To think batch cooking is awful

[Newyear2025]

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

Which is why I just freeze the meat/ gravy part of the shepherds pie. It is very easy to then just steam some potatoes, and extra vegetables, on a can't be fussed with cooking day.

I think there's a lot of snobbery around frozen food and tinned food.

It turns my stomach too. Batch cooking and freezing it all and then pulling it out of the freezer and reheating it? VOM! 😖

Dh is adamant re freezer taste. Not just our freezer but any frozen food. He will happily eat beige freezer food (fish fingers, chicken nuggets, frozen chips) ie stuff which is industrially produced to be frozen but not stuff I have made and frozen. He's always been this way.

Ages ago I remember seeing Nigella say she used her freezer like a larder, ie freezes ingredients not full meals. I tend to do this more than batch cook - works better for us as a family as we have different diet requirements.

I do batch cook curry for dd2 and the odd spag Bol portion. As the only veggie in the family I will also batch cook a particular chickpea pasta recipe for myself. Otherwise we end up forgetting or not liking and it increases food waste in our house

Bizarre.

Really? I batch cooked some lamb casserole a couple of days ago. I do not recall it taking all day to put a leg of lamb, with carrots, onions, celery, various herbs, and stock in my slow cooker. I am not sure what you are doing that would take all day. I was not chained to the kitchen, and was free to leave the house, if I chose to do so.

OP I know what you mean. Not for everything, but most things. Similarly slow cooked soups/ stews etc. I wonder if it’s because there’s no Maillard reaction in the slow cooker? Or too much moisture? And refrigerated sandwiches eg from Pret all just taste of “fridge” to me.

Im a good cook, I know that I am - objectively- because people tell me, and ask me to make things for them / give them recipes. And things taste good made over the hob, that taste terrible in the slow cooker.

I don’t know why, but I agree it’s a thing.

Can you share your dhal recipe please?

This in spades. As you (and me and several others have said,) what a ridiculous waste of life, standing there batch cooking. (And then reheating it all days/weeks later...) As I said, I have better things to do. What a tedious task this really is! Bet it tastes like shit too! 😬

Oooh sounds delicious. What’s your recipe pls?

Batch cooking saves so much time for us during the week. I love it.

It doesn’t take all day either and definitely doesn’t taste of freezer, some things taste even better.

Not everything should be batched cooked or frozen. Are you freezing stuff that is appropriate for freezing and storing it properly?
Batch cooking is rubbish, cook once eat twice is superior.

It turns my stomach too. Batch cooking and freezing it all and then pulling it out of the freezer and reheating it? VOM!

Is this some kind of joke post?

Presumably you've never eaten, nor will eat, anything that's been frozen?
You won't buy ready meals that are frozen, or ice cream and so on? @LikeWhoUsesTypewritersAnyway

There are things that don’t work being batched cooked but there are so many things that are improved as previous posters have said too.
I’ve never found they taste frozen at all, in fact the point is that you have a fresh tasting, comforting, home cooked meal for when your short on time.
Things I like batch cooking:

jamie Oliver’s bolognese recipe
currys,
chilli con carne,
stews/casserole,
soups (make such an easy, quick, healthy lunch to put in the microwave from frozen)

It is bizarre isn't it? Spending loads of time batch cooking and freezing it in tupperware and then reheating it?! Utterly bizarre, you're right!

I certainly won't be eating any manky, thawed-out, batch cooking slop ta very muchly. 😎

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I think you're just on a wind-up @LikeWhoUsesTypewritersAnyway

You do your thing then. I know that my food tastes lovely, and is not full of UPF's, so I don't care what other people wish to do.

Not in my case. I don't like the freezer taste on home frozen stuff, but generally I am fine with bought frozen if it's eaten quickly. Even the crap stuff like chicken nuggets, so no food snobbery here.

Just because I have a different opinion to you? And one you don't like??? Oh dear. Someone lacks critical thinking skills! 😆

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It'll only 'taste of freezer' if you aren't storing your food properly. 🤷

I will do my thing. And you do you.

Both flavour and texture of most foods really deteriorate in a freezer (and microwave)

to me it “tastes of freezer” means it’s become homogenous in flavour, more bland, less aromatic, more mushy, less tasty, it just does not taste fresh or nice

i end up not eating frozen meals (including ready meals or naice “cook” meals) as I’d rather make a quick omelette or salad if I’m short on time.

I’m not snobby about it, I like leftovers and happy to hear them up the next day, but not like eating something I cooked 2 months ago

You're just winding people up.

And trying to patronise by talking about critical thinking skills when you don't even know what that means.

I don't even know what "tastes of freezer" means.