It's Always Freezer Season

January 18, 2021
Christensen and Goalen (Poole’s: Recipes and Stories from a Modern Diner) combine professional chefs’ tricks of the trade with practical advice in this clever guide to making the most of one’s freezer. The authors support their contention that the freezer “will help you cook delicious, flavorful meals in less time,” with a tutorial on the particulars of expiration dates, which foods can be frozen and which shouldn’t, how to reheat frozen foods, and how to defrost them properly. Recipes range from freezer-friendly meals to frozen drinks and pantry staples. Pistachio croissant French toast and tortilla pie can be frozen for up to six months when cut into single-sized portions, while chicken and dumplings calls for frozen corn. Using par-cooked risotto for rice dishes and a frozen chai concentrate for chai tea lattes promise easy assembly, and a delicious frozen pimento cheese butter comes in handy as a quick-melting topping for baked potatoes, grilled steak, and roasted oysters. The authors also include handy tips on using vacuum sealers (recommended) and the most suitable storage containers. This book will spur even experienced home cooks to see their freezers in a new light.

April 1, 2021

While testing recipes for their first cookbook, Poole's, the authors often froze excess prepared ingredients (like herbed b�chamel) to use later in quick meals. Now they teach readers how to strategically use their home freezers. Unlike Carole Jones's The 30-Minute Cooking from Frozen Cookbook, which uses store-bought frozen items, this book encourages caching a homemade supply of versatile prepared frozen items to jump-start dinner or entertain on a whim. The first part of the book covers fundamentals of freezing, including professional tips on packaging and organization from James Beard Award-winning chef Christensen. Chef Goalen brings her expertise to later chapters that focus on recipes for building blocks and fully composed, flavorful dishes that freeze well, such as snacks and casseroles. This welcome guide is approachable enough for beginners, but experienced cooks will also learn new tricks. In addition to an index, there is a helpful key that lists the recipes by course. VERDICT This fabulous cookbook will make readers seriously rethink what they store in their freezers so they can assemble restaurant-quality meals quickly and easily. Recommended for anyone with freezer space.--Bonnie Poquette, Milwaukee

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