Has anyone done any of the "make 20 meals in two hours" type recipes?

[MushroomTree]

I'm planning ahead for when all this virus rubbish is over and I'm back in the office.

I'm changing job next month doing longer hours, with a commute so I need meals I can feed myself and DD after work and nursery that are quick.

I use my slow cooker a reasonable amount
anyway so I'm hoping I can utilise this on my working days to avoid oven food or snack dinners.

I've been looking on Pinterest and there's lots of these "prepare and freeze 20 meals in two hours" type recipes for slow cookers.

Has anyone done any and had success?

At the moment my plan is to put the frozen food in the slow cooker in the morning to defrost and setting a timer to turn it on at lunchtime, ready to eat when we get in just after 6.

[handbagsatdawn33]

Do you mean put raw frozen food in the sc to hopefully make a meal, or a previously cooked meal?

[MushroomTree]

Raw frozen food. So it would defrost by lunchtime and then cook when the timer turned the cooker on.

[justtakeatowel]

On Facebook there's a lady that does loads of meals, I think she's called the batch lady! I'll try and find her!

[MyOtherProfile]

I do this. On Pinterest it's called slow cooker dump bags or something. Much nicer than it sounds. I prepare bags, freeze them and pull one out in the morning when I want to use the slow cooker for dinner.

[lastburritos]

Do you not need to defrost the bags first? Slow cookers are not good to cook from frozen. They don't get to temperature quick enough to kill bacteria.

[MyOtherProfile]

Yes sorry best to put it from the freezer into the fridge over night if it has chicken or pork in. Mince and veg are fine straight from the freezer I've found.

[superram]

I find slow cooker meals are a bit minging if you don’t brown the meat.

[MyOtherProfile]

Interesting. I don't.

[handbagsatdawn33]

I don't think I'd trust this method.
I always brown meat before putting it in the sc for the Maillard effect, & I think veg is better being browned first as well.

I'd certainly do a dummy-run when at home all day, to ensure a satisfactory outcome.

[thequeenbeyondthewall]

I normally make a massive cooking pot (as
In about four packs of beef mince) and cook it with garlic and onion then split it in four. It's a base for the below meals.

bolagnaise, chilli, cottage pie and lasagne. I buy the plastic dishes with lids like what you get when you get a takeaway and I freeze all
The portions in that once cooked. For the cottage pie and lasagne I also add broccoli and peas at one end so it's a full meal you can just reheat.

For the chilli and bolagnaise I just freeze into single or double portions in freezer bags. I don't bother making the rice or pasta as both are quite versatile and you can have them with jacket potatoes etc.

The next day I would normally do the chicken dishes. I brown off the chicken then have four pans on the go with a madras, tikka masala or similar, thai green and another random curry.

Normally get about four meals from each dish so about 30 - 40 depending on your portion sizes.

Works for me. Two days cooking with smooth fm on and I really enjoy it.

We have sausage casserole, Chicken chasseur, cottage pie, thai green curry and some Chinese chicken curry in the freezer at the min from my last batch cook a couple of weeks ago.

[thequeenbeyondthewall]

Sorry. I just re rad they properly and you want to use the slow cooker.

I don't do any of that in the slow cooker but like most people have said, best to brown the meat
Off first.

[Toomanycats99]

I often cook a large batch of meals. I tend to cook up a huge batch of onions and peppers. Then I will add chicken / sausages / mince with tomatoes / mushrooms / sauce mix etc to different portions to make a variety of meals using one base.

[MushroomTree]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I already batch cook. What I want to avoid is having to cook at all when I get in. I want to dish it up and eat it.

I tend to brown beef if I slow cook it but I don't bother with chicken.

I'll be leaving the house at 7:45am so I don't really want raw defrosted meat sat in the slow cooker until lunchtime before cooking. My theory was if I put it in there frozen it would defrost by lunchtime and then be cooked when the timer turned the slow cooker on.

[MushroomTree]

@MyOtherProfile which recipes have you had the most success with?

I'm trying to get a list together. I don't really want endless rounds of chilli or similar week in, week out.