Who doesn’t love shortcuts?
| By Lisa McComsey |
After a long day of work, the last thing I feel like doing is chopping vegetables. Yet, I want to eat a healthy dinner. My solution?
Do what Amy does! She is the prep queen, and she taught me to chop a bunch of stuff when I have a spare half hour or so and store it in the freezer till I need it. Thank God for that woman!
Here are some staples that Amy and I use regularly that you can prepare quickly in advance—then just grab and go as needed.
Carrots
Use frozen in recipes as desired, adding a few extra minutes to recipe to defrost.
- Grab a large bag of baby peeled carrots and pulse in food processor, toss into plastic zip bag, and store in freezer.
- To use: Bang bag on counter to loosen and remove what you need.
- Re-freeze remainder.
Celery
Use frozen in recipes as desired, adding a few extra minutes to recipe to defrost.
- Grab a few heads of celery, clean, remove ends, line up, and chop.
- Toss chopped celery into plastic zip bag and stash in freezer.
- To use: Bang bag on counter to loosen and remove what you need.
- Re-freeze remainder.
Garlic
Use frozen in recipes as desired, adding a few extra minutes to recipe to defrost.
- Buy a tub of fresh, peeled garlic, chop in food processor and freeze in ice cube trays (2 teaspoons of garlic with ½ teaspoon of water per section). When frozen, relocate to plastic zip bag and freeze.
- Or freeze chopped garlic as is, without dividing into cubes. Toss into plastic bag and freeze.
- To use: Bang bag on counter to loosen and remove what you need.
- Re-freeze remainder.
Herbs
It’s so easy to preserve the flavors of your herb garden all year round.
- Remove thick stems.
- Rinse leaves and allow them to dry on a baking sheet.
- Mince leaves or simply store whole in a zip-top freezer bag or container; or portion into ice cube trays and drizzle with oil
- Stow in freezer. (If you chose the ice-cube-tray method, re-locate cubes to a zip-top bag once frozen.)
- Frozen herbs are best used to flavor soups, stews, sauces, and marinades, as they may be too soggy to serve raw in salads or as garnish.
Ginger
Use frozen in recipes as desired, adding a few extra minutes to recipe to defrost.
- Buy a large head of ginger and peel. Snap small knobs for easy peeling of larger head.
- Chop in food processor and freeze in ice cube trays (2 teaspoons ginger with ½ teaspoon water per section). Relocate frozen cubes to plastic zip bag and store in freezer.
- Or just freeze un-cubed ginger in bag
- To use: Bang bag on counter to loosen and remove what you need.
- Re-freeze remainder.
Onions
Use frozen in recipes as desired, adding a few extra minutes to recipe to defrost.
- Buy a bag of onions, peel, chop in food processor, toss into plastic zip bag, and stow in freezer.
- No-more-tears tip: Throw on some ski or swim goggles, and you’ll remain dry-eyed while chopping
- To use: Bang bag on counter to loosen and remove what you need.
- Re-freeze remainder.
Pasta
- Set aside leftover un-sauced al dente pasta (or intentionally make extra) and cool.
- Freeze in plastic zip bag or container.
- Add to warm sauce in pan to defrost.
What are your shortcuts and timesaving tips? Tell us in the comments section below.
Photo by TK.