Making the Most of Canned and Frozen Food

Using canned and frozen food to enhance your kitchen's productivity
By Emily Lugg Canned and frozen food save both time and money in your kitchen. There are plenty of canned and frozen ingredients that can be used to replace some of the fresh items without compromising the integrity of your menu. What's more, canned and frozen food have a much longer shelf life.

Finding a few tricks to incorporate frozen and canned food into your dishes can make a world of difference for you and your chefs. They will be spending less time preparing some of the ingredients while you will ultimately be spending less money purchasing them. Consider the following when making the most of canned and frozen food:

1. Use diced and cubed canned goods to save time chopping.

2. Replace short shelf-life ingredients such as fruit with frozen food products.

3. Enhance casseroles and soups with canned and frozen food.

Buy already cut canned goods to save time in the kitchen

Canned food companies sell already diced and sliced fruits, vegetables and meats for your convenience. You can save your chefs and sous-chefs a lot of time by purchasing these types of ingredients that don't need more than to be opened and thawed or drained. The countless hours that were spent chopping and dicing can be used for cooking more meals.
Try:  You can purchase diced canned chicken from FoodServiceDirect.com by the case. You can used canned chicken in a variety of dishes from soups to enchiladas. At the Allen Canning Company, find a variety of canned food labels and vegetable options, including both sliced and crinkle-cut carrots.

Replace fresh fruit and other perishables with frozen food

Fresh fruit is, unfortunately, one of the hardest ingredients to keep fresh for very long. Fruit often has a small window of time when it is at its prime, and if you cut into it too early or too late you will likely be disappointed with its flavor and texture. Buying fruit from frozen food manufacturers or from canned food brands will keep you and your chefs from having to play the guessing game with each shipment of fruit. You will also save money in the end from fewer wasted food items.
Try:  At Dole you can find numerous frozen fruit options. Dole also gives you preparation tips and a time line of when all of the varieties are available throughout the year. Wild Harvest flash freezes its berries to keep the flavor and aroma fresh.

Add canned and frozen food to large dishes to enhance the main ingredient

The frozen food industry offers many choices, some even unusual, of vegetables that you can add to hearty dishes that require several ingredients. Some of the less frequently used ingredients, when purchased as frozen foods or from a canned food business, can be kept on hand for these types of dishes that may not be made as often as others. These ingredients are also often used in smaller amounts, which allows you to use what you need at the time and not have to waste what is leftover.
Try:  You can find frozen meat, vegetables, breads and egg products at Gordon Food Service. Schwan's carries a variety of frozen vegetables and vegetables blends that you can add to any dish.

• Another perk of canned and frozen food is that it can be served either warm or cold depending on the nature of the dish. For example, frozen fruits can be served without any thawing time if served with ice cream or another expected frozen product.