Fix, Freeze, Feast - Kati Neville [7]
If a sauce or marinade tastes too salty to you before it goes into the freezer, you can make the sauce again, this time omitting all salt or bouillon that the recipe calls for. Mix the two sauces together. You can use the same method for a marinade, or you can add plain chicken broth or apple juice a teaspoonful at a time until the saltiness has been diluted. Please don’t taste sauces or marinades that contain raw meat!
FIND THERE’S TOO MUCH FLAVOR? Like salt, vinegar and alcohol can impart a strong, pronounced flavor. If you decide there’s too strong a vinegar or alcohol flavor for your taste, adding plain chicken broth, apple juice, or water will help balance the dish.
FIND THERE’S NOT ENOUGH FLAVOR? If you taste something before it goes into the freezer and think its flavor should be stronger, resist the temptation to doctor the seasonings. Many flavors intensify in the freezer. If you need to, you can adjust the seasoning when you cook the entrée.
BREAK OR TEAR A FREEZER BAG? Breakage is rare, and there are simple ways to keep your freezer bags intact. Hot sauces can weaken a freezer bag; that’s another reason we advise you always to cool food before placing it in a bag. Bags full of sauce or soup tend to freeze into very hard packages, so it’s best to move them very little once they’re frozen.
If you damage a bag before an entrée has been frozen, carefully transfer the contents to a new freezer bag. If you discover a tear in a bag after the food has been frozen, put the whole entrée, broken bag and all, into a new freezer bag.
FORGET TO PUT FOOD INTO THE REFRIGERATOR/FREEZER? This one can be a heartbreaker. We’ve heard a few stories from cooks who inadvertently left an entrée on the counter too long. Perishable food must be stored at a temperature below 40ºF, or it is considered unsafe to consume. Please do not risk your health; throw away any food that has not been held at a safe temperature.
SOMETIMES A MISTAKE LEADS TO A NEW FAVORITE: Sometimes you don’t realize your error until it’s too late. While testing recipes, both of us made mistakes measuring ingredients. We had to laugh at our rookie errors, but we were pleased to find that some new versions turned out better than the originals.
HELPFUL TIPS FOR PACKAGING AND FREEZING
Carefully packaging and freezing your entrées will ensure the best quality when it comes to dinner time. Here are some tips.
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO . . .
POUR SAUCE INTO FREEZER BAGS? This can be a messy procedure. Here’s what we’ve found works best: Save cracker boxes, large plastic sour cream or cottage cheese tubs, or the enormous #10 cans (such as those used in the Basic Red Sauce recipe), being careful to leave a smooth edge when removing the lid. Put the freezer bag inside one of these containers and fold the top of the bag over the rim of the container. This will hold your bag open and prevent spills while you measure or pour in ingredients.
MIX MARINADES? Many of the marinades can be made in a large, clear liquid measuring cup instead of a bowl. This will help take the guesswork out when dividing the sauce among the bags.
STORE THE FINISHED ENTRÉES? We recommend always using heavy-duty freezer bags. Don’t use regular storage bags. Our recipes most often call for 1-quart and 1-gallon freezer bags, which are available in bulk at the warehouse store. Two-gallon and 1-pint freezer bags are called for occasionally and can be found at the grocery store.
PREVENT ICE CRYSTALS? Remove as much air as possible from each bag before sealing and placing it in the freezer. This will increase the freezer life of the food and keep ice crystals from forming.
AVOID LEAKS? If you’re packaging meat with bones, such as pork chops or ribs, double-bag the entrée to help avoid leaks. Simply fill the first freezer bag and seal it. Then place the sealed bag inside a second bag. Label the outer