To think batch cooking is awful

[Newyear2025]

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

My freezers are full of rabbit, deer, game and seafood none of it tastes of freezer. OP i wonder if because you know that it has been frozen you think it tastes different.

That’s sadly what I suspected. Thanks.

Actually I have seen my traditional butcher bringing frozen turkey into the shop before Christmas....

OK, I stand corrected- all supermarket meat and your local butcher is definitely 100% frozen- no fresh meat anywhere!

As a single person I find most recipes I like make 4 portions, so I'm always "batch cooking". I don't want to cook after work so I prefer to cook a couple of different meals each weekend, then freeze in portions, so it's all over and done with quickly. It also saves on fuel as it takes as much electric to cook 1 portion as it does to cook 6, and it's no bother if I haven't decided what I want to eat until the last moment as I just thaw in the microwave before reheating. Easy.

I’d freeze raw meat, then defrost and cook it. But I don’t freeze cooked meats as I do not like their taste after defrosting and reheating. I find stews particularly revolting, curries I can just about tolerate but I’d prefer not to eat any frozen food that was previously cooked.

I just make it up!
Whole bag of frozen onions (cba chopping)
Loads of crushed garlic, bulb? Squirty ginger.
Some cumin, coriander, curry powder, mustard seeds, whatever packs I've got in the cupboard!
I used 500g red lentils, boiled them in some water with a bit of salt.
Fried up onions, garlic, spices etc
Put all in one big pan, added some carrots, tin potatoes, tin tomatoes, tin coconut milk
Simmer
Cool
Divide
Freeze

It's never the same twice.
Don't usually use coconut milk but son wanted to add it.

Good luck!

@ShyTed
I also only have a small freezer.
But often what happens is, 6 months later I pull it from the depths of the freezer and think…WTF is this and it goes in the bin

Of course you're not going to recognise food months later.
Why are you not labeling it?
I usually use sticky notes biy if I've run out a bit of paper with the content and date and sellotape it the lid.
I had a small freezer and would rather have home cooked meals that are ready made than ready meals, chips burgers etc

I usually write on the (Chinese takeaway) box with permanent marker.

Ditto. Having thawed Bolognese that turned out to be curry.

I think things don't taste amazing unless you eat them fairly wuickly

Or quickly even. I think a few weeks ideally IME

Oh I agree with this. I time my batch stuff to be used up within a month, six weeks max

Definitely not a recent term, even back in January it wasn't recent....

I remember plating up back in the 50s. Usually if one member of the family wasn't going to be home on time for the family meal so their's was plated up and either kept warm or heated up later. I haven't heard it for a long time.

I'm a vegetarian so maybe it's better suited to meaty dishes?
I disagree.
I'm veggie and I freeze. I put notes on the tubs saying add cheese or garnish with spring onion and sesame seeds etc.