Now We’re Cookin’

Here are some helpful hints for cooking day.

One: Organize Your Groceries

On cooking day, assemble all groceries and ingredients necessary for the recipes you’ll be preparing. If you are cooking with others, check the community box (see “Invest in a Community Box”) for any of the bulk items needed for cooking or packaging.

Two: Prepare Your Ingredients

Read through your recipes to determine what items need to be prepared. If you’re cooking with others, divide up and assign each person a task. To make cleanup easier, keep a sink full of soapy water available. When you’re finished with a pan or utensil, let it soak while you’re completing the recipe.

• Chop all the vegetables first. If you’re preparing two different entrées on cooking day, refer to both recipes to see what steps can be combined in food preparation. For example, if both of the dishes call for chopped onions, chop all of the onions you need for both. Then set aside the appropriate quantity of onions for each recipe.
• Prepare the meat or poultry. If the meat or poultry item you’re using needs to be cut up or browned, do that next. You may want to have your butcher cut your meat for you. See “Get to Know Your Butcher”.
• Measure out any liquid or dry ingredients needed. To save time and effort, refer to the equivalency chart in the back of this book when measuring large quantities of ingredients. For example, if you need twelve teaspoons of an ingredient when doubling or tripling a recipe, refer to the chart and measure out four tablespoons or one-fourth cup instead.

Three: Follow the Recipe as Written

Begin to assemble all the prepared ingredients according to the recipe’s directions. If you’re doubling or tripling a recipe, be prepared by having two or three separate mixing bowls or pans to accommodate the larger quantities of food ingredients. Also see “Custom Cooking”.

Four: Cool Food

When applicable, let the prepared food cool and come to room temperature. Doing so will help prevent the ice crystals that form when hot or warm food is packaged prematurely. To speed the cooling process, place pot holders on the shelves in your refrigerator, then place the warm food on the pot holders. Be sure that the hot pans do not touch anything else in your refrigerator. When cool, package according to your family size. See “Packaging and Freezing the Goods”.