to think batch cooking is a bit soulless?

Present it nicely, and that disappears 😋
I'm about to have something I cooked a month ago. It'll be presented properly, on a plate, with loads of fresh veg.
Eat it out of the tub, and yeah, it's soulless 👍
Exactly. I put notes on my tubs for the serving suggestions eg needs sticky rice, or add sliced avocado and sour cream.
Makes a world of difference

The tubs don't have to put you off..you can get pyrex dishes with plastic lids from IKEA or home bargains, make a huge amount of curry/chilli/cottage pie and have one lot for dinner and freeze the other half in said pyrex for a convenient family dinner

Yeah the plastic tubs, eating the same meal everyday and food sitting in the fridge for the week puts me off the type of prep you see on social media.

I mostly batch cook and freeze part of a meal in blocks e.g chilli, bolognese, daal. I reheat those in a small pan then make everything else fresh. I can vary the sides and decide how much effort to put in to it on the day.

I find it's very satisfying and l enjoy the challenge

I get a huge amount of joy from having a lovely meal on a night I don’t have time to cook. Nothing soulless about that.

Oh and as a side note, my pet peeve was being told to “just batch cook” as a mum of a 1yo and newborn.

I agree. I have to force food down if I’ve defrosted it from the freezer. Doesn’t matter what it is, I don’t want it. I still have to do it though 🤷‍♀️

I’m sort of with you OP if it’s a bit like when body builders have chicken, rice and broccoli x 5 each week. I’m exaggerating but I do thing some are totally okay with eating very repetitively. But I think it’s easier in the autumn/winter with chili con carne, soup, stew etc. I like doing a fresh leafy salad in the summer though and find the chopping quite relaxing after a hard day - if it’s not too late. But I agree with all the posters who said it means they avoid expensive convenience junk.

I’m vegetarian so no meat issues but I cook on Monday and eat the last meal on Saturday

but I will make quick things during the week like boiled eggs or overnight oats

also add that atm I’m only cooking for one

Nope, I'm totally with you.

See also "bunging" things in a slow cooker in the morning.

People who batch cook- how long will you keep a meal in the fridge before you eat it?

I've done part-cooked food for this term. Chicken/ mince cooked with veg as a base but can be customised with a sauce easily. It's broken the back of the preparation, but is more flexible than 10x bolognese sauce.

I'm with you. I tried but it's not for me. I loathe cooking too. Quite often I make extra and we eat the same thing two days running. The height of my culinary expertise is Monday, chilli and garlic bread. Tuesday. Chilli and baked potatoes.

We have lovely tubs for ours which gets around this issue. I know it makes no difference to the taste but seeing meal preps in sad little stained tubs would also put me off!😂

We don’t batch cook everything because some meals just don’t suit it. But whenever we make a curry/chilli/bolognese we’ll always do enough for at least 3 meals through the month.
We reusable bags to save freezer space and heat it up on the hob with extra liquid etc

It stops us having too much snack food and takeaways on a work night when we’re tired.

We’ve been out all day and have nothing in the freezer/fridge ready to go so ordered a takeaway which could have been avoided.

Yep, there are parts of a dish that freeze well, and parts that don't. It isn't all or nothing!

Some things freeze well, others don't. I love batch cooked food, but only the dishes that freeze well!

I don't batch cook as an event in itself, but I over cook say a curry or chilli and either freeze enough for a whole meal, or set some aside for DS2's lunch.
It's easy because there's just 2 of us. DS1 came home for a few days and I don't have vats pans large enough to feed 2 giants and me AND have left overs. But DS1 cooks when he's home anyway so the whole 'eugh...dinner....again....' isn't an issue.

I do know what you mean about the pots looking a bit industrial, but when they thaw out and get heated up they turn into a delicious meal. Chuck a bit of fresh coriander on and bingo!

Don’t eat it out of the tubs, that’s just for keeping it ready. It looks fine again when back on the plate with salad or freshly cooked veggies.
Leftovers go in tubs too to keep them fresh in the fridge, and are regenerated into food back on our plates.

I very rarely freeze so batch cook for 6 days. Use glass containers and cook meals that are versatile so can have a different flavour profile on different days. When I get home from work I’m always pleased to see the meal just needs reheating!!

It's just personal preference, sad to some and healthy and convenient to others.

I'm abit of a weird one in that I love batch cooking but hate eating frozen meals. Luckily I have no problems with eating the same thing 5 days in a row though so it works out!

I'm with you ! (i'm not stalking you promise 🤣)

Its the plastic tubs. No steamy saucepans to get the juices flowing.

I’ve learned that I don’t enjoy batching anything. It makes a massive overwhelming task out of an overwhelming small amount of tasks. I can’t win.

I’m with you OP. Nothing tastes anywhere near as nice once it’s been defrosted and reheated. The vegetables are always soggy. My freezer is crammed full of tubs of stuff that I’d have to be starving to take out and eat.

I think we see foods in different ways!