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What is "OAMC"?
OAMC stands for "once-a-month cooking". It is a method of producing several entrees
or meals in a burst of cooking activity.
OAMC sounds like a lot of work. Why is it so great?
You spend more time
doing what you want to do and less time in the kitchen. You serve meals which are
healthier yet cost less money.
Do you do this every month?
No, actually, I don't. Sometimes I do an abbreviated version of about 10 entrees. Sometimes I only cook ahead with one kind of meat or vegetable. Sometimes, when I know the upcoming weeks are going to be tremendously busy, I get busy and fill the freezer!
Is there a book with step-by-step directions in it for beginners?
Try one of these books; each uses a slightly different technique, but the results are the same:
- Once-A-Month Cooking by Mimi Wilson and Mary Beth Lagerborg
- Dinner's in the Freezer by Jill Bond
- Frozen Assets by Deborah Taylor-Hough
I don't like all the recipes in "the" OAMC cookbook.
I don't either. My family is not big on casseroles, and I like to cook with fewer processed foods. So, I use my own recipes.
Do you think that I can do OAMC, too? I'm a vegetarian.
Are there vegetarian dishes that you like which freeze well? Use them!
Do your kids eat this stuff? My kids are picky eaters!
I'd like to promise you that by using OAMC, you'll never hear whining at the table again. I'm too much of a realist, though. If you find even a few things that you can make ahead as kiddy fodder for the nights the adults in the family have "Curried Buffalo Chips", then you'll have reduced the whining - a little. Try my recipe for "Vaughn Nuggets" for starters, though.
How do you do OAMC with small children?????
Good question! It can be done! :)
With a newborn and a preschooler, I found that I had to break
it up into a couple of days in order to survive. Here's a sample schedule which
I often used:
- Day one: after dinner - shop; freeze breads and organize staples
- Day two: brown meats, measure for recipes and put into bags or covered bowls, labeled, in fridge.
- Day three: chop veggies, grate cheese, get out pans, put beans on to soak
- Day four: finish cooking - assemble, freeze. I would usually be DONE by lunch time or mid afternoon at the latest!
We don't have enough money to buy a whole month's worth of food!
Work into it gradually! Try selecting only 8 recipes, then, and buying ONLY what you need for those recipes. Figure out what you have saved in food bills and put that aside. The next time you are ready to do a cooking session, add that money to your budget and cook a few more recipes. And so on...
I don't have a stand-alone freezer. Can I still do OAMC?
Yes! But, you will have to get creative in how you package your meals. You may not be able to assemble and freeze a casserole with cooked chicken, for example, but you can cook the chicken and package it in one-recipe sizes. You can put soups, pasta dishes (except lasagna!), tomato sauce, etc in zip-shut freezer bags. Freeze them flat and then stack them on end. You'll develop your own space-saver ideas, too.
How are you tackling OAMC with "terrorism" concerns in mind?
I'm not really doing anything any differently than I usually do. We try to keep an "emergency" supply of foods on hand to last us three to five days. (See the Red Cross website for more suggestions on this topic.) I also do not just use one method of food storage. I do home canning of some foods, dehydrate others, use commercially prepared canned goods for some foods and freeze others. We personally do not see the need to make panic purchases for an "Emergency Pack" and thus have stores of foods we would not normally use in our every day lives. You need to do your own research and make an informed decision.
How do you find time to do this? (OR) I can't do this because I'm not a stay-at-home parent like you!
I did this kind of cooking method frequently when I was working full-time, too. I just didn't know it had a name. To be honest, it saves me a lot of time through the week. I can spend my time in ways that are more enjoyable! Or, I can get dinner on the table and still make soccer practice or piano lessons on time.
What cookbook do you recommend?
I don't use one cookbook, per se, but a whole collection of them. In addition to the OAMC books recommended above, I've collected recipes that work for our family. They're in a big 3 ring binder and are semi-organized. Cookbooks I like to use include:
- More With Less
- The Joy of Cooking
- Laurel's Kitchen
- Crock-It
- Rodale's
- Fanny Farmer
- and good ol' Betty Crocker
I heard you are selling a new OAMC cookbook. Can I buy one?
I am not selling a cookbook. You must be mixing me up with Deborah Taylor-Hough (aka Debi - and I'm flattered!), author of
the new book, Frozen Assets: How to Cook for a Day and Eat for a Month
(Champion Press, Ltd).
Further information about Frozen Assets (including reviews of the book, a
graphic of the book cover, and the Table of Contents) can be found at Debi's web site.
Where can I find a recipe for _____________ ?
I would encourage you to check out my favorite on-line cookbooks on our links page. All of them have searchable databases, so you can plug in what you are looking for and see if it is already out on the web.
Can I print your web site's recipes and tips out for my own use?
Absolutely! That's why they are here!
Can I use your materials in another publication OR in a demonstration I'm doing?
I make decisions on this on a case-by-case basis. Please write me and ask for permission first.
Are you a salesperson for Mary KayTM, Pampered ChefTM, CandleLightTM AvonTM, TupperwareTM or other home sales companies? Please read this letter!
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What is "OAMC"?
