We’ve always had a stand-alone freezer. And…FYI…I’ll freeze just about anything that isn’t standing still! I don’t know how we would live without one!
Do you freeze whipping cream? Are you crazy you might ask…hang on…I do all the time and it’s proven to come in handy. Thawed out in the fridge, it can be used in cooking. One time, for a lark, I even tried to whip it…guess what? It worked!
Over the years our habits have changed, for one thing we no longer stock up on large amounts of meats to tide us over the fall and winter, as if we live in the bush or something! We just don’t go through that much meat, nor do we entertain as much as we used to. Sure the freezer still gets a work out because of all the breads and other baking, the fruits of summer, grains and nuts used for baking and god knows, those handy-dandy, thank-god for them, leftovers.
Speaking of leftovers, that freezer paid for itself 100 X over in February and March this year! I needed to have TKR (to the uninitiated that’s Total Knee Replacement Surgery). The surgery was supposed to take place in November then January and finally took place in February! The good news, there was loads of time for me to stock up the freezer so that my poor husband wouldn’t have the burden of looking after my needs and cooking everything from scratch. And although he helps in the kitchen, being married to me all these year,s he’s gotten out of practice with preparing our meals. Therefore, it made sense to keep loading up the freezer…and it worked! I think he ordered in twice during those months! Everything is long gone but…
It’s the perfect timing that everything is used up as one’s fancies are turning to lighter fare and best of all barbecuing and grilling, at which Joe excels!
Ciao Phyllis – so glad you are all healed and able to drink wine again, now that the medication phase is over. Re what you say about freezers … I find that they are so comforting just to look at ! It’s all very well for cooks to shun them, and keep only teensy weensy fridges at home because everything has to be bought fresh and not allow for waste etc, but when you are not a professional cook you DO get to have some leftovers that you don’t want to throw away, right? The only trouble with me is that I am not disciplined enough to write what it is I am freezing. It ‘looks’ perfectly identifiable when I put it in the freezer but weeks or months later I will look at something and say: what on earth is that?
Ciao Bella! So nice to hear from you! Those bits are something a home cook should treasure. Labels…absolutely and yes…if they go in there without them…it’s anyone’s guess as to what dinner will turn out to be! But then…surprises can be fun…or not!!! I wish I had a dime for every meal I made from bits in the freezer and Joe calls my soups “scrap soups”…
Yes, the freezer is a god send. I love the idea of a lifestyle where you buy food fresh daily, but who has the time these days? I wish I did… But for the moment, it’s great to put up food for the week or month and have it on hand whenever you want it.
Glad to see you’re back on the mend and blogging again.
Great to hear from you Frank! I would love to shop everyday (if it were possible)…but when it comes to things like OMG those tomatoes are kinda past it…I throw them into the freezer for a sauce or for soups or whatever. Also…there is just the two of us and so guess what…yup…leftovers! I can’t tell you how many pots of soup have been made from them! The other thing is that sometimes I don’t feel like canning a chutney or whatever, so into the freezer it goes. Don’t know what we would do without frozen blueberries and all those raspberries I gather from our backyard!