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?

I don’t think it’s always about the time taken to cook. Sometimes it’s about a) not wanting to cook at all, b) wanting a specific type of meal that would take much longer to cook (a good chilli or ragū or lamb curry, for example, would take a lot longer than half an hour) or c) other things in life taking over so that one evening you suddenly realise you don’t have any easy-cook ingredients in, or d) you or your children being ill and wanting to avoid spending even half an hour standing at the stove.

I batch cook and reheat lots of things.
I also slow cook lots of things.
But neither method works for everything: OP your example of chicken curry for example would work well for a lamb bhuna (slow cooked or cooked, frozen and reheated) but chicken karai generally doesn't maintain texture when overcooked either by slow cooking or by cook, freeze, reheat because it needs the veggies to maintain bite and the meat to be lightly cooked..
I freeze mashed (but not creamed) potato successfully, but frozen baked potatoes were not nice.
In short, some things work well, some don't. It's a matter of trial and error if you don't understand the principles.

LOL at the poster who doesn’t know any one that’s ever batch cooked! No one goes around raving about having cooked a couple of extra portions of something and chucked it in the freezer for later in the week! We’re not talking cooking a months worth of food to freeze.
I only cook extra of Bolognese and chilli con carne. It is really handy when I come home and can’t be bothered to cook plus DC’s can cook pasta so they can make sure own dinner.
Otherwise I cook stir fry nearly all the time as I hate cooking.
I do occasionally buy frozen meals from Cook but they are pricey, on the other hand they spark a lot of joy. I find supermarket ready meals too salty including M&S.

So OP you are definitely freezing the wrong food.

I sometimes freeze sandwiches. They don't come out soggy. Again it looks as if people don't know how to choose what to freeze, how to wrap it so it doesn't go soggy or otherwise get spoiled in the freezer and how to defrost it. In my case, it's usually plain ham and mustard sandwiches after the odd occasion when I've bought a big bit of gammon. Nothing to go soggy there. I also make lovely sandwiches after Christmas with the last bits of turkey breast, stuffing and cranberry sauce and freeze them. Delicious. In both cases the secret is to butter the bread well, right up to the edges, as it helps to stop sogginess on defrosting, and careful wrapping.

As with everyone else I freeze -

• casseroles
• tagines
• curries
• bolognese
• soups

I use tough Tupperware.

You soon figure out what doesn’t freeze well - peppers and mushrooms, haricots, carrots - no. But I’ve discovered that cooked red cabbage freezes amazingly well.

You clearly don't know how to do it at all!

Most batch cooked meals are in a sauce or sauce like consistency...I'd rather stick a jacket potato in the microwave

I’d rather eat my own arm than use a microwave - everyone’s different. Not sure what the problem with sauce is.

I agree with those who have said that either you're trying to freeze the wrong types of meals or you're reheating them incorrectly.

I tend to freeze meals like chilli, chicken pie and shepherd's pie and they are definitely not watery or 'horrid' once they are reheated. In fact chilli is way better once it has been refrigerated or frozen as the flavour has been able to mature. Pies are neither watery nor dried out since they aren't cooked any more than fresh pies are, simply frozen before the final cooking stage and then defrosted and cooked as usual.

I wonder what the OP is trying to batch cook and freeze.

Some things don’t freeze and reheat well as others have said (IMO potatoes and mushrooms bleurgghhhh) but a lot of things do - chilli, curry, lasagna. Mine always tase better reheated 😆

I am a bit too lazy to batch cook so for busy days I go for convenience and quick stuff that take no more than 15 minutes - Salmon, potatoes and veg
Chicken & veg stir fry with noodles
Pesto pasta
Baked potatoes (I buy the frozen ones because, as I said I am lazy!)
Fajitas

Or if I have a bit more time a half an hourish meal -
Chilli and rice
Pizzas

Or a slow cooker, although I know it’s a love/hate thing with many people.
Beef stew, bolognese so I can just make some spaghetti, shredded fajita chicken etc.

Some people live extraordinarily busy lives

People have always led busy lives and, many years ago, without some of the kitchen equipment we take for granted, the problem now seems to be time management. How often do we hear someone being too busy for social media!

I totally rely on batch cooking so the kids can have a 'proper' dinner quickly on days they get picked up at 6pm. Our staples are very easy and I generally make about 6 portions of each on a rolling schedule, so I'm only doing one or two a week:

Spag bol (obviously)
Chicken/quorn curry
Chilli con carne
Meatballs and veg sauce
Annabel Karmels' popeye pasta sauce (still a staple even now they are bigger)
Chicken ramen (frozen homemade stock, add roast chicken, noodles)

I don't batch cook as often for us as we tend to eat quite simply on work nights - salad with meat, chicken or fish etc - but I also love it when I find a forgotten chilli or curry for a lazy evening.

Well, I like to cook. But I also like to read books, watch telly and go on Mumsnet. So it’s very nice to know that we have 4 or 5 meals in the freezer which involve no time at all- or at least no more than the 5 minutes it takes to cook some fresh vegetables. So if nobody fancies cooking we still eat nice food.

@Namestheyareachangin

I think the reason the OP is getting flak is because of the thread title

"To think batch cooking and freezing is bleegghh"

I presume the OP doesn't have a freezer, because batch cooking and freezing is how you fill the freezer, whether you do the cooking, or whether Brids Eye do it for you.

Agreed. I like to cook. But I also have many other interests and things I enjoy doing with my time. I have no wish to spend all my time every day slaving to keep everything running in the home, nor do we have one person at home all day every day. We both work. My time management is fine. When I had young children I didn’t work. If I was working every day and had children to care for after work every day, I’m pretty sure that I’d want quick and easy but still home-cooked and delicious convenience meals at least some of the time.

Bertrand - I apologise if you thought my comment about going to M&S was “snippy”. I didn’t intend to come across like that. I’m was just saying that there is a trade off between time and money sometimes. Batch cooking will not make everyone’s lives easier - this is not a given.

For instance, I do cook a fair bit if we’re entertaining at the weekends or even just on a Sunday if were all home. That’s enough for me - the last thing I’d want to be doing is cooking teems of other stuff to be put in boxes. I’d never be out the kitchen! Plus having to remember to take it out the freezer to defrost and hope that everyone will actually feel like eating it the next day. None of this would make my life easier, I don’t think.

And to be honest, none of us are fans of mince-based foods like shepherds pie, so I wouldn’t be doing any of that. We don’t eat much meat all all and find that kind of thing very bland. I don’t mean to be “snippy”, but people have different tastes, that’s all. This also determines their cooking habits, I guess.

I’m at home mostly anyway, so presumably I could spend one day making all the food for the week, but I don’t really know why I would do that because for me it’s just as easy to think day by day. Planning ahead takes up just as much headspace.

I presume the OP doesn't have a freezer, because batch cooking and freezing is how you fill the freezer, whether you do the cooking, or whether Brids Eye do it for you nope, my freezer is full and I've nothing in there I've batched cooked and no Birdseye either

I worked full time since my babies were little and have never batch cooked. My freezer is full and I just learnt the art of quick and simple recipes.

Popeye Pasta!! That's a blast from the past, I remember Ds puking that all over me so couldn't face eating that again now

You must be doing it wrong.
I batch cook sauce for spag Bol and chilli con carne regularly.
I also batch cook lasagna in those little foil Chinese takeaway cartons.
I also freeze gravy stock, certain curry dishes.. chicken, beef or veg.

These always work really well and even taste nicer when defrosted as the flavours have really infused!

There are certain things I wouldn't freeze... cooked veg as part of a side portion, rice, pasta, potatoes etc. I would just freeze the main element of the meal and cook the carb / salad / veg when it's being served

I agree with above, I couldn't bother with "batch cooking as such", but I cook more than we need and freeze half when it's suitable.

I am a bit puzzled how lasagnas, stews can come out bad, they normally taste a lot better reheated.

I also stock on frozen food from cook, but it's not that cheap.

@LoafofSellotape

no - you are misunderstanding. anything is "batch-cooked", even if it's a batch of one. (and you are not the OP anyway)

but if you make a fruit crumble, and make a couple extra for the freezer …..

the OP seemed to be saying that frozen stuff is unpalatable when it is thawed out.

Some stuff might be, but you don't freeze that. eg strawberries. Some stuff freezes very well. That's why supermarkets are full of frozen food.

My DD and DH both have ASD. I often have to make three seperate meals every night. So I spend most nights eating leftovers. I love batch cooking as it means I can have different and good meals.

You can't really go wrong if you batch cook stews, curries or dal etc.

Where you might be going wrong is on reheating. Dry overcooked meat could this perhaps have been reheated in the oven with foil over the container, to avoid it going dry? And soggy veg perhaps in the oven with no covering, to crisp it up slightly?

The great thing with stews and curries is that you can heat them up so easily on the hob and nothing goes wrong.

no - you are misunderstanding. anything is "batch-cooked", even if it's a batch of one. (and you are not the OP anyway)

I didn't realise I wasn't allowed to reply to anyone but the OP,and I didn't misunderstood.

I batch cook a lot, lots of soups, pasta sauces, curries, Chinese dumplings, filled burittos etc. I've never found stuff too watery afterwards, not everything works but for the most part it does and I find soups tend to taste a bit better.