vegetarian Products
  I simply love soy protein crumbles. I use that product much more often than ground beef because the flavor and texture are wonderful, and it's easier to work with. Soy-based patties that look like chicken nuggets are also very good. I honestly can't tell the difference between it and the real thing.

Now go to the next page to learn how to stock your refrigerator.