To ask whether you fill the freezer with batch cooking and then don't eat it?

[SpudsandGravy]

Just that. It's embarrassing, and obvs a waste of money and effort :-(

From time to time I'll make stews or risottos or things like that and freeze them in tubs. When it comes to the crunch, though, I look forward to dinner so much during the day that I tend to make a daily plan (which might well be sandwiches, which I love with fresh crunchy bread) and never get round to eating what I've frozen.

Not only is this a waste of money and effort, the freezer then fills up with all this stuff and there's no room for other interesting items like ice cream (though maybe that's a blessing, right?)...

Normally mix of carrots, red onion, aubergine, red onion, courgettes and tinned cherry tomatoes. Plus garlic. Chop up and roast into eh oven (I normally fill two big deep oven trays). And drizzle with salt pepper and olive oil. Until brown and tasty looking. Then whizz up to a lovely smooth consistency.

@Nohomemadecandles Brilliant! I never buy coconut milk as you only use a bit and I don't like waste, but the amount of times I could have used it to take a curry down a notch (or 10).

I batch cook a basic mince base of,
mince, onions, herbs, garlic,.. in the pressure cooker.

I do about 4 or 5 kilos at a time.
I make a lasagne for dinner, and bag the rest in 500 gram bags.

These freeze well.
They take up very little space.
They then can be transformed into a variety of dishes very easily.

Other than that not really.
I prefer freshly cooked.

We eat it.

I make huge batches of soup. Enough for normally 3 servings each. Eat one on the day then have 2 more for another time.

Lasagne is normally 6 portions worth. We eat 4 portions (5 of us but the toddler will eat a little from each portion) freeze the other 2 and after 2 meals there is leftovers for another meal.

Every few months we go through the freezer and have random "freezer days" where we all eat something different that's only a single portion leftover.

It's a waste of time and money to freeze it then never use it.

I used to do this with bolognese and beef stews and for some reason I just felt a bit sick looking at the them in the freezer and could never bring myself to use them.

Curries, meatballs and soup are all just as nice from the freezer and don't make me queasy, so they're all I freeze now. Anything else, either gets eaten on the day/the following day or given to the dog.

For the first time ever I grated ginger over the weekend and froze a large thin flat slab and then wrapped and put into to ziplock bag. Broke some off yesterday for some chickpea pancakes. Worked a treat. Can’t believe I’ve not done this before. Have also grated carrots and frozen in airtight - plan to use those more quickly not sure how long they will last. All in determined effort not to waste anything if avoidable.

Good to know @Ninkanink.
I've never heard of mirepoix.
Just had to Google it.
You are obviously very posh😉 - that would be a meal for me not a "flavouring"!

I had to google how to spell it 😉

God no. I batch cook as that's the only way to make some food, stews etc. There are only 2 of us.

We get posh bread and decide which frozen back meal to eat with it.

I currently have
Shin of beef
Lamb shanks
Chilli - made from all the scrag ends of Sunday roasts
Bolognese
Tomato soup - made from all the squishy tomatoes and various peppers
A bag of squishy tomatoes and peppers
Some meatballs
3 types of pasta sauce
A bag of gravy portions
Various puddings

I go through it once every couple of months and we use whatever has been there longest though.wr do occasionally find something prehistoric 😁

Definitely eat our batch cooking - had a rummage in the freezer last night and discovered some Spanish style roasted veg including potatoes and we're having that with left over lamp from yesterday's roast

On the rare occasions I do this I can't tell what it is - even after it has thawed. I need to invest in proper storage boxes.

I find batch cooking doesn't save much time as I still like to cook vegetables fresh so may as well bung in chicken joints/fish/chops/fish fingers.

@Pukkatea

I've always found I save more money and get more excitement/variety by filling the freezer with reduced section bargains than by batch cooking.

Totally agree

I do freeze odd bits like coconut milk

Chopped herbs are also in my freezer

We eat what we freeze. Why wouldn't we? If you make a daily plan of what to eat, include stuff from the freezer in the plan! It's a godsend for midweek dinners when you've been at work, especially when you know you'll be in a hurry.

For those who keep filling the freezer and never eat the contents, do you have some sort of tardis-like device that allows this? Or do you take perfectly good food out periodically and throw it in the bin to make room for more? I'm confused!

I think I’ve may just have had a revelation. I’m going to rearrange my freezer drawers (yes wildly exciting eh?).
Split my batch stuff and divide it. One large drawer for stuff to be eaten over next say three weeks. One for longer (duplicates will feature). Then drawer for odds and sods. Only when I’ve eaten the short term contents do i do any further batch cooking.
Sorry I should wanted you all to avoid the shock and unexpected jolts of excitement caused by me sharing such amazingly astonishing news.

@Wingedharpy they are brill. I wouldn't use them in things like sandwich fillings. But for stews, curries, bolognese etc I wouldn't even know the difference. Always have a bag in the freezer now. Only a £1 in Tesco

I have a list of the food inside the freezer and only do food that I think I will enjoy frozen. ( I'm not sure I'd enjoy frozen risotto) I write it in as part of my weekly meal plan and get it out the freezer the night before. I let it defrost out of the fridge over night and then transfer it to the fridge in the morning. I always look forward to a 0 effort yummy dinner. When doing my meal plan I try and do this for nights I'm busy.

Nohomemadecandles so don't buy food, cook it, freeze it and then chuck it away! Simple, no?!?? No one is making you

I also buy massive jars of Passata and prewar in an ice cube tray for the small person. E only needs three cubes for tomato pasta.

*freeze - dunno what prewar is

Good to know @minnie465.
I loathe chopping onions and get frustrated when you cut into one which feels perfectly fine only to find it's completely rotten in the centre.
Will try these and blame Mumsnet if they're not up to scratch.
And, who knew you can freeze Mozzarella cheese? - another lockdown induced discovery for me.

Our freezer broke two years ago and we haven't replaced it - I don't miss it. I always used to forget what was in there.

@Royalbloo

Nohomemadecandles so don't buy food, cook it, freeze it and then chuck it away! Simple, no?!?? No one is making you

Which is why I said I don't... christ on a bike!

Usually when I make a shepherd's pie, lasagna, stew, curry, risotto, a LOT of soup or other pie or casserole I make enough for 6 then freeze 2 portions in old takeaway tubs. I do this at the weekend because I have fuck all time for cooking of an evening as i am in class all day and sorting out online after school.

Then I defrost them the night before and take them into work for a microwave lunch. None of my family particularly enjoy defrosted whatever but i'm usually so grateful by lunch for food i'll eat anything. I reheat, scarf it down, have a wee and then it's back to teaching my bubble. Could be eating anything. I don't care i'm so knackered.

Then i'll do another reheat for my tea, a quick fresh for the kids (pasta, stir fry) and mum usually has soup and bread from the breadmaker . She gets her vitamin that way and fibre. I also froze tons of spinach, chard and chopped tomatoes from the garden this year and they've been brilliant. I froze them chopped together in bags with herbs and garlic and I can just heat them up now as a side.

Every now and then I come across a nameless tub I forgot to marker pen and either I or the dog brave it.

@Lucieintheskye

If it doesn't sound like something that applies to you, did you not think maybe it wasn't directed at you?

Um, no because it was directed at me by you... right? I'm the original poster, and you were replying to the original post...

@lillylemons

this might be a stupid question but I'm gonna ask anyway. How do you reheat the food you batch cook?

Either defrost and then reheat in pan/microwave, or in my Instant Pot.

If I start making things that aren't stewed/similar then I think I'll have to let them defrost and then put them in the oven/microwave.