It’s Always Freezer Season: How to Freeze Like a Chef with 100 Make-Ahead Recipes

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. (Apr.)