In the past couple of years, freezer cookbooks seem to have multiplied on bookstore shelves -- and each author cites a different reason for falling in love with the freezer.

Dormont's Kelly McNelis, a wellness coach and mom of two young daughters, wrote "15-Minute Freezer Recipes" to share the best meals she froze before the birth of her second child.

At the other end of the spectrum, Dana Jacobi, author of "Cook & Freeze," used the freezer to care for her elderly parents. She'd prep a big batch of freezable meals and cart them to her parents' freezer. All her parents had to do was heat and eat -- and it was cheaper and lower-sodium than prepackaged TV dinners.

Other good reasons authors gave for fixing freezer food:

• Storing homemade baby food, pureed and frozen in ice-cube trays.

• Saving time when you have a busy work schedule. "Having a freezer means that you can make batches of recipes when you have time and then turn to them when you don't," said Ghillie James, author of "The Foolproof Freezer Cookbook."

• Varying options for single people who want to cook a decent meal but not eat it for a whole week.

• Saving money by buying in bulk.

• Eating seasonal foods out of season.

• Simplifying entertaining. Ms. McNelis regularly freezes food for her daughters' birthday parties, Christmas parties and the Easter family meal to help minimize the work on the big days.

• Caring for family members with varying dietary or allergy requirements.

At my house, the freezer has rotated in and out of use for pre-made meals. I definitely made food ahead when I was expecting my babies, and I made my kids' baby food and stored it in ice cube trays. But my present life doesn't require a lot of advance meal prep, and given that I actually like to cook and don't want to get it all over with in one fell swoop, I don't really use the freezer for more than ingredient storage. That said, I could see how stocking the freezer could be a great advantage for busy single parents or for homes where both parents have demanding careers. They could carve out a few hours on a weekend and make some dishes for the whole week or maybe even for a whole month. Freezer food also would be good for the "I-hate-to-cook" set -- get it all done at once.

Whatever your reason for making freezer food, you can find almost any spin you want in the array of freezer cookbooks on bookstore shelves. Michele Borboa, author of "Make-Ahead Meals Made Healthy," stresses good nutrition. Ms. James covers a variety of freezer-related topics: making freezable meals, using frozen ingredients in the prep stage of a quick meal, and making ice cream desserts that don't require a special ice cream maker (see Nutty Honeycomb Ice Cream recipe). Ms. McNelis includes only recipes that don't involve any cooking of ingredients prior to freezing the dish for later -- hence the "15-Minute" title.

"Some of them are 3-minute," she added.

Each book also contains differences in method -- what types of packaging to use, how to thaw and reheat dishes, and so on.

Here are a few of the particulars that several authors shared with us.

Of the authors we spoke with, Ms. Jacobi is the most particular about freezing and thawing methods. Some of her meticulousness might stem from the fact that she lives in a Manhattan apartment with only a fridge-top freezer compartment, so she needs to save space. Here are some of the authors' tips:

Flat-freeze: One of Ms. Jacobi's favorite freezing methods involves pouring soups and sauces into zip-top freezer bags and laying them flat for freezing. Once hardened, they can be stacked side-by-side like books to save space.

Vacuum-seal: Ms. Jacobi is the only author we interviewed who recommends buying a vacuum sealer, available for about $150 plus the cost of special bags. But for those looking to economize, a vacuum sealer won't be worth the expense unless they're converting to a freeze-ahead way of life, rather than just freezing the occasional leftovers.

Minimize air contact: One of Ms. Borboa's favorite tips is to press plastic wrap directly onto the cooled surface of a casserole before further wrapping the casserole for freezing. This helps to prevent the formation of ice crystals.

Adjust cooking times: Particularly for soups, Ms. Jacobi found that if you're planning to freeze, you should undercook in order to avoid mushy ingredients after reheating.

Possibly avoid certain ingredients: Ms. Jacobi found that some ingredients fared better than others in the freezer no matter what she did. She found both rice and potatoes problematic. A home cook, she noted, can't operate like a factory producing frozen dinners. You can buy a decent prefab shepherd's pie, but you can't add the same stabilizers to the potatoes in your home kitchen that the factory can.

So she developed dishes that involved adding rice after reheating and potato dishes with enough added cheese to bind them together.

Ms. Borboa, on the other hand, doesn't shy away from freezing rice. She includes instructions for cooking large batches of brown and wild rice ahead of time and freezing them, noting this can be a real time-saver because unprocessed varieties of rice can take a long time to cook.

Label, label, label: "There are a few ingredients that don't freeze well, but I think the crucial thing to remember with freezing is to know what you've got in there," Ms. James said, noting length of time in the freezer is more important than what specific ingredients you've used. Just stick on a label with a date and what the item is. "The longer you have something sitting in your freezer, the more it will deteriorate."

Some folks avoid making freezer meals because they think of freezer food as second-rate, mushy and all melded together.

But in some cases, dishes come out of the freezer better than when they went in.

Ms. Jacobi loves to combine raw meat with marinade before freezing -- a technique that tenderizes and flavors the meat better than marinating in the fridge. And she likes the Freeze Please Fudge Brownies (see recipe) better from the freezer than fresh.

Similarly, we found that Potluck-Perfect Tamale Pie (see recipe) from Ms. Borboa's book tasted even better after a stint in the freezer. Direct from the oven, the topping was stiff, but the freezer softened it and made the texture more like cornbread.

And freezer meals can pump up more than just the quality of a main dish. All the cookbooks we cited included breakfast chapters -- an option that would allow home cooks who are not morning people to spice up breakfast time (see Ham & Veggie Strata recipe).

Both Ms. McNelis and Ms. Jacobi say they use freezer cooking almost constantly to simplify their lives and keep a range of good foods available on a regular basis. In the introduction to her cookbook, Ms. Jacobi wrote, "Now my freezer, which is less than 24 inches wide and only 111/2 inches high, holds several batches of soup, layers and frosting for a chocolate cake, a couple of stews, sloppy joes, lasagna, burritos, chocolate chip cookie dough, and rosemary-roasted almonds" -- all of which, of course, are recipes from her cookbook.

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Ham & veggie strata

PG tested

We prepared this in 2 pie plates rather than 1 9-by-13-inch baking dish, the better to make 2 meals for our family of 4.

-- Rebecca Sodergren

• 2 cups skim milk

• 8 large eggs, beaten

• 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder

• 1/2 pound boneless ham, diced

• 1 cup frozen green and red peppers and onion strips (broccoli can be substituted if desired)

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

• 6-ounce bag seasoned croutons

• 1/4 pound mild cheddar cheese, shredded

Spray a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs and mustard powder. Add ham, frozen vegetables, pepper and croutons. Mix until every crouton is saturated.

Pour into prepared casserole dish and top with shredded cheese.

Cover with plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze.

To cook: Thaw overnight in refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove plastic wrap and foil, and bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until top is golden brown and center is cooked through. Serves 8 to 10.

-- "15-Minute Freezer Recipes" by Kelly McNelis (New Leaf Wellness, 2012, $8.99 or $5.99 for the e-book)

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Turkish ground-beef kebabs

PG tested

My family came pretty close to licking the plates when I made these. I didn't have Greek yogurt on hand, so I stirred some peeled, chopped cucumber into a small bowl of reduced-fat sour cream. We also found that pitas with pockets work fine, too.

-- Rebecca Sodergren

• 1 pound ground beef (93-percent lean)

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1/2 teaspoon smoked or sweet ground paprika

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

• 1 small onion, very finely chopped

• 8 pocketless pitas, warmed

• 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

• Chopped tomato, white onion and parsley for garnish

In a mixing bowl, combine the beef with the cumin, paprika, cinnamon, garlic powder, salt, pepper and onion, mixing with a fork until very well blended. Divide the mixture into 8 portions. Place a portion in the palm of 1 hand and press it into a 3-by-2-inch patty. Lay a skewer lengthwise down the center of the patty and gently press the meat around it to form a 6-inch "hot dog" about 1 inch thick. Repeat with the remaining meat mixture. For maximum flavor, refrigerate the kebabs on a plate, covered, for 1 to 12 hours. Makes 8 kebabs; serves 4.

For serving now: Preheat the broiler or set a toaster oven on broil. Arrange the kebabs on a broiler pan and broil for 8 to 10 minutes, turning them after 5 minutes. In a toaster oven, cook the kebabs for 15 minutes, turning them after 8 minutes.

To serve, slide the meat off the skewers and place a kebab in the center of each warmed pita. Stir the yogurt, season it to taste with salt and pepper, and drizzle about 2 tablespoons over each kebab. Spoon on some chopped tomato, white onion and parsley.

To freeze: Chill the kebabs on a plate, covered, for 1 hour. Wrap each kebab in plastic freezer wrap, then wrap them in pairs in foil. Label and freeze. Or open-freeze the chilled kebabs, then vacuum seal in pairs and return them to the freezer.

To defrost and serve: Thaw the kebabs in the refrigerator for 4 to 8 hours.

Broil the defrosted kebabs under the broiler or in a toaster oven; see "For serving now" above.

Serve in warm pitas, garnished with the seasoned yogurt, chopped tomato, onion and parsley.

Freezer note: When the kebabs are defrosted, the cumin disappears and garlic is the main seasoning you will taste. To refresh the cumin, mix 1/4 teaspoon into the yogurt, along with the salt and pepper.

-- "Cook & Freeze" by Dana Jacobi (Rodale, 2010, $22.99)

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Nutty Honeycomb Ice Cream

PG tested

• 3/4 cup pecans

• Vegetable oil, for greasing

• Heaping 1/2 cup superfine sugar

• 3 tablespoons dark corn syrup

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 quart heavy cream

• 14-ounce can low-fat or regular sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coarsely break the pecans in your hands, spread them out on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 5 minutes or until toasted. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Oil a sheet of wax paper and place on a baking sheet. In a saucepan, place the sugar and syrup and heat gently, swirling the pan until the sugar melts. Turn up the heat and boil until it turns a rich caramel color, watching the mixture all the time to avoid it burning, about 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, then add the nuts and very carefully sprinkle in the baking soda. It will suddenly look frothy and increase in volume. Stir, then pour quickly (before it sets) onto the oiled wax paper. Let cool and set. Transfer to a plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin to break it into smallish chunks.

Using a hand mixer, in a large bowl, whip the cream and vanilla extract until thickened slightly -- It should be floppy but should not have reached peaks stage. Then, with the mixer still running, pour in the sweetened condensed milk. Continue beating until just stiff. Fold in the pieces of nutty honeycomb plus any crumbs.

Turn into a 3-quart container and freeze for 6 to 8 hours. Remove from freezer 20 minutes before you want to eat it and let it start to thaw in a cool place. Makes about 21/2 quarts.

-- "The Foolproof Freezer Cookbook" by Ghillie James (Kyle, 2012, $19.95)

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Chicken chili

PG tested

Because we were feeding children, we reduced the chili powder to 2 teaspoons and omitted the crushed red pepper. We decided to add a can of chicken broth after cooking the chili in the slow cooker. Add toppings as you prefer.

-- Rebecca Sodergren

• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped

• 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

• 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

• 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained

• 14 1/2-ounce can petite diced tomatoes, undrained

• 1 cup frozen medley of green and red peppers and onion strips

• 12/3 cup frozen corn

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon paprika

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin

• 1 1/2 teaspoons oregano

• 3 teaspoons chili powder

• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

Place onion, beans, tomatoes, pepper medley and corn in a gallon-size plastic freezer bag.

Add garlic and seasonings.

Add chicken.

Remove as much air as possible, and lay bag flat in freezer.

To cook: Thaw overnight in refrigerator. Dump into slow cooker and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours or until chicken is tender. Serves 8.

-- "15-Minute Freezer Recipes" by Kelly McNelis (New Leaf Wellness, 2012, $8.99 or $5.99 for the e-book)

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Potluck-perfect tamale pie

PG tested

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1/2 onion, chopped

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon cumin

• 1 teaspoon coriander

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 3/4 pound extra-lean ground beef

• 2 tablespoons grated lime zest

• 2 scallions, chopped

• 15-ounce can diced tomatoes

• 4-ounce can diced green chiles

• 1 cup sliced black olives

• 3 cups water

• 1 cup coarse cornmeal

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 1 cup corn kernels

• 3/4 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 7-by-11-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and a little salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until onions are softened. Stir in cumin, coriander, oregano and garlic, cooking for 1 minute.

Add beef and cook, stirring often, until browned. Stir in lime zest and scallions, cooking for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, chiles and olives, stirring to combine. Cook until heated through. Reduce heat to low.

Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add cornmeal and season with salt and pepper. Whisk continually until mixture starts to thicken. Add paprika and corn and continue to whisk until cornmeal has a thick oatmeal consistency. Stir in cheese. Remove from heat.

Spoon beef mixture into prepared baking dish, spreading evenly. Pour cornmeal mixture over top and spread evenly to cover.

Bake for 30 minutes or until cornbread topping is set. Cool completely on a wire rack. Serves 8.

To freeze: Individual servings: Place individual portions into freezer- and microwave-safe containers and freeze. For a crowd: Place a layer of plastic wrap directly on top of the cornbread topping. Tightly cover dish in heavy-duty aluminum foil.

To reheat: Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Microwave method: Reheat individual servings in the microwave at 60 percent power for three minutes or until heated through. Oven method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove foil and plastic from baking dish. Recover dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until heated through.

"-- Make-Ahead Meals Made Healthy" by Michele Borboa (Fair Winds, 2011, $19.99)

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Freeze please fudge brownies

PG tested

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 2 tablespoons canola oil

• 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70- to 72-percent cacao), chopped

• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus 1 tablespoon

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 3 large eggs, at room temperature

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with butter or nonstick spray and flour lightly.

In a small bowl, combine the butter, oil, and chocolate and melt in a microwave for 1 minute at 50 percent power, or over hot water. Cool to room temperature.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together onto wax paper.

In a mixing bowl, using a handheld mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs lightly.

Add the sugar and vanilla and beat until thick, 3 minutes. Blend in the chocolate mixture. Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the wet and use a rubber spatula to blend just until the batter is mixed. Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Sprinkle the walnuts over the top, if using.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the top is hard and shiny and a knife inserted into the center is almost clean. Cool the brownies in the pan for 4 hours. Unmold and store, wrapped in foil, overnight and ideally for 24 hours, before cutting. Makes 16 brownies.

For serving now: Cut as many brownies as you will serve, keeping the rest wrapped in foil at room temperature for up to 5 days.

To freeze: Cut the cooled brownies into 4 quarters. Wrap each quarter in plastic freezer wrap, then heavy-duty foil, and freeze.

To defrost and serve: Unwrap the quarters and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Cut each section into 4 pieces and serve while still cold.

-- "Cook & Freeze" by Dana Jacobi (Rodale, 2010, $22.99)

First Published: February 28, 2013, 5:00 a.m.