Living Well

Food

Two Goon

ANNABEL COHEN
Special to the Jewish News

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ooking in quantity
and freezing left-
overs can save time
and money when
cooking for two.
Most people don't need to
be sold on the idea of cooking
ahead. There's no arguing with
the rationale that saving time
and money in meal prepara-
tion makes sense. For large
families, for example, there are
the economies of scale that
confirm buying in bulk is
cheaper than the alternative.
For small families or empty
nesters, cooking ahead makes
a time-consuming chore less
so in the long run. After all,
it's the same work to cook for
two as it is to cook for eight.
At least that's what Gloria
Handelsman of West
Bloomfield thinks. Gloria and
husband Mike Handelsman
have been just two for over 20
years. When daughters Lori
and Julie left the nest for
good, Gloria began to rethink
her cooking strategies.
In general, the
Handelsmans don't eat dinner away
from home very often.
"I know many people who tell me
they almost always eat out," said Gloria.
"Were not big eater-outers. We eat out
socially, only to meet friends. It may be
unusual these days, but we like to eat at
home."
Handelsman prefers a home-cooked
meal for many reasons, but cites health
concerns as the main argument for fir-
ing-up the stove. "I feel it's healthier,"
she said. "People will go out and order
fish thinking it's a healthier choice and
then it comes swimming in butter. And
these are people watching their choles-
terol. When I cook, I can control what
we eat."
Handelsman doesn't cook the way
she used to, however. Twenty years later,
she doesn't make so many desserts.

Cooking, and freezing,

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2001

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for two can be deliciously easy.

"When the kids were home, we used to
make more desserts. We just don't eat
like that anymore."
Other changes are obvious in
Handelsman's menu choices. She's gone
from serving big dinners to much sim-
pler, mostly vegetarian choices.
"Seriously, I cook better now than I
cooked then," said Handelsman. "I cook
more ethnic, more vegetarian and with
more herbs and seasonings."
Handelsman, like many others, has
discovered the economy of freezing left-
overs to enjoy later.
That way, her menas have variety
"When I make vegetarian beans, or
lentils and chick peas, I'll make a whole
pot and freeze the rest for other meals. I
think vegetarian foods like soups and
stews are.best. They have a lot more
ingredients than a piece of grilled fish.

We'll still have the fish, but I make that
fresh just for us. I freeze the other stuff,"
she said.
There are shortfalls when it comes to
freezing foods for later consumption.
One of the biggies is forgetting that
there's food in the freezer. Unidentified
food, stored and forgotten for years in a
basement freezer, has become the crux of
jokes. Another problem comes from the
storing of the food itself While properly
stored foods can be quite delicious even
several months after freezing, improperly
packed and sealed foods can look and
taste unappetizing at least and, worse, be
dangerous to consume.
A few tricks of the freezing trade can
help alleviate these issues. For example,
its best to cool hot foods before freezing
them, to prevent bacteria fiom forming
on die food and to prevent the hot

l'foods from causing the freezer's
temperature to fluctuate.
Temperature fluctuations cause
taste- and texture-altering ice
crystals to form on top of foods.
It's also better to pack foods
in containers that accommodate
them, but not so large as to
dwarf the contents. Too little
food in a large container also
encourages ice crystals to form.
This results in freezer burn.
On the other hand, since
food expands during freezing, it's
important to allow a little room.
If you've ever gone into your
freezer to find that a top or lid
has popped, exposing the con-
tents of the container, expansion
is the culprit.
The best insurance for fresher
frozen food is to use the appro-
priate-size container and wrap
the container in paper or plastic
wrap. Dating a package with
indelible marker and describing
its contents will help with the
mystery packages that can litter
your freezer.
Also knowing which foods freeze
well will contribute to better eat-
ing later. Potatoes lose their con-
sistency when frozen. Dairy
products do not freeze well. And
crispy or crunchy, fried foods almost
always become mushy in the freezer.
Pastas and rice can become harder or
softer when stored for long periods.
On the other hand, cooked roasts
and sauces usually freeze well, as do
soups and stews. What's important to
remember is that when reheating these
foods, sauces and soups may become
quite thick. Liquids should be restirred
or beaten with more liquid for best con-
sistency.
Fresh vegetables benefit from blanch-
ing — cooking quickly in boiling water
and rinsing in cold water — before
freezing.
Handelsman has learned her freez-
ing tricks through trial and error.
When she freezes, she portions food
for two. And rather than prepare large
quantities of rice or pasta, she makes