to ask how 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...

I have a mini chopper which is amazing! Great for onions, carrots, garlic etc
I live alone so if I make a meal, I make it "family" sized so 4-8 portions then portion it up in tubs and freeze. Take one out before work and it's defrosted when I get home

How many people are you cooking for OP?
And do you work?
Is it possible for you to get any more freezer space?
We have limited freezer space similar to yours and I prioritise frozen ingredients like butternut squash and chopped onions and batch cooked meals.
My DH batch cooks at the weekend sometimes - shepherds pie, lasagne, bolognese sauce etc - could your DH do the same?
I am more likely to cook extra portions - say double quantities- and maybe have one for lunch the next day and freeze the rest.
I also like tray bakes for low effort meals, or slow cooker meals or Simply Cook flavour pot meals or simply baked potatoes.
Meal planning is very helpful to make sure that you can still eat well if your energy is low.
Also do you share out the cooking in your family? DH usually cooks at the weekend, DD will do at least one day in the week and a couple of days we eat up leftovers or have soup or a homemade freezer meal. That only leaves a couple of nights cooking for me to do each week.

I’ve not read the thread but just thought I’d add in my own version of batch cooking -
Whenever I can be arsed to cook I make sure I do a meal or two too much and freeze it in freezer bags.
So not ‘batch cooking’ but padding out what I do cook. It comes in so handy in situations where I’d probably otherwise be tempted to get microwave meals or a takeaway

Its easier to start by cooking extra and freezing then building up a supply. Tonight made huge batch bolognese so did dinner tonight. Froze some in portions with pasta so ready to go. Then converted the remainer into chilli by adding some kidney beans, spices and chilli - that's dinner tomorrow night plus can freeze some of that too

Not much point without freezer space unless you meal prep for the days ahead...

I typically do a mixture of

• batch cooking by spending a couple of hours in the kitchen between the oven, job and slow cooker.
• meal prep preparing salads, fruits, breakfasts for the days ahead
• making extra as I go and chucking in the freezer or reheating the next day

Find I am more obsessed by preparing to be healthy and have less waste

I LOVE batch cooking!

I was getting so sick of cooking every night. DH never cooks and just eats at work.

I don’t make ‘meals’. I make:
Boiled potatoes or rice.
Pasta.
Which I put in jars in the fridge when it’s cooled.

Then I cook:
Vegetables.
Onions and garlic.
Chicken or other meat fried.

Then I save them in the fridge.

So I can have different meals the next nights!

I can have things like:
Broccoli, chicken and pasta with some sauce thrown on top (like pesto)
Potatoes chicken and peas and just make the gravy.
Spicy chicken wraps with onions and peppers, and cheese. (Just add some spice when doing the first cooking)

Loads of variations.

I bought a small chest freezer for this reason - stuck it under the stairs.

There is a brilliant Facebook group called batch cooking made simple that answers a lot of your questions, lovely supportive community and they have challenges which you can try if you like to test out different kinds of batching. Give it a go maybe, it's very useful!

We just cook double and freeze a couple of meals. Maybe just start off small until you have a bigger freezer?

Haven’t rtft but has anyone mentioned flat freezing? Large freezer bag - probably does 2 adult portions. Fill, seal, lay flat and sort flatten Bol or whatever put across the bag lift up with your hands underneath, place in freezer, repeat and layer them up. Takes up so much less space!!

You need a big pot or cast iron casserole dish.

Defrosting wise take it out night before and put on a plate in the top of the fridge where it’s slightly warmer.

Before I had tiny DC I used to do it so we had 2 things in the freezer to have every week. I really don’t have time now though but if your DCs are older Sunday morning is a good plan.

I never make just enough for one night. Generally enough for 3.
With curry, we have it the first night and I freeze two nights worth.
With bolognese, make enough for three nights and make it into chilli the second night (add one tin kidney beans, one tin chipotle in adobo sauce (top tip: use scissors to chop in tin)). Eat with rice.
Next day have it over baked potatoes with cheese.
Also I am very cheeky, I ask the butcher to chop the chicken for me, so I just have to dump it in the pan. Cutting chicken is the worst part of the job if your doing 3nights worth.

Oh I tell you what I used to do which was good - basic mince mix. Mince, stock, onions passata. Freeze up portions then you can add to them to make, chilli, bol, cottage pie or even a naughty mince meat pie!

Ziplock bags can be reused, I use mine many times over, though I prefer take away tubs.

Same. I reuse ziplock bags, just as I do tubs. Not noticed one having a longer shelf life than the other.

I do mini batches. So last night I made sausage casserole, but I made enough for 3 meals. One for this evening, 2 for the freezer. Next time I took I’ll do the sane with a different meal and build up a selection of freezer meals for days we’re busy/lazy/skint.

If you know anyone else who batch cooks you could always swap meal.

So I'll do 8 portions of Spag Bol (using your example) my mum will do 8 portions of casserole (which I use as pie filling as well) and my aunt will ,make 8 portions of pasta bake, we then swap, so my aunt gives me 2 pasta bake portions, she has 2 spag bol, my mum gives me 2 casserole portions and she has 2 spag bol and I have 4 left over for myself which I either keep or swap at a different time for something else.

I also don’t have the time for whole days spent batch cooking but will make 2 or 3 times as much of anything suitable and stick it in the freezer. We don’t have a microwave so defrost overnight then cook in the oven. I save time by chopping or slicing my veg in the food processor.

Does cooked chicken breast not taste really dry after it’s been frozen & defrosted?

My Husband picked up an amazing book called "clever batch" deffo check it out - we found some great recipes and tips from it!

@Snog Batch cook for husband and I really as DS will eat other quick stuff like eggs etc. I work Mon- Thurs.

Managed to make 2 bolognese, 2 chilli, 2 chicken chasseur and there's a curry in the instant pot (double portion).

Wowzers that sounds epic, hope you haven't overdone it!
Does your DH cook too?

Does cooked chicken breast not taste really dry after it’s been frozen & defrosted?

It depends how you cook it initially, and how you serve it after freezing.

I often freeze leftover roast chicken straight off the carcass. Or if I know I will be cooking and then freezing chicken breasts, I will often poach them - just boil in plain or lightly salted water. The added benefit being that the water turns into a (not quite as good as all the stock veg version but still tasty and works well for risotto/soup etc) free chicken stock that can also be frozen. I try not to overcook it anyway - whether freezing or not - so it doesn't get dry in the first place.

Usually, I use already cooked chicken in meals with sauces - like a jar of curry or pasta sauce, or a stir fry dish which is a bit liquid-y, or a white wine and cream sauce....I have plenty of options that are not just "chicken in gravy" (although that's nice too sometimes!).

If I want cooked chick for sandwiches or similar, I will either cook it fresh or buy it ready-cooked rather than use frozen, just as a personal preference. But I have done it from frozen before and just made sure I use some mayonnaise in the sambo to keep it from being too dry.

@Snog He will if I have taken stuff out etc - half the time I forget and it leads to thrown together shit (not literally obvs).

So I have put half of my meals above in the freezer and left half in the fridge.

I've got some chicken left in the freezer I will do something with tonight. Also there is a gammon and a pork joint in the fridge which I;ll do something with tonight too.

I can only say it didn't take too long because of my instant pot. It's awesome.

I reuse ziplock bags, just as I do tubs. Not noticed one having a longer shelf life than the other.

If anything the bags last longer. On take away tubs the lids crack at the sides quite quickly, especially if you open them while still frozen. I'm always short of lids

I'm a bit bewildered how you can turn Bolognese into chili. The former has mixed herbs/basil etc in, the latter does not. Throwing chili powder and kidney beans into a Bolognese does not make it chili, it makes it Bolognese with chili and kidney beans. Which, frankly, sounds disgusting.

We only have a small fridge freezer like you, so I batch cook on a smaller basis. So for example:

Make soup: eat half, freeze half, keep one portion in the fridge for me to take for work lunch

Bolognese: eat half, save half in fridge for another meal later in the week, freeze small portion for the kids to have one night another week

Banana muffins: keep out 4 to eat, freeze 6 that can be taken out one at a time for kids

Veggie sausage roll filling (sweet potato, tin of beans, frozen veg and cheese) eat one, freeze two portions that just need sticking into ready rolled pastry

Sweet potato mash made using whole bag at a time, freeze leftover to accompany something from the freezer like veggie burgers another night

Still leaves at least two drawer for chips/frozen veg/veggie fingers etc to put together quick meals mid week

I batch cook and I don’t freeze anything!