Frozen Assets: How to Cook for a Day and Eat for a Month

Rating:
Summary: One star for the recipes, five stars for the plan!
Review: I would give this book 2-1/2 stars, averaging the great information on once-a-month cooking (5 stars) with the recipes (1 star). The strong positives about the book are the highly organized plan for OAMC cooking (which is all available on the OAMC Website) and useful tips for grocery savings. Also, the author has a wonderful, warm friendly tone. Strong negatives include the fact that there is not one recipe (except for a cookie recipe) that I would eat or serve to my family. To my taste (and I'm not picky, but I realize taste is subjective!) the recipes are bland, and each one has some odd ingredient (canned olives in everything, rice crusts for quiches, etc.). I love casseroles and one-meal dishes, and was very disappointed to find not one usable recipe. Another strong negative is that the material was s-t-r-e-c-h-e-d to fill the book--i.e, one recipe per page, and repeating the recipes in different sections. I see that some reviewers love the recipes and some hate them---my very strong advice would be to check out the recipes before you invest in this book. (As an aside, I loved Debi's book "A Simple Plan" and would highly recommend it!)

Rating:
Summary: Helpful and easy to use
Review: The author understands the way real people eat. I've read and used several other books on cooking meals ahead of time. This is the only one I've seen that has inexpensive recipes AND kid-friendly recipes AND three complete menu plans AND shopping lists AND step by step instructions for applying the method using my own recipes AND a big list of frequently asked questions AND instructions for single people. There are also some good tips for those of us without stand-alone freezers, and there's a large section on saving money on groceries. I've had the book for a couple weeks and already found it helpful, easy to use, and the recipes I've tried so far have been hits with my family who can be picky eaters sometimes.

Rating:
Summary: The Book Every Smart Cook Should Own.
Review: This book is wonderful! I usually get an average of 5 recipes per cookbook but I copied 25 from this one! This book will help you rethink not only how to cook and freeze, but how you buy groceries and will save you a ton of money. I suggest trying smaller portions than recommended and adjusting for your family's taste (more or less spices, etc.) before you cook in the larger quantities. Also, Appendix F discusses how to reduce the amount of fat in the recipes listed in the book. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: I Hated the Frozen Meals Method Until I Read This Book!
Review: I've read and used several cookbooks and dozens of recipes for the Once-a-month cooking method and found all of them to be a waste of my time and money until I reviewed and tested Frozen Assets by Deborah Taylor-Hough. There are several important tricks to using this method. This book is the only one I've read on the subject which emphasizes the importance of calibrating your freezer to the right temperatures, as well as the importance of cooling, freezing and thawing the food properly in order to guarantee that your ingredients retain the texture and taste desired. I pride myself on being an excellent cook, but must admit that I failed miserably at the Once-a-month cooking method until I took the time to learn and apply Debi's common sense, but often over-looked techniques. I am a person who has a passion for really fresh food, but as a working mother I don't always have time to prepare all of our meals from scratch. Having simple dishes, such as Debi's Black Beans and Rice, on hand in the freezer, gives me the luxury of having the most time consuming part of the meal finished. I can add fresh salad or steamed vegetables for a quick, well balanced, fresh meal without having to settle for the compromise of instant rice or canned beans. While freezer meals aren't my first choice for dinner, having a few meals each month in our freezer saves me valuable time I don't always have. I have found her recipes to be simple, basic, economical, nutritious, and delicious. Good job, Debi! Food critics, like me, can be a pretty tough crowd to sell frozen foods to, but your common sense, economical approach to this method gave me a reason to try it again. I'm glad I did!

Rating:
Summary: A Time AND Money Saver for Busy Families
Review: While no one cookbook can please every reader, Frozen Assets is one that should be considered by every busy family that's tired of spending big money on fast food every week. The concept is simple. Adapt a recipe and cook a larger amount so that you have ready meals in the freezer. No more idling in the drive-through line waiting for another batch of budget busting Big Macs. Instead, pull a prepared meal out of your freezer and you're eating a home cooked meal in minutes. The beauty of the book isn't that it gives you every possible recipe that can be used. It shows you how to adjust your family favorites for freezing. For instance, it's best to add spices after the meal is thawed. Not that creative? Then try some of the recipes that Debi provides. Regardless of your family, all but the most picky eaters will find dishes that will put a smile on their faces. If you're tired of answering the question "What's for dinner?" with "How about ordering a pizza" then Frozen Assets is for you.

Rating:
Summary: No more store-bought frozen food!
Review: Last year I received a copy of "Frozen Assets" as a gift, and I really enjoyed it. Because of reading the book, when my mother said she didn't have time to cook any more and hated store-bought frozen food, I immediately knew what to get her for Christmas! We filled her freezer with food from "Frozen Assets" and "Frozen Assets Lite" while she was out at work. When she got home and opened her freezer door, she was shocked and amazed. She said it was the best Christmas gift ever (she also got a copy of this book).

Rating:
Summary: New Way of Cooking
Review: This book has changed my view of cooking and shopping! When I see a special on meats,canned goods or potatoes, I can take advantage of that and put it up immediately in a recipe from this book. Deborahs' recipes leave room for adjusting the spices to suit our tastes. This book if worth purchasing and using. The added information she provides gives you the knowledge to work with your existing recipes to make them into Frozen Assets.

Rating:
Summary: Cook for a day, oh yea!
Review: I am a person that hates spending so much time in the kitchen everyday. When I bought this book and tried it I was so pleased at the results that I can just pull a meal from the freezer to serve and I am not spending an extra hour in the kitchen instead I can spend more family time and the kids love that because they have my full attention. Buy this book now!

Rating:
Summary: Very Helpful
Review: As a busy soccer mom I was very pleased with this book. Everything was so organized. The recipes were easy to make and tasted delicious even to my picky eater. Be careful on the portion sizes with some of the recipes. We are a family of five and some of the recipes did not have enough food for any second helpings. But it is wonderful not to have to worry everyday what to plan for dinner because there is something always in the freezer ready to heat and eat.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent time-saving tool
Review: I found this book to be very informative - a shopping list is provided and I shopped on a Monday and then began cooking for 30 days on Tuesday. It took me from 7:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. to complete 26 dinners. I left out the soup. The recipes are easy, kid-friendly (my picky eater loved the mexi-chicken especially) and freeze well. As a home-school mom, I find it difficult to get dinner on the table with teaching, field trips, etc. It is great to know there are a month's worth of dinners in the freezer and the recipes are good, easy to follow, and ones my kids and husband enjoy.