13 Frozen Foods to Keep on Hand for "Emergencies"
By Alyse Whitney. Photos by: Alex Lau and courtesy of brands.
Some nights are meant for cooking a roast chicken, and others are meant for frozen chicken nuggets. Here at Bon Appétit we love to cook, but sometimes we're A) too hangry to spend an hour making something from scratch B) lazy or C) need to feed children. Below are our staffers' 13 favorite prepared frozen foods that we keep in the freezer at all times for "emergencies."
Pierogies
"So I know that we have these really great pierogies recipes on the site, but I’m a sucker for Mrs. T's. Give me some classic onion and cheddar pierogies and I will eat… all of them." —Carey Polis, editor, bonappetit.com
Fish Sticks
"My freezer is a temple dedicated to the happiness of my children. Without it (and what’s inside) there would be nights that they would not eat a thing. So, in our freezer is always: SeaPoint Farms' edamame, Bell & Evans' chicken tenders, Dr. Praeger’s fish sticks, and Annie Chun’s chicken and vegetable potstickers. That’s reality." —Andrew Knowlton, deputy editor
Scallion Pancakes
"Trader Joe's scallion pancakes are super quick to heat up—I just fry them in a little olive oil on the stove—and they're substancial enough to be a full meal. I usually make two and throw some Sriracha on there, but they also go well with most meat leftovers." —Caitlin Stone, video editor
Frozen Pizza
"So, I may have stolen this idea from Adam Rapoport, but I’m obsessed with the frozen Roberta’s pizza. It really doesn’t need much doctoring up. But if you’re in the mood to be \~fancy\~ you can make the Margherita, hit it with some red pepper flakes, drizzle a little honey, and then fool all your friends and be like 'YES, I HAVE A PIZZA STONE!'" —Rachel Karten, senior social media manager
Steak Fries
"I’m into Ore-Ida’s country-style steak fries. I’m from Pittsburgh, and we put fries on everything. Most days I’m too lazy to fry up a batch of potatoes for myself, so these are the perfect go-to when I want a quick dinner, as no salad or sandwich is complete without fries." —Jill Baughman, digital recipe editor
Ramen Noodles
"I always have a package of Sun Noodle ramen in there for weeknight meals. Also frozen ricotta ravioli and shelled edamame, pretty much always." —Carla Lalli Music, food director
Meatless Nuggets
“For Friday movie nights, I make Ore-Ida crinkle fries in the toaster oven to go with cast-iron smash burgers on Martin's potato rolls for the family. Some other excellent frozen foods are Alexia's sweet potato fries and Quorn's meatless nuggets (served like wings with Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, carrot/celery sticks, and a little blue cheese).” —Alex Pollack, visuals director
Zucchini Pancakes
"Golden's zucchini pancakes are a great way to get some vegetables at breakfast without having to chop anything. They taste good plain and are a versatile side dish for any meal. Sometimes I doctor up Tabatchnick's barley and mushroom soup with dill, seasoning mixes, or just salt and pepper. It's all-natural and not filled with artificial ingredients like canned soup." —Heidi Jacobs, copy manager
Paratha Flatbread Dough
"I always have frozen raw paratha dough in my freezer. They're amazing individual Indian flatbread doughs that you cook in a skillet, and I eat them with ANYTHING." —Brad Leone, test kitchen manager
Fried Vegetable "Bird's Nests"
"I had a brief period in college where Trader Joe's vegetable bird's nests were my late night drunchies snack. I'd always have them in my freezer for those occasions. They were cheap and delicious so they earned a spot in my drunken, empty-college-bank-account heart." —Laura Murray, visuals assistant
Gluten-Free Mac and Cheese
"I'm into Amy's rice mac and cheese. I'm not even gluten-free—I just always preferred the texture of the frozen rice pasta over regular pasta." —Amelia Rampe, assistant food editor
Pork and Chive Dumplings
"The limit on how many dumplings one should eat does not exist. There are some days where I can’t possibly fathom leaving my sixth floor walk-up apartment, so that last glass of wine in the bottle and frozen pork and chive dumplings—usually from local spot Vanessa's or Trader Joe's—are all the company I need. (And Gossip Girl reruns.)" —Emily Schultz, associate social media manager
Dino Chicken Nuggets
"I always have Tyson's dinosaur chicken nuggets in the freezer, because sometimes you just get the craving. In the same nostalgic realm, there are occasionally Eggo waffles hanging out, in there—either classic or the cute, teeny-tiny cinnamon toast ones." —Alyse Whitney, associate web editor
This story originally appeared on Bon Appetit.
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