When you're cooking for two the freezer is one of your greatest assets. Not only because sometimes you have to buy more of something than you need for a particular meal, but also because using your freezer is a great way of reducing the amount of cooking you have to do. This collection of tips will help you take the greatest advantage of your ice-box.

• I usually make my own chicken and beef stock, which I then store in the freezer in pint plastic bags, each holding one cup of stock and labeled with the contents and date. (I do the same with my homemade tomato sauce, which I make in 2 quart quantities and freeze.) Nevertheless, I sometimes run out of homemade stock so I keep canned stock in my pantry. Same deal, if I only use half a can of store-bought chicken stock I label and freeze whatever is leftover.
  
  

• Buying just two chicken breasts, two Italian sausages, or two pork chops can be difficult or expensive in many areas. I go ahead and buy a package and freeze the remainder. I wrap each individual breast , sausage, or chop in plastic and store them in a single, labeled freezer bag in the freezer. By wrapping the pieces individually I can pull only one or two breasts or sausages out to thaw at a time.
  
  
• When I buy bulk breakfast sausage, I cut it into patties, wrap each individually, and then freeze the lot. An advantage to this is I can buy the expensive but supremely good local Benton's sausage and have just a patty or two when I want it. (And by the way, some of the frozen biscuits now available are pretty good and also enable you to only cook a few at a time.)
  
  
• Bacon is another problem for couples that the freezer can solve. When I buy a package I roll up each individual strip and then wrap the roll in plastic. Again, these individual rolls go in labeled freezer bag in the freezer. Note: these are safe to thaw on the counter if cooked as soon as they're thawed.
  
  

• For some dishes it's smarter, or easier, to cook for four or six. Divide the dish in half (or thirds) after cooking it and freeze what you don't want to eat immediately. Note: flour-thickened sauces tend to separate when frozen (use arrowroot to thicken instead) and potatoes turn grey when frozen so avoid freezing potato dishes.
  
  
• Ideally you should always thaw frozen food in the refrigerator, however, you can quickly thaw (15 - 30 minutes) individual portions of raw foods such as chicken breasts or pork chops in hot waterprovided you cook the meat immediately. However, although it's safe to refreeze foods thawed in the refrigerator, it's probably not safe to refreeze foods that have been quick-thawed.
  
  
• I cut leftover bread into crouton-sized cubes, which I then allow to sit on a baking sheet in a cold oven for 24 hours to become stale. Then I bag the cubes and freeze them for later use as croutons (sauté them with a bit of butter or oil, garlic and herbs in a hot skillet before serving) or to make homemade bread crumbs.