To think batch cooking is awful

I often freeze lamb meatballs (raw) and it saves all the faff of chopping the herbs / onions etc , so they can just be popped onto a baking tray and into the oven.

@Sahara123 thank you, that sounds amazing!

I’m very into batch cooking recently, doesn’t take much longer to make a huge batch of bolognaise than just one meal. And I love just getting one out and not having to cook
I’ve been using Mob kitchen quite a bit recently for batch cooking and also cooking one thing and then using it in different ways for subsequent meals .
There’s a great recipe for lamb meatballs roasted with spices and chick peas @VodkaCola , I found some in my freezer just this week, it was delicious!

Can you explain @Newyear2025 how cooking a larger amount takes longer than a one-off meal?

Your post doesn't make sense.

If you want to make spag bol, you just double up on the ingredients and pack the remaining amount into a freezer bag or container.

Yes, it might take a few minutes more to chop 2 onions rather than one, but far less time than starting from scratch every time.

You also save fuel by batch cooking

It only tastes the same as it did before it was frozen so if it was bland and tasteless to begin with it won't improve.
Calling it batch cooking makes it a chore, using leftovers is a better way to think of it. I just cook double whatever I'm doing and freeze half. There are very few things I find that don't work.
It means when you want food in a hurry you can choose a home cooked meal from the freezer.

The chard I find is less successful when it has been frosted (outside). I manage to get it to a watery consistency and a taste how I imagine a well-worn dishcloth would be like if dipped in a child's paintbrush water jar.

Curly leafed kale and cavolo nero on the other hand do very well indeed.

I wonder if the OP means her food smells odd?

If so, it may be the packaging isn't good enough if her freezer is never cleaned and defrosted, when they can develop a musty type of smell.

What do you think @Newyear2025 ?

What does freezer taste of?

I don't deliberately batch cook. However, if I'm making a chilli for dinner, as an example, I will often have the ingredients to make more than we need so will freeze extra portions.

Most things taste the same as when they were originally cooked ime.

I'm not sure what you are doing to get things tasting odd.

I don't know what batch cooking out of the freezer tastes like because I have never done it. I have a life, and I enjoy living it. Better things to do with it than stand there batch cooking like a little hand maid!

The whole point of batch cooking is to live life!

@LikeWhoUsesTypewritersAnyway

You get 2 or 3 meals from the effort of making one!

Just think on it- it could change your life.

That's ridiculous. I'm cooking for 2, one if it contains meat, so I cook the full amount and freeze the spare portions. I'm cooking anyway so how is that being a handmaid? I use the frozen portions when I've been too busy 'having a life' to cook. It tastes fine.

We have rainbow chard and spinach beet still going strong in our garden, so I will try your tip. 🙂

Another one here who's never tasted 'freezer'.

I batch cook veg curry, shepherds pies, casseroles, soups, fruit crumbles, choc brownies.

Maybe @Newyear2025 you're not wrapping your food properly?

I use cling film or foil around the container (eg a glass dish for shepherds pies or crumbles) then tie it in a freezer bag.

I reuse plastic containers for soups etc but always put them in a freezer bag too or you can get freezer burn and the food never tastes quite so good.

IMO there's nothing better than coming home after a busy day, wondering what to eat and remembering you have a lovely shepherds pie or an apple crumble in the freezer all ready to heat up.

I do it because I work full time and DD has several after school activities. It means I can stick something in the microwave and not feel bad about it being full of UPFs. I make lasagne, chilli and curry usually, casseroles, that sort of thing. I usually just make a load when I'm cooking anyway, but I also have a designated batch cooking day every now and again. Small freezer, so things get turned over quickly.

@ShyTed - label maker. Life changing.

My freezer would get a gold star from Dilly off Sort Your Life Out. It pleases me more than I thought it would.

Root vegetables and some green leafed food do taste better after freezing. In fact, if you want soft tender kale the best time to harvest it from the garden is Jan/ Feb in my experience once it has a bit of frost nip.

I’m like you, @Turophilic. Thank heavens for my crap palate. It means my batch cooking saves time further down the line. I certainly wouldn’t be cooking a bolognese sauce or chilli from scratch on a quick turnaround. Anything that takes a long time to cook and can be frozen should be made in bulk and frozen for busier days.

If you don’t want to do it, that’s fine, but why the weird comments about ‘having a life’? People often do it because they are so busy ‘having a life’ that they don’t have the time or energy to cook the foods they want each day. Then some people like me just enjoy cooking and baking. It’s relaxation time for me and helps clear my head from stress along with other things like running, hiking and reading.

You just sound weird with your ‘I have a life’ comments.

And spicy food comes out spicier.

I do a lot of pie mixes- steak and kidney and chicken and mushroom. Cooked in the slow cooker then frozen I just buy the pre-done pastry to go on top when defrosted. Goes down really well.

Agree with this, I feel like the depth of flavour increases after a freeze.

No I would not agree. I batch cook spaghetti Bol, Paella, chilli curry and a whole lot of other things. Does not take much longer than a single dish and definitely tastes good out of the freezer. If you leave things in there for a very long time then yes the taste declines but I would be batch cooking for a six week period tops.

Yeah it’s not for me.
I prefer cooking fresh and a lot of meals don’t take long to cook.
Sometimes there might be 1 or 2 portions left over - if I don’t fancy it the next day I will freeze it. I also only have a small freezer.
But often what happens is, 6 months later I pull it from the depths of the freezer and think…WTF is this and it goes in the bin.

I can taste when ice cubes are stale, but I can’t “taste freezer” in a spicy bean chilli - maybe I am sufficiently heavy handed with the spices (to be fair, I do use a LOT of spice) to cover it up or maybe my palate’s crap after all.

My tomato soup came from MN a long time ago. This thread: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/1592323-To-be-pissed-of-with-my-DH-about-the-soup?reply=34880190&utm_campaign=reply&utm_medium=share