Jerky Four Ways

Nature may abhor a vacuum, but marinades don't! Jerky is a staple. Great as a snack, stores nicely, and a wonderful source of protein. Making jerky with a dehydrator is easy and a great way to stock up on a long lasting (if properly dehydrated and packaged) staple. I’ve used the Nesco jerky cure packets … Continue reading Jerky Four Ways

The Vacuum Sealer… the kitchen tool that sucks.

Sorry. I’ll see myself out. But before I go, let me actually explain why the vacuum sealer has become one of my absolute favorite tools in the kitchen. Protecting frozen food is a no brainer. We pulled some steaks that had been frozen in March of 2020 in September of 2021. They still tasted fresh. … Continue reading The Vacuum Sealer… the kitchen tool that sucks.

Are you prepared for the 3 S’s?

When we start preparing, we naturally begin looking to our pantries and freezers. We we try to make sure we have bread and milk. Meat and pasta. And that makes sense when you are preparing for an event that may knock things out for a few days or a week. And as you progress in … Continue reading Are you prepared for the 3 S’s?

The Journal

About a year and a half ago, I started journaling as a way to help keep my thoughts straight. It wasn’t really meant as a food journal or inventory, but over the months I have added and tried different ways of doing things and keeping track of what we have and need. A lot of … Continue reading The Journal

Getting organized

OK, so today we are going to talk about something that is super exciting. And by super exciting I mean totally not exciting at all. Today, today we talk about getting organized. and creating space. And that means cleaning. I know, ew. But hear me out. I know there is excitement in figuring out what … Continue reading Getting organized

Overlapping ingredients

One of the best things I learned regarding preparing is to store what you eat and eat what you store. It’s a very simple concept, but extremely powerful in focusing our food storage planning. If you eat what you store and store what you eat, you know you will always have something you like on … Continue reading Overlapping ingredients

Why prepared to cook?

For today's post, I want to try something different. Let's consider this a test run to see if I am better yammering instead of typing. I know it's rough. I've never done anything like this before and have, quite literally, all the things to learn. To be honest, I am just thrilled I got something … Continue reading Why prepared to cook?

Welcome to Prepared to cook

Thanks for checking out the website. I know it is a bit thin at the moment, but it's going to grow, I promise. I will add content as quickly as I can so you have another resource to turn to and learn from. The information I will provide here will, I hope, help you to … Continue reading Welcome to Prepared to cook

Looking for a hedge against inflation?

Gold? Silver? Bitcoin? What about Dogecoin?!?! Sure those will work. Well, OK, not that last one, no matter what Elon says. But let's talk about something else. Something we can do to hedge every time we go to the store. Something we should all be doing anyway. Shop by unit price. This may be something … Continue reading Looking for a hedge against inflation?

Fermented garlic dill jalapeno pickles

This is a really easy and a great way to try lacto-fermentation. What you need:-Pickling cucumbers (6)-Carrots (3)-Jalapeno peppers (2, ribs & seeds removed unless you want more heat)-Garlic, fresh dill & peppercorns-50 grams of salt by weight and 1 liter of cool water to produce a 5% brine. The type of salt is not … Continue reading Fermented garlic dill jalapeno pickles