To think batch cooking is awful

[Newyear2025]

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

I don't get it either. And even if I did, I don't have the freezer space.

You just don't enjoy cooking. Which is fine.

Why do you have to enjoy batch cooking to enjoy cooking?

Who knew disliking batch cooking was going to really wind people up 😆

I think it's the pots you are freezing it in, particularly if you heat it up in the same pots, the plastic can take on flavours and make everything taste different. My issue with bath cooking is that none of my pans are big enough to make multiple portions now my children are bigger. I have remedied this by buying new pans in the January sales!

I don't deliberately batch cook but I have two GSs, late teens/early 20s, who drop in regularly so I often cook too much in case they eat with us and then if they don't it goes in the freezer. It tastes the same to me, not sure what tasting of freezer is to be honest.

I dont batch cook as such, but I cook once, eat two or three times - freezing whats not being eaten that day.

Theres just three of us, waste of time and energy to cook a tiny lasagne - I make a huge one, we take what we need, then when its cold its easy to portion up and freeze

No point in making a small pan of soup - again , we eat, I have a container for the fridge door which will hold another days worth, the rest for the freezer

Daily cooking is a waste of life. Batch cooking is amazing.

I'll make double portions but eat later that week, with different sides.

DH freezes leftovers to reheat for his lunch. I'd rather have a toastie.

If you can't be bothered to chop an onion just buy a bag of frozen. See also spinach, garlic, ginger etc.

Definitely wouldn't bother with all the Instagram-style food prep.

’Tastes of freezer’ is surely when you cooked it circa 2017, thought ‘that will make a nice dinner for next week, I’ll freeze it’ and you only rediscovered it last week assuming it must have been the stew you made ‘a few months’ ago’.

If so, this is my experience of batch cooking and I fully agree.

Thought despite my better judgment I have 3 packs of minced beef to use so I’m going to be cooking up a couple of lasagnes today doomed for the freezer.

This is me. I always forget that I actually have a freezer with stuff in it! 🙈

I used to batch cook when I was keto, and it was always delicious 😋 when heated. I haven't done it for a few years though. Maybe experiment with some different recipes. I froze in ceramic dishes with cling film lids and stacked them carefully in our American Fridge Freezer. I. This house we have a chest freezer and that wouldn't work as everything just gets chucked in together like a jumble sale

Cooking extra of what you’re already making is smart, if it’s something that freezes well. But spending a whole weekend cooking so you can save half an hour in the evening isn’t something I’m interested in.

I used to always have pasta sauce or curry in the freezer but now I have a teenage DS and he eats everything in sight so even when I double a recipe he’ll have the leftovers for lunch and after school ‘first dinner’ so I don’t bother freezing now, just stick them in the fridge.

I know what you mean about tasting of freezer. Try getting some new containers.

This could be it. My OH is veggie. Some things still freeze fine (daal, tomato sauce or homemade pesto for pasta, bean chilli for example) but stuff with lots of chunky veg in freezing changes the texture and it’s not as nice defrosted. I tend to just make/freeze the basic sauces. So I made a big pan of jalfrezi sauce the other day and froze several portions. When we are ready to eat it again I’ll roast veg fresh with some spices then add to the sauce right before serving so the veg have the right texture. Meat tends to be ok in the freezer & so are very finely chopped things and tinned tomato based sauces but things like broccoli, cauliflower, whole potatoes & peppers fare less well.

I didn't realise freezer food was such a controversial subject matter. Fwiw I love cooking.

Some things freeze well, some things don't.🤷‍♀️

Depends on your family size too if it's worth bothering or if you can polish off the whole lot of whatever you're making in one or at most two sittings.

If I make 'spag bol', with a pound of mince and loads of veg, it makes loads, it's just me and DH at home most of the time now and it's better to freeze most of it than try to eat it on successive days.

Casseroles with chunks of meat are better if you can defrost overnight in the fridge rather than by microwaving though.

Batch cook various recipes, mainly from Delia Smith's books, and they're all good.

Not sure I understand what 'taste of freezer' means.

Batch cooking is king, it saves me so much time and effort and if I am being honest, I think somethings taste better for being twice cooked as it where.

When I am in the mood to cook, I spend the day at it and then when I get home from work on a night, I wham something on the over, prep the accompaniments and sit down and relax.

Lasagne, is a real pain to make so I make 4 or 5 at once and freeze them, as with curries etc. Left over gravy gets frozen and we use leftover veg to make soups, and chuck in whatever is around at the time and freeze it. Taking a soup container to work for lunch - its potluck but great.

I also cook for elderly mum, so when I batch cook I take stuff over for her, because there are certain things she wouldn't bother to cook for herself as she lives on her own.

It's true that some things take freezing better than others, but for me the issue is usually changes in texture, rather than changes to flavour. If you don't like it, don't do it: It's not mandatory! But if flavour is the problem, you may need to look at wiping down your freezer, removing anything that's been there too long or giving off odours, using a food storage system that locks out odours, and being sure to use up the frozen food in a timely manner.

Time, maybe. Not sure what money has to do with it, in my case. I make my meals out of good quality ingredients. There is no reheated/ frozen taste imo. Nothing better than knowing that if I don't wish to cook that night, I can just take out a meal, which will defrost in a few hours. I have no desire to eat takeaway food being delivered to my door.

I know what you mean, OP. Some things lend themselves better to being frozen than others. An example would be cottage or shepherds pie. I find if I freeze the whole thing, the potato reacts with the sauce and creates water. If I freeze mashed potato separately (defrost on the worktop and add a largeknob of butter) it's great. Similarly the sauce, freeze that separately.

I find some things freeze really well - curries, rice, lasagne, tomato or meat sauces (as long as no large bits of veg in there). Cheese also - perfect for freezing.

Joints of meat - unless really dense like a joint of pork don't always fare so well. I tend to cover mine - cooked or not - in greaseproof paper first and then into whatever bag/container. It protects from freezer burn. Also, I try (and often fail) to use within the 3 months although it's more like 5 or 6 and still ok.

What are you cooking/freezing?

I try and batch cook but usually, even when I make extra, DH and DS eat it before I get chance to freeze it

Yes if I make something I would freeze then the dc or DH usually just has it the next day for lunch or whatever, don’t think I’ve ever managed to have extra lasagna. I do freeze soup sometimes - less popular with dc!

I would be lost without my freezer meals! We both work full time, always have, so using the freezer to store pre-made healthy meals has been a life saver. As others have said don't freeze the entire meal, I make the sides fresh but having the main component already done is a huge time saver. It also helps save money too for example if you've got a good deal on meat or chicken etc.

I make a big pot of red lentil dhal and freeze in individual portions. I'm lucky that I have a freezer in work so I store them there and then use for lunches. I do the same with soup. Gives me variety then, I can choose a soup or dhal depending on my mood and both are much healthier and cheaper than a ready packed sandwich etc!

This is the dhal recipe I use. I add chopped baby spinach leaves and cubes of butternut squash. All freezes perfectly. Reheat in microwave and have with a mini naan bread from the toaster!

It's true that some things take freezing better than others, but for me the issue is usually changes in texture, rather than changes to flavour.

yes, I dislike the change in texture so only freeze a few things.

What containers are posters using in the freezer? Are tinfoil ones any good or plastic tupperware? Or something else?

This. Come on people give us your amazing curry recipes... I know what you mean OP.

Thank you for posting this.

I don't know what it is about batch cooking. I mean, mine technically tastes great and no hints of 'freezer' taste. But once I've done a whole load f batch cooking, everything perfectly labelled and frozen - it's like there's an off switch, I just can face eating it. It's like there's very act of batch cooking wipes out ,y wish ever to eat that dish again.

However, my friends and family are super impressed I have super tasty frozen ready meals all home cooked. It's just that they seem to be the only ones eating them as I can't face eating them