Cook Once, Eat Twice

By Lamar James, U of A Cooperative Extension

First posted on 04-30-2008

By planning ahead, you can make getting food on the table easier, says Robbie McKinnon, Pike County extension agent with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

She suggests you plan meals based around key foods prepared in larger amounts for use in one recipe the first night and a different recipe within the next night or two. You can make sure your food remains safe and of high quality when you follow basic food safety procedures.

“Separate out and refrigerate the portion to be served for your next meal before you set the food on the table,” she says. “This keeps your food quality higher.” Promptly refrigerate the food for the next meal to keep it safe. Perishable cooked foods, such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products, shouldn’t be at room temperature longer than two hours.

Refrigerate the prepared-ahead food in shallow containers so it cools faster in the refrigerator. For thicker foods, such as layers of meat slices, limit depth of food to 2 inches. Loosely cover food. This allows heat to escape and protects from accidental contamination from other foods during cooling.

“As a general rule-of-thumb,” she says, “use the extra refrigerated food you cooked within one to two days. Freeze for longer storage. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator when you’re ready to use again—never thaw at room temperature.”

You can cook macaroni for your favorite macaroni and cheese recipe and cook extra macaroni for another recipe. Extra pasta can be served in a cold dish such as a pasta salad or combined in a casserole with beef or chicken.

Pasta should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can add 1-2 teaspoons of oil to each pound of cooked pasta to help keep it from sticking.

A large batch of rice can make a meal of rice with a hearty sauce of ground beef and tomato flavored with Italian seasoning. The extra rice can be used the next night to make a dish of fried rice with your favorite vegetables and shrimp from the freezer.

McKinnon says you can also save fried rice from one evening and chicken from another night and put them together in a casserole or soup. If you’re planning to use the rice as a plain side, you’ll need to add 2 tablespoons of water, broth or juice per cup of cooked rice. Cover and heat on top of the range or in a microwave until heated throughout.

“Rice also freezes well,” she says. “After cooked rice has cooled in the refrigerator, transfer it to plastic freezer bags in quantities needed for future meals.”

Make a roast and enjoy part of it with carrots and potatoes. Use the rest to make delicious sandwiches or hearty stew, she suggests.

When you’re boiling hard-cooked eggs, make enough eggs for egg salad sandwiches, sliced eggs on a salad and to make deviled eggs. To cook eggs, place them in a single layer in a saucepan. Add enough tap water so the water is 1 inch above the eggs. Cover and quickly bring to boiling. Turn off heat. Let eggs stand, covered, in hot water, about 15 minutes. Immediately run cold water over eggs or place them in ice water until completely cooled.

“It’s important to use proper cooking and cooling procedures,” she says. “Otherwise, a harmless greenish ring can occur around the yolk because of an iron and sulfur compound that forms when eggs are overcooked or not cooled quickly.”

Hard-cooked eggs in the shell can be kept in the refrigerator for up to one week.

For more information on nutrition and food safety, contact your county extension agent or visit http://www.uaex.edu and select Health and Nutrition, then Health. The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A Division of Agriculture.