Time saving cooking March 29, 2017, 04:14:20 pm Vacu packing meals. I don't know if anyone else does this. But it sure saves time when you are on the road. Also saves propane and water. A few weeks before we leave on a trip I start cooking extra large meals at home. And vacu pack the extras for quick meals. Stuff like taco meat , pasta sauce, stew all work good. I even do smoked meats like pulled pork, ribs and chicken. A few minutes in the microwave and food is ready. Even breakfast sausage and bacon does well cooking ahead of time and saves having a greasy mess to clean up. Anyone else do this? 1 Likes
Re: Time saving cooking Reply #1 – March 29, 2017, 05:29:03 pm Quote from: Duro - March 29, 2017, 04:14:20 pmVacu packing meals. I don't know if anyone else does this. But it sure saves time when you are on the road. Also saves propane and water. A few weeks before we leave on a trip I start cooking extra large meals at home. And vacu pack the extras for quick meals. Stuff like taco meat , pasta sauce, stew all work good. I even do smoked meats like pulled pork, ribs and chicken. A few minutes in the microwave and food is ready. Even breakfast sausage and bacon does well cooking ahead of time and saves having a greasy mess to clean up. Anyone else do this?A lot of folks do this.We prepackage cooked casseroles, turkey meatloaf and other things we eat at home. We also prep and package dinner-size portion of raw meats, fish and turkey burgers, to minimize the mess in the LD.If you like bacon and hate cooking it, Costco sells precooked, bacon crumbles. It required no refrigeration until opened.It is the same bacon that Costco sells in raw form. Throw a handful into frying pan or microwave, for a minute or less, to crisp it up. A 20-oz bag goes a long way. Store in the freezer after opening.Kirkland Signature Crumbled Bacon, 20 ozLarry 2 Likes
Re: Time saving cooking Reply #2 – March 29, 2017, 05:48:37 pm Quote from: Larry Wade - March 29, 2017, 05:29:03 pmIf you like bacon . . .If? Does anyone not like bacon?!?! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lizAVmZ43wM 1 Likes
Re: Time saving cooking Reply #3 – March 29, 2017, 05:52:24 pm Quote from: Duro - March 29, 2017, 04:14:20 pmVacu packing meals. I don't know if anyone else does this. But it sure saves time when you are on the road. Also saves propane and water. A few weeks before we leave on a trip I start cooking extra large meals at home. And vacu pack the extras for quick meals. Stuff like taco meat , pasta sauce, stew all work good. I even do smoked meats like pulled pork, ribs and chicken. A few minutes in the microwave and food is ready. Even breakfast sausage and bacon does well cooking ahead of time and saves having a greasy mess to clean up. Anyone else do this?My wife has been talking about getting one of these for home use since we do not have a lot of shopping opportunities where we live, and tend to buy in bulk to freeze things for future use. I like the idea of vacuum-packed pre-cooked meals! Any recommendations for a vacuum packing machine?
Re: Time saving cooking Reply #4 – March 29, 2017, 06:04:55 pm Greg we just have a basic Foodsaver brand. We have had it a long time years and years and it still works good. 1 Likes
Re: Time saving cooking Reply #5 – March 29, 2017, 06:40:17 pm I've "vac-packed" foods for home and travel use for many years; my very old, no-frills Food Saver still works, but it's about to be replaced with a similar model, possibly the FM 2000 or the "Wingman wild game" variation. I vac-pac mainly meal-size portions of meats (raw and cooked), but also use the machine to package cooked brown rice or quinoa, taco fillings, GF pasta dishes, chili, enchiladas, roasted ad peeled chiles and peppers, vegetables for soups, fruits, and anything else that is "vacuum-able", including cheeses, stews, beans, casseroles, and soups; any "soupy" food is frozen in a Pyrex container first, then sealed into a Food Saver bag.I don't microwave any foods in the bags; the Food Saver bags are advertised as being BPA-free, but I'm not a fan of the combination of food, plastic and heat. For my purposes, the 8" roll works best to make custom-size bags; the rolls are less expensive in multi-packs. Some people prefer the 11" rolls, and some prefer the ready-made bags; YMMV. (And, I do not re-use the bags; another YMMV issue.) I do label and date the contents; it's usually obvious what the stuff is inside, but since I also vac-pac the dog's meats, labeling eliminates any surprises. For me, the vacuum sealer is an essential food prep tool; it does a great job of preserving foods in an airless package and its use can save money and space in the home or RV freezer and refrigerator, eliminate waste, and provide a lot of variety. 3 Likes
Re: Time saving cooking Reply #6 – March 29, 2017, 07:20:51 pm "I like the idea of vacuum-packed pre-cooked meals!Any recommendations for a vacuum packing machine?"I have two of these machines . . . both tucked neatly away in Narnia's closet! I tried out the system, but found that the plastic was too bulky. Like Joan, I don't cook in or re-use the plastic material, and for the same reason(s).In the fiscal scheme of things, each packet equaled about fifty cents - not a bad price to pay when compared to dining out. BUT - the bulk finally got to me. Now I freeze whatever I want to take along in a thin sandwich bag (the kind with the foldover top), which clings nicely to almost everything, eliminating freezer burn. When frozen, I pop those items into a freezer bag, label and put them back into the freezer to await the next excursion. When that time comes along, I just grab a few of the freezer bags until the Lazy Daze freezer is sufficiently filled. For soupy items, then a zip top sandwich or one-quart freezer bag is the first line of defense, but the remaining steps are the same.This does take some judicious "book"keeping to keep your inventory straight, but having the frozen items provides dual duty by residing in the refrigerator for a day before being consumed, thus adding to the coldness of the refrigerator. I usually just cut the plastic bag off the food if it is still frozen and thaw in a double boiler or steamer pan on the stove - trivets are your friends. Beans are especially good with this method. So much nicer than a can of 'em.My best use is to pretty much just freeze meats in the manner noted above in meal-sized portions for the two of us. Veggie and starchy items that might accompany a meal are quickly cooked, and probably take up less valuable real estate in their uncooked state than requiring to be in the freezer.I just finished Crock Potting a huge package of gigantic, nearly boneless pork chops. I stacked them up more or less like a roast would have been, but being separate, they cooked better, I thought. When packaging the meat using a variation of the method described, I ended up with six quart-sized freezer bags of meat and liquid, each of which is sufficient for four servings. Caveat: We are not big meat eaters, so this might not be a large enough portion for others. I used part of the meat in a green chile stew for dinner last night, and there is a big pile of that left, too. We'll eat that before the next trip, but it would have been easy to freeze to take along, too. The package of chops was $8.46, and we will have thirty servings available. Can't beat that. ;-> I look on the freezer in the motorhome as my main method to save money on the cost of purchasing groceries here and there, as well as ease of preparing meals. Meat is usually the most expensive item, so having our own supply is great. Seasonal veggies and fruits are usually available anywhere you are at reasonable prices, and grains to cook can easily be carried along. So just having the meat course already prepared is about half or more of the effort required to put a balanced meal on the table. Also saves having to put a shower cap on the smoke alarm!A small Crock Pot (1-1/2- or 2-quart size) could possibly be run on a small inverter during a day's drive, and would provide a meal at day's end, plus leftovers for the next day or so without much effort. Think having a quart or two of prepared chili, beef stew, or the like instantly ready when you stop for the day. Same goes for thermal cookers, if done properly.One of my main "tricks" when traveling (and at home, for that matter) is to "cook" grains in a three-cup Nissan vacuum bottle. This is dead simple, and provides a no-power solution, and instant readiness; it stays at eating temperature for several hours after it is done. Works on things like lentils and split peas, too, but they might require a bit more coaxing on the stove to obtain tenderness.Since I like to cook, these methods suit me, but may feel overwhelming to others, so whatever feels comfortable, that's the right thing to do. Virtual hugs, Judie <-- Sierra Vista, Arizona Adventures of Dorrie Anne | Photographing the West Today: Pan o' Peppers ****************************** 2 Likes
Re: Time saving cooking Reply #7 – March 29, 2017, 08:31:07 pm But if you save all that time cooking , .... how do you not guzzle the wine while cooking? 1 Likes
Re: Time saving cooking Reply #8 – March 29, 2017, 09:15:55 pm "Shower cap over the smoke alarm . . ."Brilliant! Sure beats ripping the thing off the ceiling and burying it under a pillow. Thanks! -- Jon 2 Likes
Re: Time saving cooking Reply #9 – March 29, 2017, 09:38:16 pm ""Shower cap over the smoke alarm . . ." Brilliant! Sure beats ripping the thing off the ceiling and burying it undera pillow. Thanks! -- Jon"•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•I'm looking at investing in (quite) a few of them, so that there will always be one around when needed.Amazon.com : eBoot Disposable Shower Caps Plastic Bath Caps for Spa, Home...I also looked at child-sized ones as being more suited, but they were too cute - and expensive !Amazon.com : kilofly 4pc Waterproof Reusable Bath Hat Kids Fun Cartoon... Virtual hugs, Judie 1 Likes As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Time saving cooking Reply #10 – March 29, 2017, 09:45:04 pm We vacuum pack a lot of things. Any time I cook a big meal, the leftovers get vacuum sealed. That includes Thanksgiving, lasagna, pulled pork, chili, etc. We also buy larger things and break them down ourselves when it makes sense. The home machine is a VacMaster Pro 350 PRO350 Professional Suction Vacuum Sealer | VacMaster We travel with the Foodsaver that the VacMaster replaced and an Anova sous vide immersion circulator Anova Culinary | Cook sous vide at home The Anova lets me sous vide vacuum-packed proteins, cook "poached" eggs with no pan to clean, and reheat vacuum packed leftovers either just to thaw or to bring to eating temperature if they don't need to be heated in a pan. 1 Likes
Re: Time saving cooking Reply #11 – March 29, 2017, 10:10:58 pm Having to think about full meals ahead of time seems like more work [to me] than just having the meat part already cooked, and then make the rest of the meal from whatever is at hand. I just keep a lot of possibilities around, and we decide ad hoc what we want to eat - as good as going out to a restaurant with a limited menu. 1 Likes
Re: Time saving cooking Reply #12 – March 29, 2017, 11:07:50 pm Just put the Foodsaver 2000 and extra rolls in my Amazon cart and will purchase (through LDO, of course!) when we return from our car purchase expedition and family visits to the Bay Area.
Re: Time saving cooking Reply #13 – March 29, 2017, 11:11:43 pm "Just put the Foodsaver 2000 and extra rolls in my Amazon cart and will purchase (through LDO, of course!) when we return from our car purchase expedition and family visits to the Bay Area."Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I *think* that the credit will go to the intended target ONLY if items are placed in the cart initially through the portal, AND then checked out within a 24-hour period.If they are put in there now, and then not checked out for several days (or longer), Amazon gets all of the profit. Virtual hugs, Judie
Re: Time saving cooking Reply #14 – March 30, 2017, 09:37:15 am Quote from: JCT - March 29, 2017, 06:40:17 pmI don't microwave any foods in the bags; the Food Saver bags are advertised as being BPA-free, but I'm not a fan of the combination of food, plastic and heat. Yea I remove the food from the bags. I swear I can taste plastic when I tried cooking in the bags.
Re: Time saving cooking Reply #15 – March 30, 2017, 09:54:13 am Quote from: Judie Ashford - March 29, 2017, 07:20:51 pmI look on the freezer in the motorhome as my main method to save money on the cost of purchasing groceries here and there, It is surprising how much can be fit in the little freezer. On our last 3 week trip we made it home with some meats still in the freezer. We bought very little on the road.
Re: Time saving cooking Reply #16 – March 30, 2017, 10:36:02 am "We bought very little on the road."----In season (and the "season" varies a LOT, depending on location), I head for any local-to-where-I'm traveling farmers' markets; products, variety, and quality vary, but there are often some interesting finds! Local Food Directories: National Farmers Market Directory | Agricultural...https://www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets/list.jspNational Farmers Market Directory - Find a Farmers Market near youFresh vegetables and fruits only keep so long; I go through these pretty fast, so on a longer trip, one needs to replenish the stocks. Some grocery stores in larger towns carry a decent selection and quality, but, if one is traveling in a "food desert" area (and there are a lot of these!), pickings can be pretty slim. Just a comment on availability: if one has to have a certain food, brand, whatever, take a supply. Finding a "specialized" item when traveling is not always successful. (Best cantaloupes ever from a 15-year-old, overall clad boy selling from the back of a pickup along a road in Oklahoma; "50 cents, Ma'am; three for a dollar." Bought six "cannonball melons", paid a bit extra, and suggested that he up his prices; farming is hard work! ) 1 Likes
Re: Time saving cooking Reply #17 – March 30, 2017, 10:42:12 am "It is surprising how much can be fit in the little freezer. On our last 3 week trip we made it home with some meats still in the freezer. We bought very little on the road. "Yes, the freezer is deceptively spacious. When we were on a three-month excursion, I had my usual meat load, and then kept two half-gallon bottles of water frozen in there as well. They somehow fit in the front of everything else and caused very little grief. Early on, I took the rack thingies off the door.Why did I do this? Well, since it was a long trip, and I wasn't sure about grocery stops, I carried along a Five-Day Coleman Cooler to hold veggies. I made a Reflectix liner for the inside and kept a row of four of the half-gallon bottles along the bottom. Every morning, I would change out two of the bottles for the two in the freezer. Since they were not usually very much defrosted, it was easy to get them back to the frozen state again. I had the use of two gallons of water/ice with the accommodation needed for only two half-gallon containers.I used two powder-coated shelving units over top of the ice blocks to keep the food from touching them. I kept the bottom of the cooler elevated off the floor of the van (our "toad") to keep the heat off the bottom, and tossed a big pillow over the top. This worked remarkably well.We don't drink canned drinks, but I would think this would be a splendid way to accommodate a supply of same. Pre-chill them at home before leaving, and they should stay cold with this method indefinitely. Warm cans, newly purchased, may need a session in the real refrigerator, but then could be moved to the cooler. Removal of cans for consumption does not then impact the "coolth" of the refrigerator - a definite benefit.This is quite a versatile system because you now have alternatives for where to keep items that need to be cool. Depending on how full your refrigerator is, you could probably safely toss cheese bars or bread into the cooler to make room in the refrigerator for something more vulnerable to spoilage.Blue Ice packs will do the trick as well, but they take up a lot more room in the freezer relative to the amount of cold produced. The half-gallon sized containers are quite compact, and being so solid, they last a long time.On one trip, our refrigerator gave up the ghost, but with the help of the freezer of our traveling companion, I managed to stash the freezer things, but then utilized the cooler that was newly-purchased for this emergency, using ice from a nearby town purchased every two or three days. I can't say this was convenient, but we decided to just continue the trip instead of zipping over to SoCal to visit the Mother Ship. Not awfully convenient, but doable. We lasted the last month of our trip like this. Truly, I was glad to get back to my residential refrigerator in the house, but, in retrospect, it wasn't all that bad. I used the Lazy Daze refrigerator as a "sort of cooler" for stashing veggies.When we got home - happy ending! We called our RV repair guy. He came out and jiggled a few things and it has worked fine ever since. And, yes, we had already put in a Dinosaur Board. This was six years ago, so every time we are expecting to take a trip, the refrigerator daemon rears its head. Perhaps it was threat of replacing it with a Sunfrost-type refrigerator made a difference in its demeanor!Virtual hugs,Judie 1 Likes
Re: Time saving cooking Reply #18 – March 30, 2017, 12:06:08 pm Quote from: JCT - March 30, 2017, 10:36:02 am"We bought very little on the road."----In season (and the "season" varies a LOT, depending on location), I head for any local-to-where-I'm traveling farmers' markets; products, variety, and quality vary, but there are often some interesting finds! Fresh vegetables and fruits only keep so long; I go through these pretty fast, so on a longer trip, one needs to replenish the stocks. Some grocery stores in larger towns carry a decent selection and quality, but, if one is traveling in a "food desert" area (and there are a lot of these!), pickings can be pretty slim. Thats what we have to buy the most. Can't be without fresh fruit and veggies. And your right they don't keep long. Also bread doesn't last real long and takes up a lot of freezer space. And bread doesn't vac pac very well LOL.
Re: Time saving cooking Reply #19 – March 30, 2017, 01:52:59 pm "Also bread doesn't last real long and takes up a lot of freezer space. And bread doesn't vac pac very well LOL."I take corn tortillas with me for bread. They don't take much space, will freeze well for longer term storage, and keep well in the fridge for a week or two. Perfectly good with a variety of dishes, and a wrap's as good as a sandwich for a quick lunch. But, I'm not too particular. ;-) 1 Likes
Re: Time saving cooking Reply #20 – March 30, 2017, 02:58:47 pm "I take corn tortillas with me for bread. They don't take much space, will freeze well for longer term storage, and keep well in the fridge for a week or two. Perfectly good with a variety of dishes, and a wrap's as good as a sandwich for a quick lunch. But, I'm not too particular. ;-)"That would work for me with no problem at all. The wife on the other hand would not be happy.😂
Re: Time saving cooking Reply #21 – April 07, 2017, 10:54:38 pm Quote from: HiLola - March 29, 2017, 11:07:50 pmJust put the Foodsaver 2000 and extra rolls in my Amazon cart and will purchase (through LDO, of course!) when we return from our car purchase expedition and family visits to the Bay Area.Just placed my order. Looking forward to trying it out and, yes, I clicked on the LDO link first!
Re: Time saving cooking Reply #22 – April 19, 2017, 09:30:59 am Quote from: Duro - March 30, 2017, 12:06:08 pmThats what we have to buy the most. Can't be without fresh fruit and veggies. And your right they don't keep long. Also bread doesn't last real long and takes up a lot of freezer space. And bread doesn't vac pac very well LOL.So we finally received our FoodSaver FM2000-FFP Vacuum Sealing System and started playing around with the machine last night. Bought a couple of extra rolls of bags as well, but not the canisters. Once we got past the initial confusion of "how in the heck does this thing work?" it seems pretty simple. Found many YouTube videos on this machine. My wife made some enchiladas earlier in the day which she froze. We found the machine doesn't take kindly to things that are already frozen, I guess because they are hard and it has trouble removing the air from hard items, it just kinda keeps sucking! Worked well on the enchiladas that she had not froze, though. We look forward to trying different items to vacu-pack!Speaking of fresh fruit and veggies, Duro, I found this interesting video of a guy who likes avocado in his smoothies so he buys them on sale and cuts up a bunch at a time and vacu-packs them:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwQjLqwX5S4
Re: Time saving cooking Reply #23 – April 19, 2017, 12:07:23 pm "We found the machine doesn't take kindly to things that are already frozen, I guess because they are hard and it has trouble removing the air from hard items, it just kinda keeps sucking! "If you intend to use/toss the bags, then it doesn't matter how messy they get, BUT if you intend to re-use those expensive bags, then you might want to take one small extra step to help the cause. If the object to be vacuumed is the size that will fit in one of the foldover sandwich bags, you can encase each serving in one of them, and then toss as many as will fit easily into the vacuum bag. Leave plenty of space - don't crowd the items in the bag. A single layer seems to work best.The thin bag adheres quite nicely to many things, and keeps the expensive bag completely mess free - a definite plus when water is precious. You should be able to remove items from the bag, cut off the used area, and then reseal the remainder of the items in the bag quite easily.I utilized this method for quite a while, but one day, under circumstances that I don't remember now, I did the "thin bag wrap", froze the items like that, and then put them into a regular, heavy duty freezer bag. You can actually push quite a lot of air out of even just a regular freezer bag using just your hands, and, since the food is fairly protected by the sandwich bag, a bit of air left in the bag is of almost no consequence.One of the presumed uses of the heavy-duty vacuum bags is that one is able to put the whole bag into boiling water to heat the food. While this is, indeed, quite possible, it takes a long time to heat the food by this method, and uses A LOT of water, requiring a big pan, and a fair amount of heat (propane), to effect the degree of temperature rise required for gracious dining. Needless to say, it is not quick nor easily discernible when the inside of the food has risen to eating temperature. In use in the Lazy Daze, I found it requires a lot of monitoring of the pot to keep the temperature of boiling water at a high enough degree to do the job, while not boiling over onto the stove top. The bright side is that you will have sufficient hot water to do clean up, if you don't wait too long after the meal!From my own experience, I find the "covered frying pan" method using a bit of water for remoisturizing, to be the most efficacious for reheating foods to the most original-like state. A heavy, non-stick, good quality pan, with an appropriately-sized trivet, is your friend.Depending on the time factor, dumping the frozen food into a Crock-Pot might prove useful. I have not tried this, but it does seem to be possible. Frankly, I would not want the food to remain at a temperature conducive to breeding bacteria for that long, but I see recipes that advocate such action. Possibly a slow thaw in the refrigerator, and then into the Crock-Pot might be useful. Double duty - a bit of a boost to the temperature in the refrigerator while it thaws.Even under ordinary circumstances, I usually preheat the Crock-Pot AND the food (especially meat), if it is very dense, so that it does not sit for several hours at a temperature enjoyed by bacteria. If water is involved, then it is at boiling temperature when added to the Crock-Pot. Food-borne illnesses are never enjoyable, but even less so in the confines of a motorhome!Virtual hugs,Judie <-- Sierra Vista, ArizonaAdventures of Dorrie Anne | Photographing the WestToday: Almost Monte Cristo****************************
Re: Time saving cooking Reply #24 – April 19, 2017, 12:25:17 pm We have used a Foodsaver for years and it still purrs along. When we take tuna or giant squid, we clean it, bathe the filets in milk (this is really helpful to reduce any freezer burn with fish and invertebrates) and vacu-pack it and the tuna filets are good for months to nearly a year for the squid. Halibut is good for over a year with no degradation of the texture or taste. My son uses it for lobster tails.Cyndy dries home grown figs, apricots, nectarines, and apples in the summer. When they are finished, she gives them a light dusting of powdered sugar so they don't stick together, and vacu-packs them. We take them on trips as munchies. We also grow boysenberries and they all ripen at the same time, so we get far more than we can possibly eat or even give to friends. We found a technique for preserving them with the foodsaver: Wash the berries when freshly picked and then set them out to dry on cookie sheets, counters, etc. When dry, put them in the vacupack bags and suck out most of the air, but not all so they don't smash together. Then put them in the freezer. They don't grow ice crystals this way and when you take them out in the winter, you can take them out of the bag individually to put on cereal and the texture and taste are pretty darned good. When the kids come over, they steal them out of the freezer.Harold
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