Low-carb diet beats low-fat in study - Article

Associated Press

NEW YORK -- Over the long term, a low-carb diet works just as well as a low-fat diet at taking off the pounds -- and it might be better for your heart, new research suggests.

Both diets improved cholesterol in a two-year study, but those on the low-carbohydrate diet got a bigger boost in their so-called good cholesterol, nearly twice as much as those on low-fat.

In previous studies, low-carb diets have done better at weight loss at six months, but longer-term results have been mixed. And there's been a suggestion of better cholesterol from low-carb eating.

The latest test is one of the longest to compare the approaches. At the end of two years, average weight loss was the same for both -- about 15 pounds or 7 percent.

The key difference was in HDL, or good cholesterol: a 23 percent increase from low-carb dieting compared with a 12 percent improvement from low-fat, said Gary Foster, director of Temple University's Center for Obesity Research and Education, who led the federally funded study.

He said the low-carb boost is the kind one might get from medicines that improve HDL.

"For a diet, that's pretty impressive," Foster said.

The findings, published in today's Annals of Internal Medicine, are based on a study of 307 adults, two-thirds of them women. Participants were obese but didn't have cholesterol problems or diabetes.

Half followed a low-carb diet modeled after the Atkins' plan and half went on a low-calorie, low-fat diet. All attended group sessions to help them change bad eating habits, get more active and stick to their diets.

The volunteers had periodic checks of their weight, blood, bone density and body composition.

After two years, there was no major differences between diet groups, except in good cholesterol. Why the low-carb diet had a bigger effect on good cholesterol isn't known, the researchers said.

© 2010The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA

Bulk Cooking How To

Once a month or bulk cooking is a wonderful way to save time and money for your family. Even if you are an empty nester, having pre cooked items in your freezer to prepare makes life so much simpler!

 

It is very simple really; it is a matter of cooking and prepping certain ingredients of your favorite meals ahead of time and then either freezing, canning, drying or refrigerating. The most common is to freeze, whether you have a large one or just the one on top of your refrigerator.

 

Whenever you are going to prepare a family favorite, double, triple, even quadruple the recipe if it will keep in the freezer. 

 

There are several different approaches to bulk cooking. You may like one approach better than another, or you may find using a combination is the best. Try each one and see what you are comfortable with! Experiment! Take chances! There is no wrong way as long as you are using common sense and being safe!

 

• If you want to share this with a friend or two and get together and put together say up to 20 different recipes and freeze them, this can be a fun way to get together with friends and help each other with cooking! Doing this takes a lot of pre planning as far as what recipe’s, how many of each to prepare, and doing the shopping. This takes money planning as well so the cost is split fairly.

  • Master Recipes – This is an important part of bulk cooking that is preparing and freezing specific ingredients that you add to other fresh ingredients when you prepare the meal. Such as having several freezer baggies or containers of browned ground beef. Some can be flavored with just onions, salt and pepper for use in casseroles or as pizza topping. Some can be flavored with taco seasoning to make taco night easier. Cook up several whole chickens in stock and debone. Freeze them in airtight freezer bags for casseroles, chicken salad, soups, etc. Many meats can be done up this way such as beef, chicken, turkey, sausage.

  • Meat Loaf is another excellent item that can be made in large batches and frozen. Mix up a large batch and put them into disposable foil pans, wrap well in freezer bags and if they will be frozen for more than 2 months, I suggest wrapping them a second time in freezer paper to help prevent burn. You can do beef, turkey loaf or salmon loaf this way. I do recommend that salmon not be kept for more than a month in the freezer. It tends to freezer burn no matter how well wrapped.

 

• Pre season ground beef and make burger patties, freeze them on cookie sheets then transfer them to freezer bags. Great way to save time when grilling. Just take out as many as you need, let them thaw partially and grill.

 

• Meatballs for spaghetti and meatball subs the same way as the patties. You can freeze them raw or precook them and freeze with or without sauce.

 

• Bulk Grilling - especially in the summer! Designate a night a week or at least two nights a month for grilling. It is easy, delicious, and your hubby can get in on the act. Grilled meats can be used in salads, pitas, as fajitas, in sandwiches - you name it! Imitate those fancy restaurants, but make it yourself! Even grilled hotdogs and burgers freeze well to heat up for a quick meal for the kids.

 • Utilize your Crockpot – A crock pot or slow cooker can turn almost any cheap piece of meat tender and delicious! Slow cook a roast in the and freeze some of it sliced, some shredded and of course saving the stock for use in soups, gravy or any recipe requiring meat stock. You can cook beef, pork, turkey breast or ham this way.

  • Bulk cooking homemade pizza is another great way to have quick and easy meals. You can make them full size or mini. If you want you can purchase cardboard circles from any cake decorating store or section of your local discount store to put them on to freeze them. (I do not recommend cooking them on these circles as I am not sure they are treated for oven safe the same as ones the pizza manufacturer uses.)

 • Bulk cookie dough made into walnut sized balls and frozen is a great way to have hot fresh cookies whenever you want. Just take out as many as you need, bake them fresh and you’ll never throw away a stale cookie again!

 

• Brownies also can be bulk baked and frozen, but not for more than a month.

  • Cakes can freeze okay but with box mixes it is easier to keep several of them on hand to bake up fresh.

 

Do’s & Don’ts

• Do pre select about 20 recipes to use that are tried and true and your family loves. Plan a week’s or month’s worth of menu’s based on your bulk items in your freezer to save time deciding each day what you will have for that meal.
•  
• Don’t freeze items made with mayonnaise, salad dressing, sour cream or cooked eggs. These items should always be added fresh as freezing changes their texture.
•  
• Do cook recipes that save you more than a half hour prep time.
•  
• Do plan around what’s on sale when shopping. Watch for bulk ground beef or turkey, roasts, hams, etc that can be purchased in large quantities and prepped for the freezer.

Shopping:
Master lists - Once you have gathered your recipes, make a "master grocery list" of all of the ingredients listed in the recipes. Combine like items and make sure you will have enough for all of the dishes you are going to prepare. Make sure to include side dish ingredients, desserts, snacks, etc. that you may need.

Cooking:
There are several approaches to the cooking part. You could do it in a couple of days, Day 1: shopping and prep day, and Day 2: cooking and assembly.

 

Prepare long-cooking items like soups, stews, slow cooker recipes, dough’s and large meats first, then work on things that take less time, such as chopping, grating, mixing, and measuring. Don't get discouraged if you don't get as much done as you want to, just put it in the fridge and do more the next day. Practice makes perfect!

Preparation - This is your day/time to prepare master recipes, chop vegetables, shred cheeses, etc. Combine all like steps in recipes and do them at once. For example, if several recipes contain chopped onions, chop all the onions for all the recipes at one time. (You can go even further and chop all of the onions you have and freeze them, for present and future use). You can also prepare dough, sauces, marinades, etc.

Cooking - Finish cooking your master recipes, then prepare them for use in the other recipes you are making them into. For example, cook the turkey or honey baked ham, then divide into the parts for the other recipes (such as turkey or ham slices, potpies, etc) that they will be used for. Boil, bake simmer, fry, do all of your cooking steps now.

Tips:

Make sure your counters are clear of clutter and you have lots of paper towels, sponges and towels for quick cleanup, along with aprons and a mop!

Have your recipes where you can easily see them. Tape them to the upper cabinet or whatever is easiest.

Remove distractions! Keep the pets out of way so you are not having to step over them or get their fur in the food! If you have small children, same thing, get a sitter or send hubby and the kids out for the day.

Assembly: Assemble your dishes, cook if needed, or freeze. Make sure you label everything that goes into the freezer and put any reheating instructions on the label if you think you may forget.

Freezing Supplies:
Use good freezer bags to put the meats in. You can also freeze sauces, shredded cheeses, chopped veggies and other items in ziploc bags, close them tight and put them on their side, patting them flat. You can get a lot of food in a small freezer this way. Be sure to use good brands of bags as you do not want them bursting open in the freezer.

 

Freezer containers in a variety of sizes are necessary! I find the most useful sizes to be the 2-cup (good for sauces and gravy), and 5-cup (good for entrees that are put on rice or pasta) sizes, as well as the larger 11-cup sizes (good for casseroles, fried rice, any dish that is served whole with nothing else added).

Aluminum foil - Great for freezing in, I like to wrap up pizza in foil. Just don't forget to label your foods!

Plastic wrap - Another alternative to double bagging. If you want to reuse Ziploc bags, wrap the meats thoroughly in plastic wrap, freeze on a cookie sheet, then place in a Ziploc. Take the meat out of the Ziploc before it thaws, so no blood gets in the Ziploc. If in doubt, throw it out! Don't take chances!

Foil containers – There are a variety of shapes and sizes and can be used for most anything. You can even find divided ones that you can make your own ‘tv dinners’ on with a meat, mashed potato and veggie!

 

Divided Paper Plates – work great to make your own microwavable ‘tv dinners’.

 

**** Freezer inventory - keep a list of everything you freeze, and mark it off when you use it up. This is very important! Put it on the side of your fridge or freezer so its handy.

 

Safety:

 

Here are some general freezer guidelines. For more information, check out the website for the National Food Safety Database:

 

Never refreeze raw meat! If the meat was frozen raw the first time, you must cook it before refreezing!

 

If in doubt, double bag it! Protect your food investment by making sure it is protected from freezer burn.

 

Don't allow meat or eggs to defrost at room temperature. You are creating an opportunity for bacteria to grow, which can result in food poisoning! Instead, thaw these foods in the refrigerator or use a microwave on defrost setting. Better to be safe than sorry!

 

Breads and other baked goods can be thawed at room temperature quite nicely and safely. They can also be refrozen but may get dry.

 

If you are in doubt as to whether a food is still good, toss it!

 

Most items keep well in the freezer from 3-6 months.

 

Copy Cat Recipe Cracker Barrel Cherry Chocolate Cobbler

1−1/2 cups flour
1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cups butter
1 (6 oz.) pkg. Nestle's semi−sweet chocolate morsels
1/4 cups milk
1 egg
1 (21 oz.) can cherry pie filling
1/2 cups nuts, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350F. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter; cut with pastry blender until crumbs are size of large peas. Melt over hot (not boiling) water, Nestle's semi−sweet chocolate morsels. Remove from heat and cool
slightly at room temperature (about 5 minutes). Add milk and egg to melted
chocolate and mix well. Blend chocolate into flour mixture.

Spread cherry pie filling in bottom of 2 quart casserole. Drop chocolate batter randomly over cherries. Sprinkle with chopped nuts.

Bake at 350 F for 40 − 45 minutes. Serve warm with heavy cream.

Ham Waffles

Ham Waffles

2 Cups Flour -- sifted
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Sugar
2 Egg Yolks -- well beaten
1 3/4 Cups Sour Milk
1/3 Cup Butter -- melted
2 Egg Whites -- stiffly beaten
1 Cup Smoked Ham -- uncooked, diced

Sift flour once, measure, add soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar, and sift again.
Combine egg yolks, milk, and butter. Add to flour, beating until smooth. Fold in egg whites.
Bake on hot waffle iron. Sprinkling 1/4 cup ham over batter of each waffle just before closing iron. Serve soft scrambled eggs on each waffle.

Makes four 4-section waffles.

Chocolate Almond Pound Cake

1/2 c Finely chopped almonds
1 1/2 c Sugar
4 oz Butter, melted
4 Eggs
4 oz Bitter chocolate, melted
1 1/2 tsp Almond extract
2 c Flour
1 c Corn meal
1 tsp Salt (optional)
1/2 tsp Baking powder
1 c Milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 12 c bundt pan. Coat sides with almonds.
In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each egg. Stir in chocolate and almond extract.

Combine flour, corn meal, salt and baking powder. Add alternately with milk to chocolate mixture, mixing at low speed until well blended. Spoon into pan. Bake 50-60 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on rack.
Serves 16

Choosing a Recipe Box

There are so many recipe boxes you can choose from out there. Below you will see samples of many plus links to purchase them if you choose.

If you are a major recipe collector you may want several matching small ones where you have one category for each box, such as one for salads and vegetables, one for desserts, another for meats and main dishes, etc. Or you may choose one or two larger ones. It is all a matter of personal preference!

Trout with Red Onion and Orange Relish

1 − 1 1/3−pound trout, boned, cut in half lengthwise
yellow cornmeal
salt and pepper to taste
1 medium orange
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup chopped red onion
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Grate 1 teaspoon peel from orange Cut off remaining peel and discard

Cut orange into 1/2−inch pieces Mix orange pieces, peel and mint in small bowl Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat Add onion, then vinegar Toss until just heated through, about 1 minute Add onion mixture to orange mixture (do not clean skillet)

Season relish with salt and pepper

Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper Sprinkle on all sides with cornmeal.

Heat remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in same skillet over medium high heat Add fish and sauté until crisp outside and just opaque in center, about 4 minutes per side Transfer fish to plates; top with relish.

Dream Cookware Set Review

What a cool Cookware set! In my opinion this set gets 5 stars! *****

What do you think? I'd love your comments on this set. It is definatly the set I am purchasing next.

Stainless Pot and Pan Set - 19 Pc *18/10 Stainless Steel Cookware *19-Piece Set *Tempered Glass Lids *Includes Non-stick Fryer *See Full Text for Details Exquisitely designed to complement your cooking and your kitchen! Beautiful stainless cookware crafted of heavy gauge 18/10 stainless steel with tempered clear glass lids for easy viewing while cooking. Heavy gauge stainless steel knobs and permanently welded, heavy gauge handles for durability and long life. Bottoms have an aluminum inner core for even heating with no "hot spots". All of these stainless steel pots and pans are oven proof, dishwasher safe and easy to clean! Comes with a 25 year warranty. The incredibly tough non-stick coating on the chicken fryer is guaranteed not to wear off, peel off or scrape off for 25 years! So tough, you can use metal utensils!This 18/10 stainless steel cookware set includes a 1 qt., 2 qt., and a 3 qt. covered saucepan, 5.5 qt. covered dutch oven, an 8" and a 10" open fry pan, a 2 qt. steamer insert, a 6 piece tool set, and a non-stick chicken fryer with a lid. Lids are interchangeable. *This item ships directly from the manufacturer. Product usually arrives in 8-15 business days, depending on destination, including order processing and shipping. *Express delivery not available.

Exotic Chicken Salad

Makes 10 Servings



• 1 honeydew melon

• 6 cups cubed, cooked chicken meat

• 2 cups chopped celery

• 2 cups seedless grapes

• 1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts

• 1/2 cup sour cream

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt

• 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder

• salt and pepper to taste



DIRECTIONS

Cut melon in half, and remove seeds. Cut into bite-size pieces.

Add chicken, celery, grapes and water chestnuts.

Wisk together sour cream, yogurt, and curry powder in a small bowl. Gently stir into salad. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Adapting Standard Recipe's to a Crock Pot

Here are some suggestions for best results when taking a standard recipe and using it in a crock pot.

• Remember that liquids do not cook away like they would if on the cook top. Use half the amount of liquids called for in the standard recipe. Also, add liquids last, after meat or vegetables have been placed in the cooker.
• It is not necessary to brown larger pieces of meat unless you need to cook off some of the grease before adding the remaining ingredients. For example, browning ground beef, sausage or bacon first and draining the fat is recommended.
• Milk, cream and sour cream should be added during the last hour of cooking to prevent curdling.
• Do not remove the lid except to add ingredients. It takes up to 20 minutes for the heat to build back up to the proper temperature.
• Spices intensify during long cooking times so use half the amount and add during the last hour of cooking.
• To thicken sauces after cooking the meat, you can add quick-cooking tapioca or a paste made of flour or cornstarch and water and cook on HIGH an additional uncovered 10 minutes.
• Most vegetables should be thinly sliced or placed near the sides or bottom of the cooker. They cook slower than meats.
• Cut whole chickens and any meats in half that are over 2 lbs to be sure they cook thoroughly.
• For safety, always cook meat and poultry dishes on HIGH the first hour to speed up the time it gets to get to a safe cooking temperature for meats. Then reduce to LOW for the remainder of the cooking time.

Lemon Angel Food Cake

12 egg whites
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt

Beat at high speed until foamy. The whites are beaten enough when they start to slip when you tip the bowl.

Add 3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar, 1 T at a time until stiff peaks form. Fold in 1 T lemon rind, 3 T fresh lemon juice and 1/4 tsp vanilla.

Combine 1/2 cup powdered and 1 cup sifted cake flour, gradually fold in the egg white mixture. Spoon batter into a 10" tube pan. (Do not grease the pan!!)

Bake 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Invert pan onto the neck of a bottle or funnel until cooled.

Drunk Chicken

1 stick butter (not margerine)

1 cup Blackberry or Apricot Brandy

1 cup water

3 boneless large chicken breasts

1/2 tsp salt

2 boxes Uncle Bens Wild Rice mix

Instructions

1 - Slice chicken breasts into strips about 1" wide. Set aside. In a heavy fry pan add butter, brandy, water and salt, let come to a simmer and add the chicken breast strips. Cover and simmer on low for 45 minutes.

2 - Remove chicken from brandy broth and if it has cooked down low, add 1/2 cup more brandy and 1/2 cup more water. You want there to be about 1 1/2 cups of liquid in the pan. Bring the liquid to a medium simmer.

3 - In 1/2 cup of cold water add 2 T corn startch and mix well, add to simmering liquid and stir until thickened to a heavy gravy consistancy. Lower heat to low and add chicken. Cover and let simmer while you prepare the rice.

4 - Prepare the rice as directed on the box.

You may serve the chicken on the rice and the gravy on the side or the chicken and the gravy on the side. Your choice!

Recipe ~ Baked Potato Soup

3 T butter
1/3 c flour

Melt butter over medium heat in a heavy saucepan. Add flour and stir with wire whisk rapidly till well mixed. Turn heat down slightly and slowly add 1 can of evaporated milk making a thick white sauce. (This MUST be evaporated milk or it will separate and look curdled)

Continue to stir and add 1 can of water. Keep heat high enough to cook the sauce so it thickens. Make sure it gets very thick. This will take time and patience and lots of stirring so you do not have a lumpy soup!

Once it is a thick consistancy, similar to a thick gravy, add:
a 1/2" 'slab' of Velveeta cheese
1 T Parmesan cheese
a scant 1/8 tsp of garlic salt
1 T of brown spicy mustard
3 T bacon bits

Stir till cheese is melted. Add bite sized peeled chunks of left over baked potatoes. Very well baked ones with lots of flavor are best. Cover and put in oven on very low or in a crock pot on low. Heat for about an hour till potatoes are thoroughly heated.

Serve with chunks of cheddar cheese or any favorite cheese on top.

This is enough for generous portions for 4 people.

Recipe ~ Dark Chocolate Cake

3/4 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup cream

Cream together well beating on high for 2 minutes.

Sift together:
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 cup cocoa
2 tsp soda
1 tsp salt

Add to creamed mixture, beating well.
Add:
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup hot coffee (strong)

Beat on medium for 3 minutes.

Pour into greased and lightly floured 9x13" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until it tests done when a toothpick has gooey crumbs on it.

Do NOT overbake!

VERY rich cake!

Recipe ~ Monkey Bread

2 loaves frozen bread (thawed but not raised)
OR 4 tubes of refrigerator biscuits

½ c sugar
4 tsp cinnamon
Mix sugar and cinnamon in bowl

Take bread or biscuits and make walnut sized chunks and roll in sugar mixture. Place in 2 lightly greased (if needed) bunt pans.

Mix:
1 ¼ sticks melted butter
1 large package of butterscotch or vanilla NON instant pudding powder
nuts (optional)
raisins (optional)

Pour butter and pudding mix over dough.

If you used bread dough, let sit in warm area until raised up double.
When bread dough is raised bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 min.

If using biscuit dough, bake immediately at 350 degrees for 18 minutes.

Once A Month Cooking

Once-a-month-cooking (O.A.M.C.) or Bulk Cooking is a very old concept. Your mom's and grandma's perhaps practiced it without really knowing they were starting a trend!

And maybe even you have done it! Have you ever been making a meatloaf or a pan of lasagna and decided to make two? Freeze one and bake the other for that night? Well that is basically the concept of O.A.M.C. It is a fantastic way to keep food costs down and can help to cut back on the number of times that your family may eat out each month because there is always something easy to make at home.

You do not need special recipes to do this, all you need is to multiply ingredients from recipe's you already use 3-4x and have a good number of freezer safe containers to put them in or freeze them in disposable foil pans. Of course freezer wrap / paper is helpful to keep things from freezer burn.

Some recipe's you will only need to prepare parts of it to freeze as the other items such as noodles or rice will need to be prepared fresh.

Keeping precooked/preseasoned meats in your freezer can be just as time saving and cost saving as preparing the entire meal and freezing it. It all depends on what your lifestyle requires. You could also co-op with other busy moms and do your bulk cooking together in a weekend.

Getting Started:

The idea of O.A.M.C. can be very overwhelming when you first get started. The thought of cooking 20-30 meals in one day is a lot to do! Here you will learn exactly how to do O.A.M.C.
If doing one big cooking day is too much, then start off with 2 Saturday's in a row or a Saturday and Sunday. Cook one weeks worth of meals and call it once a week cooking. The practice of once a month cooking is to simplify your life - not to burden you down!

Remember: Plan, plan, plan.

The more you plan, the better prepared you will be. This includes planning your time, your menu and most importantly your grocery list.

Here are the basic steps to Once a Month Cooking:

1. Decide on a day or days to cook. Be sure you choose a day that is free of other obligations or activities. If possible, have things planned for the kids or have someone take them for the day so you can focus on cooking. Another option is to cook in smaller batches in the evenings once the kids are in bed. An entire day is best but not always possible. Pick a day when you know you will have few or no interruptions.

2. Find your local store ads. When you check the local groceries stores for what is on sale, you are working towards saving money. Plan your meals around the things you can get on sale.
Purchase lean ground beef in bulk, this saves you money because in the long run you pay for meat not the fat. Whole chickens are the most economical priced, however if you watch for boneless breasts to be on sale and stock up, then freeze it for future use, you will save money and time in the long run there too. (Be sure to wrap them in freezer paper and label before freezing!) Boneless pork chops can be found on sale at times and purchased and frozen the same way as the chicken breasts, for future use on your O.A.M.C. day. Pork and Beef roasts can also be purchased in bulk and wrapped carefully and frozen. Or you can crock pot cook them and freeze the cooked meat. This is great for pulling out say 1 lb to thaw and use for hot or cold sandwiches or for meat to put into a casserole. Cubed meats properly wrapped and frozen for stews, casseroles and stir fry's is a great time saver also.

3. Meal Planning. Use a notebook or calendar and plan out each months meals. Not every meal has to come from the freezer as many recipe's are not adaptable to being frozen for up to a month. List the favorite meals your family likes and list the ingredients as well.

4. Plan you Grocery Shopping List. As you go through your recipes one at a time list the ingredients that you will need to buy. Then compile a master list of the total amount of meats, noodles, potatoes, rice, onions, celery, etc. right down to checking your spice cupboard to be sure you have them all on hand as well.

5. Grocery Shopping. This should be done a couple days BEFORE cooking day. If you plan your shopping ahead of time, you'll have time to find the best prices and sale items!

6. Cooking Day. Think smart and plan. Combine steps for recipes if possible. How many chopped onions will you need? Do them all at once. How many pounds of browned ground beef will you need? Save a pan and do it all at once! Then you simply divide it up once it is cooked. Do you see the importance of planning in saving time?

7. Freeze your Meals. - Here are some common methods for freezing meals:
Freezer Bags - This is the main way that to store food. The bags lie flat on the shelves and they all stack up nicely on top of each other. It is very efficient use of freezer space!
Purchase bags that are specifically freezer bags. Remove as much air as possible before sealing. Particularly for meals that have a lot of liquids.

TIP: Seal (zip) the freezer bag almost all the way and insert a drinking straw in the remaining opening, suck out the air and seal the bag as you pull the straw out.
Vacuum Sealer - These are great because they help to protect your food from freezer burn allowing the food to stay really fresh tasting. Any disposable, or reusable containers that are for the freezer. If you want to go from freezer, to refrigerator to thaw then to oven, you will want to use heavy duty foil pans.

Label all the food that you put in the freezer. Using freezer tape and a permanent marker, write what the meal is and the cooking instructions. (Freezer tape can be found in the section where freezer paper is sold.)

Welcome to my 'Kitchen'

Welcome to MK's Kitchen. Here you will find recipe's, hints and tips for cooking and baking, meal planning ideas, entertaining ideas and product reviews.