Food Storage Pizza Tricks

Posted on March 22nd, 2009 by Julie - Food Storage Made Easy

I don’t know about you, but with the weather changing the last thing I want to be doing is spending too much time in the house cooking.  I have been trying to come up with some ways to be more efficient in the kitchen.  So I wanted to share with you a few little tricks I have learned that have helped me lately. Make sure to leave a comment with your tips, we can all learn from each other.

To make it fun, I’m going to use my FAVORITE food as an example…. PIZZA!

Freezing Veggies

Have you ever frozen veggies (or fruit) and had them clump together? Well try placing them on a cookie sheet, let them freeze, then place them in plastic freezer bags.  These work great on pizza because you can throw them right on frozen.

Pre-Shredding Cheese

When cheese is on sale, buy it in bulk and grate it all at once.  I remember when I was little that was the job we all hated, so get it over with in one shot. One of our viewers on the Fun With Food Storage chat last week told us a great tip when doing this.  If you don’t want the mozzarella cheese to clump up, throw in a tablespoon of cornstarch with the cheese.

Grind Wheat Ahead of Time

I usually try to grind all my wheat fresh (it contains most of the nutrients this way).  However, I usually have about 4-8 cups in my freezer to use if I am in a “hurry” and can’t get my grinder out.  Freezing it helps keep it fresher longer.

Go for 2 in 1’s

Whenever I make pizza dough, I double the recipe and turn the other half into hot pockets.  I let them cool down, then wrap them in plastic wrap and throw them in the freezer.  That way I have lunches prepared ahead of time.  I use these on days that I just don’t feel like it (do you ever have those?). I cook it in the micro for 2 minutes and enjoy it every time knowing it is healthier and cheaper then lean pockets.

Ifyou’re now in the mood for pizza, check out this great recipe Jodi tried this weekend. Visit Crystal at EverydayFoodStorage.NET. She has videos and goes into great detail using this recipe:

30 Minute Breadsticks OR No-Fail Deep Dish Pizza Crust

(If it is too thick for your family, you can either half the recipe or put one full recipe onto two cookie sheets)

2 1/2 C. Medium Hot Water
5 tsp. SAF Instant Yeast*
2 Tbsp. Sugar
3 Tbsp. Oil
1 tsp. Salt
6 C. Flour (you can do half all-purpose and half white wheat or 100% whole wheat)
1 to 2 Cubes of Butter

Directions:
1. Pour medium hot water in mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast on top and allow to dissolve.
2. Add sugar, salt, and oil. Gradually add approximately 6 cups of flour.
3. Melt 1-2 cubes butter on cookie sheet in oven as it is heating to 400 degrees and melt in oven. 4. Place dough on cookie sheet and press to fill pan, make sure butter gets on top of the dough.
5. Allow to double in size (About 10-15 minutes)
6. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until desired browning is accomplished.
7. Cut into strips or top with favorite pizza toppings.

* When using regular yeast change amount to 2 Tbsp.

Jodi’s kids enjoying the pizza! HOLY COW I AM REALLY hungry for some now!

Technorati Tags: Grains, Long Term Food Storage

Filed under: General, Julie's Progress, Long Term Food Storage, Wheat Recipes

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  • I absolutely love the hot pocket idea! I love doubling things and freezing for later. And my kids get tired of plain old sanwiches for lunch. I think my husband would really love these too!
  • Lisa H.
    During the summer, when my great room gets hot it takes forever to cool down. If I turn on the oven, my kitchen and living room are still hot in the morning. Last year I got smart and cooked for several weeks during the late Spring and filled my freezer. I cooked roast beef and pork roasts for several days. I portioned them out into family sized servings. I wrapped them in Glad Press and Seal wrap then popped them into big freezer bags.

    I was sad when I ran out of precooked meat part way through the Summer. I intend to double my efforts this Spring and keep my house cool again.
  • I HAVE to try boiling my ground beef next time. I have never heard of that, but hate the frying pan too!

    I have frozen veggies in those new ziplock bags that you can suction air out of. When I went to get a few chucks of bell pepper (for pizza too!), individually pieces came off very easily and I was able to just re-close and suction again; it was great. It takes out the extra step of freezing it on a cookie sheet first.

    I hope that made sense! Thanks for the great post. I have been meaning to do some hot pockets...I think my husband would love that option for lunch.
  • YUMMMMMY!!! great idea!
  • Jodi
    1 cube is 1/2 a cup. That is what I used and it was plenty and delicious. I wouldn't have wanted any more so two would be pretty excessive in my opinion. On Crystal's blog some people comment that using 1/2 a cube (1/4 cup) was just fine for their tastes.
  • Stephanie
    How large is "a cube of butter"?
  • gaby
    hello stacie no you can't freeze tomatoes because the flavor after is terrible!!! honestly I did it before and what very bad . so what I do know I can tomatoes and I can of make a salsa I cook my tomaotes for like 5-7 min, when they chance color , then I blended with 1 clove of garlic a piece of onion and salt and I put these in a ziploc bag in the freezer and then they are ready for my salsas or my spaguetti or whatever I need it. but pretty much you can freeze everything I freeze my bell peppers, onions tomatillos, not zuccini apples,cantalope cucumbers witch of course I use it only for making sweet water is delicious you have to try it. I blend some cucumber like 2 depend on the size. with lime juice fresh taste way better like 5-6 limes of the big ones and sugar blended and pour in a big container and add more water and there it is a cucumber water very very good!!!

    hope you like it !!
  • HW
    I freeze bell peppers and onions that I buy fresh when they are on sale and then cut up at home before I freeze them.
  • Theresa
    I can add a tip for cooking all that hamburger at once. Don't do it in a frying pan -- all that spattering, and then you have to drain off the grease.

    Instead, BOIL IT. Yep. Pop it into a big pot of boiling water, and just let it go. No need to watch it, no need to turn the meat as it browns, and when you're done, just scoop it out with a slotted spoon.

    You'll never go back to a frying pan.
  • Heidi
    I pre-cook 10-20 pounds of hamburger and then bag it into our family size portion. It makes spaghetti sauce, tacos, soup etc so much faster if I don't have to cook the meat first. Plus I only have one fry pan to clean up once rather than multiple times.
  • Joyce
    Thanks so much for the great sounding recipe! Jodi, your kids are absolutely adorable!:)

    Joyce
  • Stacie
    What kind of veggies do you freeze? Can you freeze tomatos?
  • gaby
    something that I like to do too when I do pizza I do an extra one ready to go all the ing in and cover it with plastic and put it in my freezer so when ever I don't have the time to cook I pull it out and bake it.
    I always used the pizza before 1 month I don't know if it will go more time.
    and I do it whole wheat recipe (jaja so I will not fell so bad eating pizza with all the fat jajaj but it is delicious!!!)

    thanks for the tips!!
  • Cindy
    P.S. If you let it unthaw on the counter it just doesn't melt as well either. Always unthaw in the fridge.
  • Cindy
    Another good hint for cheese is to let it unthaw in the fridge. It will melt better. Never put frozen cheese on what you're baking without unthawing it bz it won't melt very well. I've frozen cheese for years and it works well. Rather than grating by hand I use a food processer with the crinkle cut. It seems to work better than the grater on it.
  • Connie
    Grating the chesse is one of the fun jobs in our house, because we use the salad shooter and it is fun and we do all of our chesses that way.
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