6 Secrets from Meal-Prep Masters

Here's one tip from Rosenthal neat freaks (or aspiring neat freaks) will love: When your butternut-squash bisque or chicken noodle soup has finished cooking, let it cool in the pot, then ladle it into resealable plastic bags in portions that make sense for your household. Lay the bags flat in the freezer (horizontally) and label each one on the zipper with a permanent marker or freezer-proof tape. Once they're frozen, stand the bags up vertically and you'll be able to read the "labels" by simply flipping through, as if the bags were files. Another trick from Rosenthal (it's especially handy if you have a chest freezer, which can feel like a black hole of food storage): Keep a small whiteboard nearby and list your inventory. For instance, "Cooked shredded chicken—3" means Rosenthal has three bags of taco-ready chicken.