I’ve told you before that I’m a newbie. While I frequently split a recipe into multiple pans or simply make more to freeze, I’ve never spent 8 or more hours in the kitchen in one day cooking meals for a whole month.
I really have very little idea of what I’m getting myself into, and that might be a good thing! Here are a few questions I have about getting organized for once a month cooking, with some possible solutions. Help a girl out, will ya, and chime in so I’m ready for the big day!
I have very little counter space. How do I make the most of it during my OAMC day?
- Clean as you go. I do have a dishwasher, but it’s only used a couple times a week. I never stick anything in there that I’m going to need in the next 24 hours unless it is full and ready to run. A sink full of hot, sudsy water will likely be refilled time and time again on my OAMC day.
- Scotch tape. My plan is to hang recipes and instructions on my cabinets so they don’t get buried or ruined by spills.
How many bowls, pans, utensils will I need that day?
- I have no earthly idea. (Newbie!) I imagine that most of what I have will be used, and used, and used again. Hence the sink full of hot water.
- On the printable grocery list, Tricia indicates that we’ll need twenty 8×8 pans (in addition to some other containers). Yikes! I don’t have that many. Keep in mind that 1/2 of them are for your cooking partner. Hear that, Sherry? Bring some pans!
I have several pans that are about that size, so I likely will employ my favorite freezing trick and just use more ziplock bags and foil rather than more pans.
Where am I going to put all of this food?
- For the next two weeks, we’ll be cleaning out our freezers. Yes, I have three freezers, so storage isn’t that big a deal to me. Still, as they are now, that food won’t fit. We need to eat and reorganize. Some of you are wondering how you’re going to fit it all in your one refrigerator freezer. Lucky for you, my friend Kate is an expert freezer organizer. She’ll give you some tips and tricks next week.
What else do you need to know? What else do I need to know, other than the obvious note to self: clean the kitchen and have an easy lunch ready so we don’t have to stop cooking to… cook!
Love these ideas. I am a total newbie. What will you be cooking or have you decided yet. I would have no idea what freezes well and what doesn’t.
We’re going to follow the Once a Month Mom February menu for the most part. There are a few recipes on her list that won’t work for us, so we’ll substitute. She’s really good about using recipes that freeze well.
Great idea to tape your recipes up … so smart!! Make sure you have at least one really, really, really big bow. Like as big as you can find. If you don’t have alot of counterspace, do you have a folding table you could use? Totally not necessary but I happened to have an extra one & it was super handy! Here’s a recap from my first attempt http://itscome2this.com/2009/10/works-for-me-wednesday-once-a-month-cooking/
Just have fun!!! You won’t want to cook for a while, but you won’t have to – you’ll have a month’s worth of food!!!
Yes, I do have a folding table! And… I completely forgot about the drop-leaf table in the corner of my kitchen. It’s filled with papers right now, but that will be motivation to clean it up.
I’m totally with you on a HUGE bowl. I don’t know Meredith and I would have survived the cooking day without the one she brought. We’re talking go to a commercial kitchen store and find one for cheap.
Okay, being a complete newbie, I just checked out the shopping list. While I am a frugal shopper when i can get there, this list is long and items can be expensive if they are not already ‘in stock’ in my pantry or freezer or super frugal at the stores. How are you doing it?
Yes, the list is long. That kind of freaked me out, too. The way I understand it is that Tricia publishes the list a month in advance so that we have a month to scour sales and stock up. That way we’re not doing it all at once. The meat price would really scare me, but I have a freezer full of locally grown beef and pork that I plan to use. I’ll be looking at what’s on sale for the next two weeks and then filling in with what’s left right before the big cooking day.
I would recommend investing in two “Mama Jama” (that’s big/huge in our house). When you’re mixing multiple recipes of things, it REALLY helps to have the HUGE bowls.
Also, for extra counter space, you can use your kitchen table and put cutting boards across the sink if you need to. Of course, the sink idea won’t work if yours if full of water.
I’ve also read of people setting up a card table in the living room and putting all the crock pots in there to save counter space.
Can’t wait to hear how it goes!
I have two pretty big bowls… guess I’ll find out just HOW BIG they are, huh?! I don’t have a kitchen table… OH WAIT! I DO! It’s just filled with paperwork and stuff right now. Note to self: clean it off! (We don’t eat at it.)
Thanks for the tips! I hope that in March I will be able to do my first freezer meals day!
I have been an avid freezer cook for years – it’s the only way to live! Ok, so here are a few suggestions:
1) If at all possible, get any vegetable chopping done the day before. So many recipes call for chopped onion, I get out my chopper and get it all done at once. Or buy frozen pre-chopped onions, jarred minced garlic, and other time saving items. Check, double check, and triple check your list – especially for things like salt or vinegar or other things you might just assume you have, but don’t.
2) I know you said this already, but start the day with an empty dishwasher and a clean kitchen. For some reason I find it impossible to cook unless the kitchen is spotless, even though I know it will soon be a disaster.
3) Get as much bang for your buck time-wise, by planning your day carefully. I know this seems obvious, but you can cram a LOT of cooking into one day with careful planning. If you are cooking things in the crockpot, start something the night before. It will be ready for the freezer when you wake up. You can have something accomplished before you even have a second cup of coffee! Get things that are long-cooking going first (like stews or soups) and then when they are ready to just simmer away, you can begin something else.
4) Be aware that filling your freezer with hot foods all at one time will be very taxing on it. Try to stagger the times when you will be loading it with hot foods so everything freezes as quickly as possible. You can cool things in the fridge before you bag them up and freeze them.
5) If you are prepping things that will need to be cooked on serving day, make sure you print directions on the bag or if they are complicated, print them out on your printer and slip them in the package. Don’t assume that your husband understands what temperature to cook meatloaf on, or that he knows to uncover it. IfyouknowwhatImean. The best part of freezer cooking is that other people can make dinner happen, so give directions that are geared to the least-cooking-knowledgeable person likely to make dinner.
Sorry, I guess I got a little preachy there! Well, you asked for it! Have fun and let us know how it goes!
Good luck! I’ve done some large-amount cooking, but it’s usually to give away meals. I probably would benefit from cooking like this too!
Oh, I do so want to try this. I’ve been wanting to do OAMC for some time now. The only problem – I only have the freezer above the fridge – and it is definitely not adequate for this kind of food prep and storage. Is a TAMC (Twice a Month Cooking) session allowed? I might be able to figure out how to fit half of the meals in my freezer – it would definitely be a challenge, but I think I’m up to it!
Keep in mind that the recipes are made to be shared with a friend. Two meals for each of you with each recipe. You could make 1/2 of that or just pick 1/2 of the recipes and do your twice a month cooking idea. Whatever works!
Ok, I am going to do this! *excited* First time doing a COMPLETE menu like this. Hope I have enough freezer space (just have the one above the fridge).
Question: Are you and Sherry splitting the shopping list and each buying half of the items, or is one of you doing all the shopping and then splitting the cost?
I’ll get back to you on that one.
We haven’t actually figured out those details… I’m pretty picky about my meat, so I’m going to lobby to provide at least the beef and split the cost. The rest? Don’t know yet!
Amy you are brilliant! Even I hadn’t thought of taping up the recipe cards!