Juggling children’s preferences and being time poor all makes the process harder. Australian cook and television host Justine Schofield is seeking to help families with these struggles in her latest book Cook Ahead, Freezer Friendly Recipes For Every Budget.
"The feedback I get ... is the need for flavoursome, effortless and cost-effective dishes the whole family will enjoy, that will save you time and help make life easier."
So she has come with recipes that can be made in large quantities for batching but that also freeze really well for future eating — on those real time-poor days.
"The freezer’s ability to preserve food quality, save you money and offer convenience makes it a real unsung hero in the kitchen. Whether you are storing in-season fruit and vegetables to pop into your daily smoothies, batch-cooking for the weeks and months ahead, or preparing for an upcoming party, the freezer is, in my opinion, the handiest appliance to make your every day a little more convenient."
Schofield said she came from a family where they were taught how to shop and eat seasonally and not waste food, which in turn saved money.
"Both my parents worked hard so the art of batch-cooking and freezing elements of dishes ... was their trick to making mid-week dinners a breeze. In fact Mum and Dad say it was essential to ensure we always had easy access to home-cooked meals when time wasn’t on our side."
Now a busy working mum herself, she is taking all those lessons and applying them to her own life. Prior to having her son Louis she nested by batch-cooking, portioning, labelling and organising her freezer "within an inch of its life".
That experience she has turned into a section in her book packed with advice on how make a freezer work for you and how to organise it and tips for storing and labelling.
Taking the opportunity when you are cooking certain meals to double the quantity so you can enjoy some straightaway and freeze the rest for future meals is the most beneficial way to utilise her time in the kitchen, she says. Writing out a five-day menu plan helps get you organised too.
"It makes efficient use of your cooking time, reducing the need to cook daily from scratch. It’s really about incorporating it into your routine little by little to help you build up a well-stocked freezer, so weeknight dinners become easy, fast to prep, cost-effective and stress-free."
These days she keeps her freezer well-stocked so the family can enjoy healthy home-cooked meals without having to cook from scratch at every meal.
"We avoid takeaway or highly processed foods. ‘Cook once, eat twice’ has become my mantra in life."
As well as chapters for snacks and treats and ready to bake which have plenty of recipes for filling the lunchboxes and cake tins as well as having in reserve, there is a section for food for babies and toddlers, big batch and easy meals.
The book
Cook Ahead by Justine Schofield, published by Plum, RRP: $44.99, photography by Rob Palmer
Pikelets
Pikelets, the mini cousins of pancakes, make a great breakfast, snack or lunch-box filler. In my recipe, I like to whisk the egg whites separately to get an extra-fluffy result. Be sure to serve yours with a generous amount of maple syrup. Yum.
Serves 4
Ingredients
150g (1 cup) self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 Tbsp caster sugar
Pinch of salt flakes
3 eggs, at room temperature, separated
180ml (¾ cup) buttermilk or full-cream milk
Vegetable oil, for frying
To Serve
1 banana, sliced into rounds
6 strawberries, sliced into rounds
Maple syrup
Method
Combine the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, sugar and salt in a bowl and mix well.
Add the egg whites to a large bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the egg yolks.
Start gently whisking and, little by little, add the buttermilk and continue to whisk until incorporated and there are no lumps. Use a spatula to fold in the egg whites one-third at a time.
Heat about a teaspoon of vegetable oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Spread the oil out evenly with paper towel.
Dollop in a dessert spoon of the batter per pikelet and cook for 1 minute or until the little bubbles that come to the surface pop. Flip and cook for a further 30 seconds on the other side. Remove and rest the pikelets on a wire rack while the next batch is being made, or serve immediately with the banana and strawberry rounds and maple syrup.
Cook ahead
Freeze
For the batter, freeze in an airtight container immediately after making to ensure the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda don’t start to activate too much.
Freezing straight away retains lightness when the pikelets are thawed and cooked. Seal, label and date. Freeze for up to three months. Alternatively, portion the cooked pikelets into an airtight container, placing baking paper between each layer. Freeze for up to six months.
Thaw
If using the frozen batter, thaw overnight in the fridge. No need to thaw the cooked pikelets.
Reheat
Cook the thawed batter as per the method above.
Or wrap stacks of four frozen pikelets in paper towel and microwave on high for 2-3 minutes or until hot and soft.
Alternatively, wrap three frozen pikelet stacks in foil and bake at 180°C fan-forced for 10-15 minutes or until thawed and warmed through.
Blueberry and banana mini bites
These muffins are super tasty and healthy and the method could not be any more straightforward. Simply mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another, then bring them together and fold through the berries (chopped apple instead of the berries works really well, too). Freeze a batch – they’re great to add to lunch boxes or enjoy as an after-school snack.
Makes 24
Ingredients
225g (1½ cups) plain flour
50g (½ cup) rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
125g blueberries
Wet ingredients
2 large, very ripe bananas, mashed
125ml (½ cup) extra-virgin olive oil
125g (½ cup) Greek yoghurt
125ml (½ cup) milk of your choice
1 egg, at room temperature, whisked
Zest of 1 lemon
3 Tbsp maple syrup or honey
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-forced and line two 12-hole mini muffin tins with paper cases. (Alternatively, use a 12-hole standard muffin tin.
Note: the baking time will differ slightly and the larger muffins will need an extra 5-10 minutes in the oven.)
Combine the flour, oats and baking powder in a large bowl.
Combine the wet ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
Pour in the wet ingredients and mix everything together, being careful not to over-mix the batter.
Fold through the blueberries.
Spoon the batter into the muffin holes and bake for 15-20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of a muffin comes out clean. Turn out on to a wire rack to cool before serving.
Store any leftover muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for up to seven days
Cook ahead
Freeze
Place the cooked and cooled muffins in snap-lock bags. Seal, label and date. Freeze for up to two months.
Thaw
Remove the muffins from the freezer the morning of and pop into lunch boxes; they’llhave thawed by lunch.
Alternatively, thaw the muffins in the fridge for a few hours
Reheat
To warm up quickly, place the muffins in a 160°C fan-forced oven and bake for 5-8 minutes.
Cheese and Vegemite scrolls
Growing up we would have cheese and Vegemite sandwiches. These days kids’ tastes have become a little fancier with the introduction of the cheesymite scroll craze. These are just like your favourite bakery version. My recipe makes a large batch, so be sure to freeze some for an easy lunch-box filler or afternoon snack.
Makes 10
Ingredients
3 Tbsp Vegemite
250g (2 cups) freshly grated cheddar
1 tsp poppy seeds (optional)
Dough
375ml (1½ cups) full-cream milk, warmed
2 tsp instant yeast
600g (4 cups) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 Tbsp caster sugar
150g unsalted butter, cut into 2cm cubes, softened
½ tsp salt flakes
1 egg, at room temperature, lightly beaten
Method
To start on the dough, combine the milk, yeast, a pinch of the flour and the sugar in a bowl and place in a warm spot for 10-15 minutes or until the yeast is activated and the mixture becomes frothy.
Prepare a proving bowl by spreading a little of the softened butter in a large bowl.
Transfer the dough to the proving bowl. Cover with a clean tea towel and set aside to prove in a warm part of the kitchen for 45–60 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
Grease a 24cm round springform tin or round ovenproof dish.
Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured work surface and, using a rolling pin, roll out to form a large 2mm thick rectangle about 40cm x 30cm in size.
Mix the remaining cube of butter with the Vegemite — this makes it easier to spread — and spread over the dough.
Sprinkle on the cheese, reserving a small handful.
Roll up lengthways and cut into 10 even scrolls. Starting from the centre, arrange the scrolls, cut-side up, in the tin or dish. It’s OK if they touch.
Sprinkle on the remaining cheese and the poppy seeds, if using. Cover again with a tea towel and set aside to prove for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-forced.
Bake the scrolls for 35-40 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the dough is golden. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes before turning out and pulling apart and eating.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or pantry for up to four days.
Cook ahead
Freeze
Cool the scrolls completely, portion, separate with baking paper and place in an airtight container or snap-lock bag. Seal, label and date. Freeze for up to three months
Thaw
Remove the scrolls from the freezer and thaw for a few hours or overnight in the fridge.
Reheat
Warm the scrolls through in a 160°C fan-forced oven for 10-15 minutes.
