FRUGAL FRIDAYS: How To Use Your Freezer To Save Big Bucks
01.01.70
Second, just because you have a huge freezer doesn’t mean you have to fill it to bursting. Just like with any stockpile, moderation is the key. The people on the Extreme Couponing show would have us believe that more is better. (I really hate that show, but that’s for another article!) However, always be mindful of how much you are actually going to use. Again, throwing out food is not cost effective.
Third, it is a good idea to label your food with what it is and the date it was frozen. Food is not always identifiable after it is frozen so labeling saves you from taking out chicken for dinner and then having pork to cook. (Er . . . yeah, I learned that one from experience.) Putting the date on packages also ensures you use the oldest items first. Just like a non perishable stockpile, you always want to rotate your stock.
Although not everyone has the space or funds to have a stand alone freezer, the tips above can be used with your regular freezer as well. Just remember to think beyond your weekly grocery needs when you do your shopping and plan your meals around what is on sale and what you have in your stockpile.
Source: Connecticut Watchdog
Passion for Food: Take your Thanksgiving pie sky high
01.01.70
Your fridge and freezer are a pastry maker's best friends. Chill everything: bowl, flour, any fats, the rolling pin, the water or liquid, which should be icy cold. Butter and shortening can be frozen without becoming solid. This is especially true when using a food processor to make pastry.
Cool water is not cold enough for optimum crust. Consider spooning iced water into pastry one tablespoon at a time, fluffing and lifting through the mixture with a fork as it is added.
Resting dough in the fridge for about 30 minutes before rolling out is essential to most pastries. This helps keep the dough from shrinking when it bakes. Oil-based pastries can be chilled in the fridge after rolling out or for crumb-based crusts after patting into pie tin or plate.
Chill your counter space for rolling out dough. Remove some frozen vegetables from your freezer and place them in the area where dough will be rolled out. After five minutes, return the bags to the freezer and used the chilled area to roll out the dough. Roll out both crusts for double crust pies and keep the top crust in the fridge on a baking sheet until ready to use.
Source: NewsOK.com