Cooking Through the Freezer (A Series)
The Freezer Situation
How did cooking through the freezer start? Years ago, I found myself off work for a few months. With free time on my hands, I decided it was time to confront a problem I had been politely ignoring for years: the freezers.
And yes—plural.
I have three of them. One in the refrigerator in the kitchen, one in a second refrigerator in the garage, and a full stand‑alone freezer in the garage. However, at this point, they operate less like appliances and more like long‑term food storage facilities. Although my cooking is seasoned with love, my freezer was feeling quite neglected. As shown in the photo above on the left, the freezer had grown icebergs over the years!
Inspired by Alton Brown (and a Bit of Delusion)
The inspiration for tackling this cold, frozen truth came from an episode of Good Eats. Alton Brown challenged himself to cook through every single food item in a house. He did it in nine days. Personally, given the quantity of freezer items and canned goods in my home, I estimate I could survive somewhere between six months and a small apocalypse without grocery shopping.
When Good Intentions Meet Real Life
At the time, I actually got off to a great start cooking through the freezer. I planned meals, used ingredients, and unearthed ancient freezer mysteries. I was making progress—until I returned to full‑time work. At that point my noble culinary intentions were quickly buried. Call schedules, long days, and sheer exhaustion took over.
A Love of Cooking… and Collecting Recipes
There’s another part of this story that may sound familiar: I love to cook. I really love reading recipes. Unfortunately, this often leads to a predictable sequence of events—discover recipe, buy ingredients, admire ingredients, then… move ingredients to freezer “for later,” where they remain indefinitely.
Retirement, at Last
Now, after retiring following 40 years as a physician and a working mom raising three children, I finally have what once felt like a mythical resource: time. I now have time to get organized, plan meals and open the freezer without fear or judgment.
The Challenge Begins
So I’ve issued myself a new challenge—one that feels both practical and slightly ridiculous. I’m going to cook through my freezer (and pantry), one meal at a time, using what I already have on hand. No martyrdom, no weird combinations just to prove a point—just real food, real recipes, and a sincere attempt to reduce the frozen chaos.
Along the way, I’ll be sharing the recipes here, as they come out of the freezer and onto the table. Some I will plan. Some I will improvise. All will move me one step closer to using up my vast inventory and only stocking up on basics.
Welcome to Cooking Through the Freezer.