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 have bags of strawberries in the freezer, but we only use them to make smoothies.

OP thickening granules are your friend - some veg do let out a bit of water when frozen so just thicken up the sauce a bit. And adding a few herbs will freshen up the flavour. Mince dishes do work best imo.

In terms of sauces OP - when you freeze sauce or soup it can look watery when first unfrozen and you out it on the hob. But then you stir it up, give it a bit of a whip even, and it reconstitutes itself to come out smooth.

I am very grateful you chose to reply to me. It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance. :)

How are you reheating frozen stuff OP? The chicken curry you did last night, I would have out that in a pan with a bit of water and some seasoning, also some tomato puree if the sauce was tomato based, and let it heat up whilst cooking the rice. I find it tastes nicer than simply heating through in a microwave.

I only freeze kind of 'wet' food where there's a thick sauce element and no crunchy texture though: so stuff like tagines, thicker curries rather than ones that are a bit more stir fried type, soup, daal, casserole, Bolognese or tomato pasta sauces. They are often nicer than when ready made. I've not tried batch cooking some of the other things people have mentioned though.

I like to cook bolognese and similar on a slow heat for a long time, ie 5hours. So it makes sense to cook enough for tonight, and freeze the extra for another evening.

Mainly freeze things like soups and sauces. It saves things going off, especially in summer when we grow lots ourselves and there's only so much you can eat fresh before it would get old.

Stock is great frozen too

I make mine in a slow cooker, then just put in portions in the freezer.
Practically no work, and always available.

Also you have to be careful freezing. I make a spicy butternut squash soup, which has cocount cream added usually. I wouldn't freeze it with the coconut added, just the base frozen, then would add any cream element fresh before eating. But saves us chopping, steaming, caramelising onions etc every time as that part is done.

Who's this Charlie Bingham bloke?

Rakati

^^

You freeze burritos? They don't come out soggy?

“Who's this Charlie Bingham bloke?”

A very clever bit of branding. Basically, it’s permission for posh people to use ready meals.

I don't really do batch cooking either but do sometimes freeze meals if I make too much. Things I would freeze that are still fine after defrosting and cooking would be, bolognaise sauce, cheese sauce, white sauce (I can combine those three for a quick lasagne but wouldn't freeze lasagne itself as it doesn't reheat well), any soup, curry, chilli. So basically anything mince based, soups and a couple of sauces. I find other stuff doesn't reheat well either and would rather have a quick stir fry or something for dinner.

Oh yeah I freeze stock too.

I always prefer fresh too.

Thanks, Bertrand.

Here's my batch cook hit list :

Bolognese
Soups
Tomato based sauce
Apple sauce
Chilli

That's it. Anything else is rubbish. Especially high water content veggies I. E. Mushrooms.

Basically, it’s permission for posh people to use ready meals

Already available from Waitrose, M&S and Cook.

They’re just upmarket ready meals.

Their curries are nice, Moussaka is nice, haven’t tried the others.

@TatianaLarina

Charlie Bigham meals. They're just ready meals

Corrected that for you. A ready meal is a ready meal full stop. There is no such thing as an 'upmarket' one. That is just what people tell themselves, because they think it makes them a better person than those who buy one from Aldi, Lidl, Morrisons etc. (Whose 'ready meals' are as good as 'Charlie Bigham's' in every way...)

Oh I dunno. I think ‘posh people’ in general are probably perfectly comfortable eating whatever the fuck happens to be available. I think what you mean is aspirational people with misguided notions of snobbery driven by abject a mix of abject insecurity and self-consciousness.

This book is brilliant for batch-cooking/freezing advice and the recipes are really good.

www.amazon.co.uk/Freeze-Delicious-Recipes-Fantastic-Freezer/dp/0297865161?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

It has general sections on what will and won’t freeze well too. I have loads of cookbooks I hardly use but this one is a regular favourite.

FWIW I don’t rate Waitrose ready meals, on the whole. M&S is much nicer. I won’t pay a premium for WR just to supposedly feel good about myself. If the food’s not worth it, I’m not paying it, regardless of the supermarket in question.

Ugh apologies for errors + between me hardly being able to see what I’m writing and this ridiculous predictive text function, I gather it doesn’t quite make sense! Hopefully you get the general idea.

Watery sauces, soggy veg and dry over cooked meat in all the favourites recommended for this.

You are clearly doing something wrong.

Charlie Bingham’s ready meals are (IMO) much nicer than those from any of the supermarkets (Waitrose and M&S included who I don’t think do ready meals any better than the cheaper stores). The CB macaroni cheese is the best, I can’t make it better myself.

Frost and defrost slowly.
Do not put the food in the freezer at room temperature, put it in the fridge first, then after a few hours can go in the freezer. That way the decrease in temperature is slower. Same for defrosting, from freezer to fridge and then, if possible, reheat in a pan instead of microwave.
Potatos are no good in my opinion, I never freeze anything with potatoes, the texture is horrible.

Actually, if I am going to buy a ready meal (which I rarely do-see batch cooking passim) I would usually go to Lidl. Or Aldi. On the principle that foreigners are generally much better at food than Brits. And I can’t bear the “Oh, Marks is soooo delicious!” refrain and Waitrose always makes me want to reach for my revolver.