Cooking Ahead
Cooking ahead….but how? Sometimes juggling different activities can get daunting. Especially, if you are working and you love home cooked food.
In my previous job I use to be really busy. So what I started to do was, to plan my cooking a week ahead. And it really helped. Buy Fix, Freeze, Feast: Prepare in Bulk Over 125 Recipes
During the weekend I use to buy all the vegetables I intended to cook. Then wash, clean and chop them and store them in an air tight container in the refrigerator. They would last for a good 1 week and at times even 2 weeks and on freezing even longer.
Foods like lentils or beans also last well provided they are well steamed and cooled before being placed in air tight containers. Otherwise the condensed steam from the stew or dal will result in water and icicles, which is not good. The same rules apply in making gravies and sauces.
If you intend to use the lentils in a day or 2 they will do the fine in a refrigerator. But if longer than you need to freeze them.
Frozen beans or lentils will also last for a month or even longer.
Alternatively, if you choose to prepare the entire recipe like stews or dals, they too would last for the same period.
Note: Always add dairy products and thickeners such as corn flours, maize flour etc only prior to serving. Never while freezing. As they reduce the life span of cooked items and may even rot in the freezer.