Carol Bowen Ball is an established food writer with over 35 years experience in the food arena. A prolific author, she has written over 80 cookery books (mainly as Carol Bowen), on a variety of subjects from barbecue to range-style cooking, and a whole lot in between. A former Household and Cookery Editor for 'Homes & Gardens' magazine she has always been on the look-out for new ideas, trends and chasing the latest advice on cooking and eating well.

The Basic Basics Home Freezing Handbook by Carol Bowen

The ultimate how-to guide to storing food in your freezer—how long to store, how to prepare for storage, and how to thaw out over 200 kinds of foodstuffs.

In this sequel to her Basic Basics Combination & Microwave Handbook, Carol Bowen offers more handy kitchen and culinary advice with an easy to follow, encyclopedic layout. Simply look up the fruit, vegetable, fish, meat, sauces, cakes, or herbs of your choice to find the correct guidelines on freezing each type of food.

Bowen also explains the technical aspects of how freezers work, gives advice on choosing and positioning your freezer, and covers topics such as freezer insurance, cleaning, maintenance, emergencies, packaging, and accessories. You will also learn techniques for freezing, defrosting, refreezing, and thawing, as well as storage times.

These days, making the most of your food budget is more important than ever. And with The Basic Basics Home Freezing Handbook, you’ll save both food and money with any meal!

 
 

BOOK PREVIEW

Excerpt

FOREWORD

I have been a devoted and enthusiastic freezer owner for so many years that it is easy to forget the days before it arrived. I take for granted a fresh strawberry mousse on Christmas Day, garden-picked peas in November and a fresh slice of my mother's apple pie when she lives some 200 miles away!

For indeed the freezer has liberated our lives. A quick canvass of friends impressed upon me the differing reasons why we have welcomed the freezer into our culinary lives. Reasons like: we can now buy and store commercially frozen foods in bulk; buy foods for out of season eating; shop when we have the time and when we feel like it; shop when the stores are quiet; shop when it's easy to park the car; cook when we feel like it and have the time; cook ahead in preparation for guests or holiday eating; know there is food to hand in emergencies; store good 'cooks' foods or those from a specialist supplier; have no wastage of leftovers; freeze food from the garden that only costs the price of the seed and your labour; buy foods when they are in season and therefore at their best and cheapest; use fuel efficiently by bulk cooking; cope with special diets or illness; and if you hate cooking, cook less often.

Your reason for buying a freezer may concentrate on one particular area in the above list, but all the advantages and benefits mentioned are available to you as you will. However, in order to make the most of your freezer, information on selecting produce, how best to prepare it, how to freeze it and for how long can prove invaluable. This information, along with some basics on home freezing, follow in a simple A to Z format for easy reference. Together with some suggestions for using such foods, I hope you will have everything you need to ensure your freezing efforts are successful.

Carol Bowen