To think batch cooking and freezing is bleegghh

[Notgotajarofglue]

FT working busy mum trying to follow all the tips and hints on getting through these hectic years.
One thing always comes up:batch cook, freeze and reheat.
AIBU thinking that everything comes out Not envy
Watery sauces, soggy veg and dry over cooked meat in all the favourites recommended for this. Husband said it was like prison food. I don't know what I'm doing wrong as I'm a fab cook and it seems from mn that everybody loves batch cooking.
Can't just be me, they've got to be settling for eating horrid food just to save time right?

Chicken wraps; breaded chicken fillets, salad leaves, cucumber, tomatoes, coleslaw, bbq sauce or mayo. All wrapped together-kids think it’s yummy

Occasionally I do an extra amount to freeze(one extra serving) if it’s something really special- knowing that we’ll eat it in next week or so. Too be honest there’s nothing better than freshly cooked food.

I would just do things that don't take much time e.g. omelette and salad, chicken dish e.g. the one with leeks round it with some prepped potatoes, pasta with ham and cheese and some salad and so on. It doesn't need to be 'pot' style meals to be quick.

I think batch cooking for me is pointless. I'd rather cook a bit more then freeze some for when I'm too busy...not spend ages cooking loads when I could be having a full day to do as I please to then not even fancy what's in the freezer

I'd rather cook a bit more then freeze some for when I'm too busy

To me, that is still batch cooking. You're just eating some before you freeze it.

I find the quick recipes in the the Nigel Slater cook books really good. They are delicious, simple and only take 30 mins - i think the one we have is called 'fast food'.

I think the book is "fast food' and this review sums it up:

This book doesn't look much - it's a paperback, and it hasn't got fancy pictures in it. However, the recipes in it are just amazing. They have few ingredients, and the methods are simple too, but the finished dishes are delicious. You can hear Nigel Slater's voice as you read, and it does make very good bedtime reading as you plan what you might cook the next day. He gives lots of alternatives, e.g. "this recipe would also work well with..." or ingredients you could swap. There are 350 recipes in total so you get extremely good value from the book, and all the meals can be cooked in half an hour, or so he says! The recipes are split into 10 sections: bakery, eggs, fish, pasta, veg, grains and beans, chicken, meat, cheese, & fruit. Each section begins with a little piece of writing where Nigel Slater expresses his passion for that ingredient. He goes from chip butties upwards!

I agree with you OP, its horrible.
Once I've cooked a meal from scratch I don't want to see it again for months. Not have it regurgitated from the freezer.
Frozen food is bloody awful, watery and horrid, I'd rather have a quick salad or a scrambled egg etc than something grim from the freezer.

I don’t like batch cooking or defrosted food eg mince dishes. It doesn’t tempt me at all and It hangs around for so long at the back of the freezer I end up throwing it away. I don’t even like bread that has been frozen.

If you don't batch cook, use an enormous chest freezer and feed a family of 12 on £4.56 a week this ain't the website for you honey.

🤣🤣

No, I don't batch cook either, can't be arsed with it. I know someone who makes sandwiches in batches and freezes them. I just couldn't do that.

Most meals that I made entirely then froze do come out slightly worse than freshly made not prison food bad but just slightly more mushy.

What I do instead is precook things like chicken plain leave to cook completely. I also chop and prep veg but don’t cook it. When the chicken is cooked and cooled I make sure it’s drained of juices that might make it slushy. I then put the uncooked prepped veg and chicken into freezer bags and freeze. I make up sauces and freeze those separately. Then what I have is a bunch of prepped stuff that I just need to defrost and cook. So I defrost then cook and assemble. This prevents the sauce freezing unevenly or lumpy etc and making the food watery.

How do people reheat their batch cooked meals without effectively cooking them twice and ending up with what the OP describes?

As I only reheat the sauce and not the accompaniment then texture is fine e.g. chilli con carne, bolognese, curry sauces get frozen and then we make fresh rice, pasta, etc to go with it. Lasagne tends to be ok too

Jellybean
Slow cooker dishes can be delicious. It depends on what you cook. Try this one from EatNotSpend .com

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Serves 4 with leftovers for two other meals

Ingredients

4 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
2 Teaspoons Paprika
1 Teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
1.185g Shoulder of Pork

Method

In a bowl, mix all the marinade ingredients.

Take off the skin for crackling. Add the pork joint and make sure it’s coated in the marinade and leave it in the fridge overnight.

Next day, put the pork and marinade into a slow cooker and cook on mid temp for about 4 hours.

Once cooked, remove any fat and pull the meat apart with forks.

You can make the crackling when cooking the roast potatoes.

femidom12

If you don't batch cook, use an enormous chest freezer and feed a family of 12 on £4.56 a week this ain't the website for you honey

This ^ 🤣 laughed my socks off !

Even the best chefs will tell you that some food is better from frozen and nutrients are kept excellently. I don't understand what the issue is though it feels like snobbery tbh.

Meh I don’t think batch cooking is particularly a Mumsnet thing.

Delia's pork in Cider sauce frozen ( sans creme fraiche to be added to pan after heated in pan ) is lovely as long as you put enough liquid i before freezing - sorry have not read entire thread

How do people reheat their batch cooked meals without effectively cooking them twice and ending up with what the OP describes?

Casseroles, tagines, curries, Bolognese, are usually as good if not better cooked twice as the flavours deepen.

I freeze and then heat up in the oven or on the hob depending how much time I have.

I wouldn’t try and reheat a cooked chicken breast for example. Although frozen ready cooked chicken breasts from Waitrose freeze very well.

I don't batch cook, IMO frozen food always loses something in terms of flavour, texture and freshness

The idea of batch cooking also makes me feel cross, for some reason , maybe because I don't have a microwave (as they also make me cross, bastard things). Freezers and microwaves suck the flavour out of food, and you end up with something limp and lifeless

I'd rather have something quick and fresh like pasta or salad or an omelette, or a cheese and tomato toastie, or just a sandwich.

Same thing with ready meals, they all just taste sad to me (small portion, tasteless veg, sloppy sauce)

No, I would prefer a chef. A Japanese or Thai chef who comes to my house and cooks for me. That is my dream

True of vegetables. True of very good cuts of meat such as fillet steak and tender chicken breasts or fresh fish.

Not true at all of what most people tend to batch cook on here - casseroles, stews, curries, tagines, Ragu etc.

I don't like the texture of reheated vegetables that have been frozen. Especially carrots. They're baggy and watery.

I did three lots of moussaka last (Akis’ Kitchen). Froze one, defrosted and reheated in the oven. Beautiful it was. Even better than freshly made.

Also puréed soups have always worked well (reheat on the hob, whisking continuously).

Bolognese, curries, cottage pie, lasagne all freeze and reheat well. I could not tell the difference. And I am a foodie if ever there was one.

Yep, you really can’t tell with the right things.

And I can tell frozen veg or microwaved food at a 100 paces.