Home » Food & Drink » Cooking Ahead » Book Review – The Freezer Manual from 30 Day Gourmet

Book Review – The Freezer Manual from 30 Day Gourmet

© Kerri Bazzell

Tara Wohlenhaus and Nanci Slagle call themselves 30 Day Gourmet after the approach to cooking they have developed in the years since they started cooking together in 1993. Their book is an extension of their cooking classes that have been held across the country.

Like many books of its kind, The Freezer Manual starts out with the authors telling how they began cooking ahead and why you might want to try their approach. They include tips for freezing and plenty of recipes, just like most of the cooking ahead books reviewed on this site. However, The Freezer Manual goes the extra mile and brings the classroom to your home.

The authors give detailed directions about how to plan out your meals, how to shop, and how to prepare for your cooking day in easy steps. For example, step one is to set the dates for your planning, shopping and cooking. This is the beginning of an organized format that coaches the cook through each part of the cooking ahead process. The authors share page after page of tips that they have learned through the years that will interest even the most seasoned once-a-month cook.

The freezer tips and step-by-step directions to guide you through your sessions are great, but what really sets this book apart from the rest are the recipes. Each recipe is charted out so that you can easily see the amount of ingredients needed for one or two meals worth, on up to six meals of the same dish. This is a lifesaver for anyone who cooks in bulk!

The Freezer Manual also provides a section on cooking with a partner, including ideas for dividing up the work and cost fairly. Also included are plenty of blank forms that you may copy for your own use.

This is a book I would recommend to anyone interested in cooking ahead. Beginners will love the way the authors walk you through your first session, and those with more experience will appreciate the recipe format and forms that are included in the book.

The authors have a website that you may visit for information about the book. If you do purchase the book, a password is included so that you have access to the 50 additional free recipes that are on their website.

The copyright of the article Book Review – The Freezer Manual from 30 Day Gourmet in Cooking Ahead is owned by Kerri Bazzell. Permission to republish Book Review – The Freezer Manual from 30 Day Gourmet in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.