This website came out of necessity. I've been straddling burnout for years, which makes many aspects of my life incredibly difficult to manage. Eating is one of the avenues that have taken the biggest hit.
I'm not providing my body with proper nutritional support. I'm not getting enough protein or fiber daily, which causes me to spiral deeper into burnout. My body could no longer function in its current state, so I started brainstorming ways to simplify this part of my life.
The problem?
I work almost 200 hours per month. Food will rot in my fridge if I'm not careful about meal planning and grocery shopping, and I have little time to prepare meals every week on my days off.
So, how can I keep food fresher for longer?
By utilizing the freezer.
But, searching for "freezer meals" on Pinterest only turned up dump-and-go meals, which you'd think would solve my problem, but I crave restaurant-quality meals day-to-day.
In my opinion, convenience should never trump quality. I want meals that are not only delicious but also offer a sensory adventure. I only get to live this life once and want to nourish my body with good food while I'm here.
I am not merely interested in eating to keep myself alive; rather, I want to feed my soul.
My solution?
Sous vide cooking with the convenience of a freezer. Yes, it's yet another appliance in my kitchen, but it provides me with incredibly consistent temperature control. Sous vide cooking ensures your food is cooked consistently at the ideal temperature for hours, eliminating the risk of overcooking.
A Culinary Upgrade: Elevating Freezer Meals with Sous Vide
Sous vide cooking brings more finesse to ingredient preparation than traditional freezer dump-and-go meals. While dump-and-go is convenient, sous vide allows precise control over cooking temperatures and times, resulting in restaurant-quality ingredients.
This way, you can have a freezer stocked with convenience and ready-to-use proteins, grains, veggies, stocks, and sauces that are perfect for any meal. With a sous vide, your preparation becomes a journey of culinary excellence, offering a delightful dining experience from your freezer to your plate.
Pros and Cons
Furthermore, the sous vide technique pasteurizes most types of food, so I can store cooked food in my fridge for at least ten days without worrying about spoilage, whereas traditional leftovers only last three or four days.
However, it's not a silver bullet. There is a learning curve, and this method requires time, planning, and attention to food safety.
The sous vide isn't going to be the best method for everything, but in my opinion, the pros outweigh the cons:
- Foods can be cooked from frozen.
- It brings out the flavor since they cook in their juices.
- Precisely controlling cooking temperatures cook food evenly and make proteins juicier.
- Proper food safety allows for extended storage periods of food.
- Additional meal prep can take place while proteins are cooking.
My meal prepping method:
Here's a quick, basic overview of my sous vide process:
Prep ingredients for the freezer: I shop for local produce at my farmer's market during summer and freeze any extra produce. Further, whenever I have the time for extra freezer prep, I visit my local butcher's shop to purchase high-quality meats.
Otherwise, we buy in bulk at Costco. Every few months, I set aside a weekend to prepare ingredients for the freezer, which involves seasoning or marinating proteins, blanching vegetables, caramelizing onions, and more. I vacuum-seal or store it in freezer-appropriate containers for later use.
Prepare the Sous Vide: I prepare the Sous Vide weekly or bi-weekly to batch-cook my pre-prepared, vacuum-sealed proteins and veggies from the freezer. Foods can be cooked straight from frozen in a sous vide.
While the food is cooking, I can use this time to prepare fresh ingredients for the week or disinfect my sink for the next step.
Chill in an ice bath: Once the vacuum-sealed packets finish cooking, I remove them from the sous vide and immediately submerge them in an ice bath until everything is cold.
This rapid chilling helps to inhibit bacterial growth and extends the shelf life of the ingredients to a minimum of seven to ten days when stored unopened in the refrigerator.
Note: to store food for extended periods, it must undergo the process of pasteurization, which ensures that harmful bacteria and other microorganisms are eliminated, thereby making the food safe for consumption.
Store-cooked foods: Remove the vacuum-sealed packs from the ice bath, wipe them dry with a clean kitchen towel, and store them unopened in the coldest part of your fridge until you're ready to eat.
Prepare: To cook proteins, remove them from the package and dry with paper towels—heat oil in a heavy skillet until hot with proper ventilation. Press the protein down to make good contact with the pan and flip to brown the other side.
It is already cooked, so it only needs to be reheated in a properly heated pan for about two minutes per side. Proteins may also be successfully browned under a broiler, but most of the time, I prefer using the stovetop. It's important to note that foods cooked in a sous vide won't brown with a thick crust like traditional methods.
As for veggies, I either reheat them on the stove or remove excess moisture and brown them under the broiler. If I'm short on time, the microwave works fine.
Do all the recipes on this site use a Sous Vide?
No, I mostly use the sous vide to batch-cook proteins like chicken, pork, and steak because I can cook from frozen instead of defrosting overnight.
Like I said, there are better options than the sous vide for some ingredients. It is worth noting that not all types of seafood or vegetables can be cooked with a sous vide consistently.
Various recipes that freeze well are available on this site. Some recipes call for an Instant Pot, while others are for simple ingredients such as white rice, caramelized onions, or mole that can be batch-cooked and frozen for later use.
This website supports you in creating high-quality meals, offering flexibility based on your preferences and schedule. The recipes provide step-by-step instructions and suggestions to make cooking effortless and enjoyable.