Customer Reviews

Don't Panic--More Dinner's in the Freezer: A Second Helping of Tasty Meals You Can Make Ahead

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love the original Don't Panic book and I'm loving this version too. I went through it as soon as it arrived and found 27 recipes I want to try "first" - I have had great success with the meals I've tried so far.

I am not a fan of the OAMC recipes - everything is bland and not to my taste. How much cream of mushroom soup can one family eat? Yuck.

I love that these recipes are varied and have spices use real, fresh ingredients and appeal to the whole family. The two Don't Panic books have changed my life. I always have something in the freezer to prepare for dinner or to share with a friend in need. I've probably given away or encouraged 30 people to buy the first book, and I would imagine that this one won't be any different.

I like that this book categorizes the recipes into healthier choices, quick and easy and company-worthy. It's a neat feature, but I don't base my company worthy choices on it. I've found that most of the meals are crowd pleasers!

Eagerly looking forward to the third installment!

This was my third book used in the freezer "method" of cooking. So far, I have saved over 1/2 of the recipes to try in this book. There are a lot of varieties that will appeal to families of all types. I have a 2 1/2 year old, and a husband that is "particular" about what he will eat. So, finding another freezer cookbook is great. Each recipe gives the amounts needed for 1,3,6&9 portions. I love the fact that each cooking method is clearly stated. I have read other freezer cookbooks that seem to hide the fact that most of the food needs to be fully cooked before freezing. What would be the point of making a whole meal, cooking it, and then freezing it? There are many different dishes to try from, and most seem to be easy to prepare, store and defrost on a short notice. I LOVE the fact that there are so many grill recipes. In our state, when it is nice, people want to be outside as much as possible-the cookbook lets you forget about a long dinner prep, and makes more time to enjoy being with company and less time in the kitchen. Another plus, are the simple ingredients and straight forward amounts. Other cookbooks list european measurements and odd oz measurements with the canned ingredients. I am looking forward to trying more. So far, we have only eaten the Bacon Roll Ups-we managed to freeze 1/2-we ate the other 1/2 before we could get them in the freezer. Good Stuff!

It sounds corny but the two "Don't Panic ..." books have really made an impact in my family's daily life. The concept is simple. Buy things in bulk when they are on sale, prep the meals in bulk, then freeze. These books have saved us money and time. We've also eaten out a lot less now that home-cooked family meals are readily available. I like the second book "Don't Panic MORE dinner's in the freezer" better than the first book. There are more health-conscious recipes. There are more recipes for side dishes. There are more grilling recipes. We live in a warm climate so it's great to keep the heat out of the kitchen. The second book seems to have more recipes that are easier to prepare on serving day. In other words, you do almost all the work on cook & freeze day. Then you reap the rewards on serving day.

I have recommended this book to my friends and family because it has truly changed the way I prepare meals.

I really enjoyed the first Don't Panic cookbook so I was very excited to order the second, and was not disappointed! I like this one even better than the first. I made many meals before the birth of my second child and we're still eating from the freezer almost 3 months later. :) Many recipes for side dishes in the first book stated they were best eaten the day they were prepared, but in this book they are more truly freezer sides and include serving day instructions. I highly recommend the Italian stuffed meatloaf, chipotle-chocolate chili, and Asian flank steak, delicious! Once I actually start cooking again, I am looking forward to making many more of these recipes.

I have purchased and/or borrowed from the library many freezer cook books and this one is the first that has healthy ingredients and provides recipes that my picky eaters will eat. I see from some of the critiques that people think there is too much prep involved but this is a book for people who like to cook from scratch but don't have the time to do it every night.
I am going back to full time work and these recipes will allow me to maintain the same standards with less time. I have only tried one recipe and it was so wonderful I am looking forward to trying more! I love the grill option but as I am also from St Paul, Mn there is 7 inches of snow on the ground right now so it will have to wait. I enjoyed the review that stated, "why have a recipe for grilling?" Because it makes grilling even more delicious and usually the husband does that part of the work anyway!
Buy the book!

I bought the first DP book when it came out, and I was not disappointed. I have other OAMC cookbooks which, as another reviewer said, use a lot of cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soups; i.e. a bit on the bland side...this book, and its predecessor, both are not afraid to add some spice in their recipes. At the same time, the recipes are not too sophisticated for my family's preference. That being said, there are some more "sophisticated" recipes in the book, but there seems to be an even mix of recipes. The only reason I didn't give it a "5-star" is that the book is not spiral-bound, which would make it easier to use on the kitchen counter; of course that would likely make it more costly. Overall, I love both of the books in this series! I Will certainly buy the third edition if one comes out!

I purchased both version of this book. I figured I'd see which I liked better and re-gift the other. I much prefer the recipes in the second book to the first one. I would also say that you only need this second addition as there is some overlap in the bulk cooking tips.

This cookbook has been very helpful. I work long hours and don't always cook a decent meal. Now I only cook a couple times a week which isn't hard at all. I even purchased a small stand-alone freezer to have extra room for my cook-ahead meais. I highly recommend this book!

I purchased this cookbook after I joined a dinner exchange with my local moms group. I really like the way there is a chart that shows how much of everything you need for 3x, 6x, 9x the original recipe. I have always had a hard time trying to duplicate a recipe so that could freeze an extra meal when I was already cooking a lot for our family of 6. This takes all the guess work out of it and presents it in a nice readable recipe. So far we have liked all the recipes that I have made and have used a few to exchange with my moms group. Highly recommend this cookbook.

I have the first book and have enjoyed it, so when the second version came out, I had to try it. I actually like this version even better! I think the recipe assortment in the second book is closer to the way my family enjoys eating. As a busy mom of three kids, freezer cooking has been a life saver. These books give great suggestions on what freezes well, and how to prepare it before and after freezing. The recipes are great, and a perfect introduction to using (and abusing) your freezer!

This book has great ideas and much useful information. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because a number of the recipes didn't appeal to me. That being said, the concept is excellent, and enough do appeal to make the book well worth buying. You can spend a few hours on easy prep and have a week of meals in the freezer or ready to deliver to needy friends.