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?

^^ That was an unreadable confused post....i blame the kids wittering at me.

Bottom line : Freeze most things uncooked. Except mince dishes which work well cooked.

We freeze curry sauce, chilli, pasta sauces, etc and then make the accompaniments fresh e.g. rice, pasta.

Batch cooking doesn’t necessarily mean enormous quantities. For example- there was a stage in our lives where several nights a week people were eating at very different times. So if we made a family meal that was freezable, we just made it two portions bigger, and there would be two portions for the freezer.

Pies and quiches are another thing that freezes well. Also a tip from Nigella is to have a pot of crumble topping in the freezer and it doesnt even need defrosting, chuck it on some quick cooking fruit like berries or eating apples (I dont even peel them) for a really quick crumble.

And I can’t understand the Mumsnet obsession with slow cookers.

It is not the freezing that is an issue but what you freeze.
Any meal that requires a long cooking time is likely to work and be even better

Also to answer the OP a bit more I wouldn't want to batch cook and eat everything from the freezer, but its useful to have a few things in there when you just want to shove something in the oven. Cooking double and freezing half for later is quite manageable.

I’m not a fan of most slow cooker meals, although I have had a few that I liked. Again it depends on what you cook in it. Curries, chilli, pasta sauces are fine. Anything else I prefer to stew the usual way.

I think the slow cooker love is largely due to convenience.

I too wouldn't describe myself as a 'fab cook' but I love batch cooking and find everything tastes lovely! DH recently said that he thinks dishes taste nicer after they've been batch cooked and come out the oven, and I weirdly agree with him! Maybe you're making the wrong dishes? Or maybe like a pp said you're not such a fab cook after all 😉 We are so obsessed with batch cooking in this house that we considered buying a bigger freezer so we can cook even more as we find it really fun to do as a family, choosing recipes and cooking together at weekends! It's also great because we can choose what we all fancy each day and don't have to just eat something out of politeness because it's been cooked.

I agree OP. Apart from the odd lasagne, when I hear MN chime in about “batch cooking”, I can’t help think of them eating some miserable defrosted mince affair every night. It sounds depressing.

There is more to life than stew. A stir fry can be 20 mins? A fish pie doesn’t need to take long? Sweet potatoes in the oven with salmon and salad? Teriyaki seared tuna? Minute steak ? Quick prawn or veg curry? Delicious salads with halloumi kebabs or anything really? Rye breads layered with cream cheese, sliced new potatoes, smoked trout, a little mustard and radish and chives to garnish? These are just things I’ve done in the last week or so. It’s not the weather for heavy, over-cooked freezer food?

I had no time the other night and was in M&S. I bought their diced parmentier potatoes, bag of ready chopped Mediterranean veg, chicken and a jar of patatas bravas sauce. Literally mixed it in a casserole dish - 3 minutes and in the oven. It was delicious.

Husband said it was like prison food.

Your husband has done time? Perhaps best not to argue with him.

“I had no time the other night and was in M&S. I bought their diced parmentier potatoes, bag of ready chopped Mediterranean veg, chicken and a jar of patatas bravas sauce. Literally mixed it in a casserole dish - 3 minutes and in the oven. It was delicious.”
I’m sure it was. How much did it cost, out of interest?

I freeze: pasta sauce, curry, some soups (although trial and error as found out creamy stuff freezes fairly ok but gives me reflux), beef goulash, beef ragu/bolognese. You definitely need to consider how you reheat stuff, too. I agree with pp that it makes a real difference!

I find some foods are a bit less tasty but think the time and effort saved is worth it. Foods shouldn't become inedible!

Batch cooking makes me think of making 5 kg of bolognese (yup did it with Costco big pack of mince. Never again)
But there's only 2 of us so I often follow a recipe for 4 or 6 , and freeze the excess. Doesn't take much longer than just doing 2 portions. I freeze in bags, laid flat so they make a thin slab rather than a square brick so they defrost quicker. Can exclude most of the air so less freezer burn.
Chicken breast in casseroles ends up getting overcooked and stringy if frozen, but thigh portions are ok

what on earth are you freezing if it comes out like that?

Bertrand - I cant remember exactly how much it cost. M&S is expensive for convenience shopping, sure. In fact, I do find the reality is, it’s genetally cheaper to do Deliveroo than a last minute shop in M&S! However, sometimes time is money!

It's your cooking. HTH

Last night it was a curry. Chicken was like asbestos, mushrooms were like slugs, peppers were like piss flaps all in a watery sauce. Casseroles etc previous were the same. Glad it's not just me.
I have a ragu in ther freezer I was going to turn into lasagne so sounds like there is hope for that.
I had done them in Ziploc bags with the air squeezed out.
I usually do quick food, kebabs pittas and salad etc but thought this would be even better as I could do other things while it reheated.

I have found if I use the foil containers to store food it comes out "wrong". As a single person though I have also found that its easier to make a meal for four and then freeze the other portions in plastic containers.

YABU for putting mushrooms on a chicken curry alone!

I love batch cooking, when I have the time. Are you freezing it in large batches? That might be why it’s so watery. The trick is to make sure you freeze in individual, airtight containers, allowing only 1/2’ (25mm) space for it to expand while freezing. Leave it on the top shelve of the fridge in the morning, before you go to work. I find, as a pp has already said, that the flavour of many foods intensifies when frozen.

Stews, pies, casseroles, soups, veggie burgers, curries all freeze well, unless they’re too watery to start with.

**in

If you're doing something which requires meat to brown, or onions to caramelise, the more you have in your pan at once the harder it is do.
I can get good flavour into one or two onions when sautéing, but 4 in a frying pan at once just end up steaming when I do it. This is why I don't do big batches either.

I agree with OP. I also find it baffling when people say they freeze their kids' sandwiches for the week. Sounds disgusting.