To think batch cooking is awful

[Newyear2025]

It takes forever to do and everything comes out tasting of freezer.

If it tastes of freezer it must be bland af to begin with.

Depends what you cook and how you freeze it.

Nothing bland about what I cook thank you

I don’t like much that can be batch cooked- but then I’m fussy. I also don’t think it saves time as it’s such a faff.

would rather do a quick stir fry, omelette or salad on an evening I’m pushed for time.

What are you batch cooking?

Whenever I've batch cooked it doesn't come out tasting of freezer, and I've honestly no idea what that even means.

It doesn't work for me because I know once things go in the freezer they'll disappear from my mind forever. And I don't necessarily want to decide in the morning what to have for dinner, which I'd need to do for things to defrost.

If it tastes of freezer, it doesn’t sound like it’s stored properly.

What a strange thread. How does something taste of freezer?

I don't know what freezer tastes like but I find things like stews taste noticeably better after having been frozen.

It's a waste of life. Leftovers in the freezer, fine, batch cooking...nope.

Depends what you're cooking

I like to make large batches of curry

Do you cook it after taking it out the freezer? If so, it shouldn’t taste of freezer.

Mine doesn’t take forever and certainly doesn’t taste of the freezer! How are you storing your efforts? Maybe you need some new, properly airtight containers.

I, too, have no idea what a freezer tastes like, my frozen food tastes the same as the original.

I made a vat of dhal yesterday. 21 boxes in the freezer. They are handy for when I cba. Microwave. Easy.

I agree, even more so with curries. The flavours have time to properly marinade and develop.

This thread is making me want to do some batch cooking now. I have some minced lamb, lots of lentils, chickpeas, tinned tomatoes, spices etc...

But it takes little extra time to, say, double up on a recipe in order to have plenty to freeze.

How is that wasting life? It's a time saver...

I love dhal. Which lentils do you use? I use red lentils or split peas, both are very nice.

I often put portion of eg chilli in the freezer for nights when DH is out

Yes , this.

Also, Dhal tastes better after freezing too

I agree. I tried doing it several times but I find freezing changes the texture of things and it just doesn’t inspire my appetite in any way.

I have no idea what freezer tastes of. Is it full of old stuff or not clean? Do you not cover stuff (so it gets freezer burn) or leave it in there for too long?
Chilli is soooo much better when cooked in advance. I often batch cook because making a pile of curry or chilli is no harder than making a small batch.

Yes, I prefer daily cooking and have loads of meals which take half an hour to an hour to prepare and cook. I don't have a large freezer anyway so don't have space to cook in batches. And I would hate taking the valuable time out of my weekend to do it. And then just eating frozen meals all week doesn't have much appeal. I like cooking as a transition activity from work into the evening.

Depends on your schedule. I hate cooking in the evenings (DH usually does it) and when I cook I prefer to make a ton of something (dhal, ribollita, refried beans, pasta sauce - simple stuff that often improves a bit with keeping). I freeze it in clearly labelled and dated foil trays. Then when we have a busy day or he’s having dinner out or a meaty dinner I just get something out of the freezer in the morning.

Ha, I know exactly what you mean.