Preparing food during Shiva when the mourner has frozen food
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Question
A mourning woman who has frozen food, is she allowed to prepare fresh food during her mourning days, or since she has frozen food, is it forbidden to prepare without necessity?
Answer
Even if she has frozen food and wants to eat fresh, she is allowed to cook and bake, since fresh food is tastier than frozen food. However, without real necessity, it is forbidden to prepare.
Source
It is written in the Responsa of Maharam of Rothenburg, Prague edition, sign 20: "You also asked if it is permissible to grind during mourning days when he has no bread. It seems to me that even if he has bread, it is permitted, as it is taught in the chapter 'Whoever Turns' (13b): grinding flour on a festival for the needs of the festival and brewing beer on a festival for the needs of the festival, and even if there is old, one may be cunning and drink the new. And even according to the opinion that one may not be cunning, this is only in the case where new beer is worse than old, which is not the case with bread, as stated at the beginning of the chapter 'These are the Transgressors' (42a): fresh bread is better than yesterday's, and hot bread is better than cold, as proven in several places." Therefore, fresh food is certainly better than frozen food.