How do you batch cook?

[cjt110]

I know HOW, obviously, but I don't have the energy to cook one bloody meal, let alone tonnes. And let's not even get started on the space to freeze if if I manage it.

I would LOVE to have a barrage of ready cooked, healthy and ready to go meals but right now (staving off an ME crash) the idea of even slinging someone in my instant pot makes my body hurt...

If you google „the Batch Lady“ she has a website and plenty of YouTube videos around the subject of batch cooking. I think if you are pushed for time then making double and freezing half is probably the way to start. I tried her three for the fridge and three for the freezer recipes which were lovely. Have a look and see.

@GinTonic123 Good suggestion. Thank you :) I guess it's gonna take some time and I can't just whizz up 100 batches of various things?

don't have the energy to cook one bloody meal

Well that would obviously be a problem then.

I only batch cook on weekends when I've got some free time. It saves effort overall compared to cooking from scratch a lot more often.

I don't batch cook so to speak but if I'm cooking something for my family of 3 that freezes well, I will double it. My main things are Bolognese, chilli, curry, fajita mix. Anything saucy freezes well. Then I know on a busy evening or a lazy night, I can stick pasta or rice on and I've got something to go with it.

Also have a look at "dump bags" where you prep raw ingredients into a bag, and then when you need them chuck the whole lot into the slow cooker.

Well when you are making a dish, double the ingredients you would usually use. Use 2 lots of chicken breasts, 2 peppers, 2 onions etc etc so that you have loads left over to freeze.

I always just make double, normally on a Sunday. Spaghetti Bol then make half into lasagne. Stew. Curry and freeze in 2 lots. Then we at least have a couple of home cooked meals for the week to supplement pasta etc.

And how is it best to store? tubs or bags?

I don't think "batch cooking" has to be a big thing. If I'm making something that lends itself well to reheating - pasta sauce, chilli, soup, curry - I just make double. We'll almost always have the second portion later the same week so no need to freeze.

@TheTurnOfTheScrew So it's not going to be an instant thing for me tonight is it... :(

the idea of even slinging someone in my instant pot

I think this may be where you are going wrong

Unless you want to cook loads at once, most people just double what they are cooking if its an easy to freeze dish.

Lasagne, make 2 at once. One in oven to eat that day, one straight in freezer uncooked. (you need to get some spare oven dishes to do this)

Bolognese, curry, goulash, soups - make double, freeze leftovers in tupperware type dishes

@katzenellenbogen Fucking goddamn >_

This is going to sound a bit crazy but I do my best batch cooking on weekend mornings. My kids are up from 6.30/7 even on a Saturday and we have a big-ish kitchen/living area so they play in there. While they potter about I do some batch cooking - sometimes the kids even help a bit and then by 9am I have lots of stuff cooling to go into the freezer. I do that once or twce a month on my non-lie in day (and then leave the washing up for DH!)

I also bought lots of identical sistema locking tubs. I know exactly how much I need to put in each to make up 1/2/4 portions and then bought a massive roll of sticky labels and a dedicated sharpie to write what's in the box. The tubs stack nicely in the fridge and are handbag safe for transporting for lunches for work.

Like the others, if I'm making a chilli, bolognaise, curry, carbonnade, shepherds pie, cottage pie etc, I make triple what I need, and freeze a lot of it in various quantities, from enough for 5, to some for 3 to individual portions.

I quadrupled the recipe for chilli with black beans the other day, and now have a couple of meals in the freezer. I have a huge Le Creuset casserole, so fill that up normally. It takes a bit more prep time, but the cooking time is the same and is more fuel economical (I have an oil fired range).

It's also useful if you have a tight month, so you can 'shop' the freezer iyswim.

Funnily enough I've done a load today - chilli, stew and 'Dottie's chicken' (my Mum's recipe). 30 portions - but there's only me and DH, so they'll last forever.

Only have time to do it now though - when the DC were at home and I was working full-time, I was either too busy or too knackered!

There are two of us, we make enough for 6 and freeze the remaining portions - there is no way I'd have the energy to cook meals especially to freeze!

And we get the foil takeaway containers from Costco or reuse actual plastic takeaway tubs which we label and stack

We make double things often and freeze the other portion. We also make huge chilli's with 5 meals worth in the pan. Hardly and extra effort and 5 meals made.

I spend a day every few weekends natch cooking. I make egg fried rice, curry, Bologna we, chilli, curry, shepherds pie etc. It means that on the days I work my partner or one of my children can put things together easily and quickly

I take a different approach - I batch cook meal components, not the whole thing. So generally in the freezer I have several portions each of:

• Cooked and shredded chicken (for use in pasta or soup or in quaesadillas)
• chunks of chicken breast (for pasta or stir fries)
• bacon lardons
• Cooked sausages
• cheese sauce
• hidden veg pasta sauce
• salmon
• savoury mince (for hand pies, with mash or jacket potatoes)
• frozen veg (petit pois, peas/carrot/corn mix,cabbage, broccoli, spinach)
• mash (regular and "orange")
• soup veg (add stock, simmer, blend)
• Pastry
• rissoles/burgers
• Marinated chicken thighs

So from that, plus some pantry items and some fresh veg if you feel like it, you can make pasta and pasta bakes, burgers, stir fries, variations on meat + mash + veg, pies, quasadillas, soup, jackets, quiche and so on.

Easier to store (flat in reusable plastic bags) and gives flexibility of adding fresh ingredients or just using a combination of things that just need to be thawed, depending on time and energy levels.

I do some freezing of components as well. Mash potatoes is a good one. Can be used as an accompaniment or pie top.

I use tupperware from aldi that stacks. I have some ovenproof dishes from IKEA which are good for stuff like fish pie bases which you will have to oven once defrosted.

Like other PP have said I do mine at weekend , I spend about 3 hours ( but get distracted by stuff easy must play with kitty )
I start by friying 5 or 6 onions then a pound or two of meat , mince , bearing steak chicken , and split it into about four portions then add the appropriate herbs / spices / veg .
While that is cooking I cook the appropriate pasta / rice / potatoes .
The main bit gets frozen in indvidual boxes and the carbs do too.
Then I just grab a box of each for work/ home food.
One of the best things is there is very little washing up to do during the week .

As others have said, it's much easier to just do one larger meal and freeze the remainders then attempt to do lots of different things.

I pretty much stick to chilli, pulled pork or lasagne. They freeze well and the chilli and the pork can be used in lots of different ways.

Freeze flat in zip lock bags if you do not have room. Milk cartons work very for us but w have a chest freezer.