Re: Once a month cooking - containers

[Guest guest]

>

>

> Hi!

>

> The only problem with the OAMC philosophy is you really do need a lot of

> freezer space. The idea of cooking one really large meal into several,

> packaging and freezing is fine as long as you're able to handle that one

> really, really, REALLY busy day and then have a large freezer

> with lots of

> available space in which to pack your month of meals. Can be

> tougher than

> you might think.

>

I agree, as I was writing my diatribe last night I realized that there are

really 2 appliances we could never do without to make ends meet. They are

the microwave and the freezer. We've always had a freezer except for a

short period of time. Most of the time, we used it mostly for the " extra "

things and I don't know how many times I'd empty bags full of bread crusts,

soups and so on that we had originally planned to eat but never got around

to it. Now, it truly is a blessing to have. I really think that if we

didn't have one, just in the savings we can make, the cost of the freezer

is worth the expense.

For some of you, if you happen to live in the same kind of neighbourhood we

live in (caring, friendly, family oriented), there's usually someone who

has a half empty freezer somewhere. We stock quite a few things for

neighbours who don't have space but still need to buy in quantity to save

on costs. As it turns out, it helps us too because a freezer consumes the

most energy when it isn't full. The less air in a freezer, the more

economical it runs. That's why it is recommended that if your freezer is

not full, you should fill it with balls of newspaper to take up the air

inside. The advantage is twofold; one, the freezer consumes less

electricity so you save there, and second, it means that the compressor

works less trying to keep things cold so you save again by prolonging the

life of your freezer.

Another thing I haven't seen mentioned is containers. Mixes and quantity

purchases often require decent containers to retain freshness. We are lucky

because our daughter works in the bakery of a supermarket. They get icing

and pre-mixes in plastic pails ranging from a gallon to 5 gallon

containers. These are great to store stuff. They seal well, they are

stackable and the handle makes them easy to carry. Some stores will give

these away if you ask. We also used to keep big jars like the ones mustard,

relish, olives come in for restaurants but they are very heavy to lift when

full, and they are also slippery, so I wouldn't recommend them but in a

pinch they'll do.

By the way, whoever sent the address for the mix site ( D. ?) thanks

a lot. It's great. I'll look through this one for a few days I'm sure. I

already sent the web page owner a thank you note ( people appreciate a

short thank you for their effort ) and I've received a thank you to my

thank you already.

Mike

[Guest guest]

Greetings: In thinking about those glass jars, the bigger ones, something just

crossed my mind. I wonder if this might work. I really enjoy storing food in

glass because it has a better taste.

I wonder if a person could take a mesh bag the kind that onions come in and

make a lift container for it? Fit the jar in the mesh, and either fold the top

of the mesh inside or over on the outside. Take a piece of cord and run it

through the mesh separate both ways to act as drawstrings. Input please!

Peace

D.

[Guest guest]

,

Congratulations! you have just invented a new adaptive device. People

actually sell simple things like this that help people with limitations.

However, I don't think there would be too much of a market except for people

like Mike & me, who buy gallon-size and extra-large containers. But don't give

up!

Ken

At 01:23 AM 10/24/98 -0400, you wrote:

>

>

>Greetings: In thinking about those glass jars, the bigger ones, something

just

>crossed my mind. I wonder if this might work. I really enjoy storing food in

>glass because it has a better taste.

>

>I wonder if a person could take a mesh bag the kind that onions come in and

>make a lift container for it? Fit the jar in the mesh, and either fold the

top

>of the mesh inside or over on the outside. Take a piece of cord and run it

>through the mesh separate both ways to act as drawstrings. Input please!

>

>Peace

>

> D.

>

>

>------------------------------------------------------------------------

>

[Guest guest]

>

>

> Greetings: In thinking about those glass jars, the bigger ones,

> something just

> crossed my mind. I wonder if this might work. I really enjoy

> storing food in

> glass because it has a better taste.

>

> I wonder if a person could take a mesh bag the kind that onions

> come in and

> make a lift container for it? Fit the jar in the mesh, and

> either fold the top

> of the mesh inside or over on the outside. Take a piece of cord

> and run it

> through the mesh separate both ways to act as drawstrings. Input please!

>

That is an excellent idea ! In fact, put the jar in the bag, tie a string

around the bag just below the lid if possible and have the bag " attached "

to the jar. _Then_ run a string through the bag to use as handles ! That

should work nicely !

For me though it's still not an option because of the weight, but I'm sure

someone can use the idea. Thanks !

Mike