to think batch cooking is a bit soulless?

[iCod]

I get the logistics practicality, time saving etc ...
but apart from that (!) when you see the sad plastic boxes it seems to reduce food to fuel rather than joy

I prob am unreasonable, obseity prob etc but YANNOW

Hello @GarlicPint

@Justlovedogs i'm so sorry to hear about your loss, that must be utterly devastating.

I agree with everybody else at the chopping and the few moments decompressing in the evening as you cook it one of my favourite parts of the day.

Seeing food in the pots does bring me joy!

It's the joy of knowing I can have a lovely meal without having to spend six times as long making it as it does to eat it (well OK it takes time initially but not compared to cooking it from scratch each time you want that meal).

I don’t consciously batch cook & I do kind of see where you’re coming from
OP, but when I cook dinner I make enough for all of us whether or not we are all around to eat at that time, so there’s generally a meal in fridge ready for someone the next day, saving on a bit of cooking then.
I do love leftovers though and the convenience of bring able to open the fridge and have something homemade the next day as an easy lunch when working.

I’d love to have the time and mental energy to cook dinner on a whim, swan around a farmers’ market to see what catches my eye and fill my cupboards with interesting ingredients only used once.
Unfortunately that’s not real life.

Batch cooking (or freezing leftovers) is a way of dealing with a busy schedule when full-on cooking at the end of a day would tip me into stress mode.
Weekly meal planning, ditto.
Fortnightly stock-up, same.
I can then cook creatively when it suits ME.

No tubs here, just freezer bags or clip-lidded Pyrex. Indelible tomato and curry stains microwaved into plastic MUST be bad for you…

I use glass Tupperware that looks really nice and this is less sad than using plastic pots in my opinion. We also freeze dinners to ensure we spread a batch cook out over the month so we’re not having the same everyday.

It is less of an exciting dinner though and nothing beats having something freshly made!

My problem is finding things that freeze well. I find veggie dishes or anything in a creamy sauce is a no no, so that leaves me with minced beef based dishes. Any ideas are appreciated?

Don't batch cook then

@WarriorN What a great idea. Would you mind sharing your recipes?

Both me and ds really don't enjoy frozen meals that were cooked before. They never taste as good.

When you cook every night, you get more variety and fresher food but it's also more work and some times not practical if you are stretched for time, or unable to cook easily because of toddler pulling at your legs.

I batch cook out of necessity because I am overwhelmed by my workload, more than anything else.

I think you can choose meals that freeze well and also do partial batch cooking, so maybe you batch cook a lasagne but cook the veg fresh and this makes it better.

I need to do this!

thanks gorgeous

I honestly can’t see what’s ‘sad’ about plastic boxes in the freezer, labelled with whatever it is. I just think ‘Hooray, that’s dinner sorted.’

I batch cook curries and stews and freeze them in foil takeaway containers. They don’t look sad or feel soulless, just a good home cooked meal without the faff of making it!

I hate cooking. My batch cooked meals are a source of joy. Something lovely I’ve made ready to go without the faff of cooking it, total win.

I batch cook a couple of different meals. I live alone and eat small portions and this makes it affordable for me. It does mean limited choice of meals especially as I have food allergies which limits me anyway.

Thaw it, and then, depending on what it is, put it in a pan, or into a glass dish to put in the oven. I might start off the thawing in the microwave.

Ah thank you for voicing this. I just think it's a bit boring. You have to try and make it interesting I think - like can I batch X meals in 1 hour (challenge), or try a new meal every time you batch etc.

I hate batch cooking because it’s meant to save time during the week but then you waste your whole Sunday doing it. No thanks. I make quick and healthy dinners/lunches and make use of leftovers if there are any.

God I love having a freezer of lovely cooked food.

my “sad” little desk lunch of a lovely homemade chili with rice and dollop of sour cream on top or a curry or something vs a pret sandwich - I know which id prefer.

Or opening the freezer in the evening to pull out tomorrows dinner and know I don’t have to cook tomorrow can just come in and heat it up and life is easier.

I look back fondly of batch cooking. I used to do chilli for my teenage sons hot lunch flask. When I was about to go into hospital for my c section I cooked a few days worth of meals in advance. Now it's baby food I'm batch cooking

I have lots of different patterned and coloured microwave tubs to counteract this.

and a number of thermos flasks in different sizes and colours too.

It adds joy to my batch cooking.

I like batch cooking and producing colourful meals and do one each week so I have a freezer of food to rotate.

I leave the house at 4.30am and get home at 7.30pm so for me it’s necessity and the colour and variety or tubs and thermos flasks adds the joy for me.

I voted YABU because I find all cooking soulless.

Worst thing about being an adult IMO is having to think of what to eat every night, and then cook it, for the rest of your life.

I don’t batch cook but really should because it would mean more nights off.

You can always ‘pretty’ your food up before serving eg batch cooked chilli then add a quick guacamole, black rice and salad.

Yes soulless at the time so I prefer to think of it as making extra. Today I don't feel like cooking a roast so have just taken two lovely portions of beef stew out of the freezer to have with Jacket potatoes and steamed broccoli - my today self is thanking myself from last week that I thought of doing this.
I have tons of soup in my freezer which never lasts long either as the kids and I demolish it.

I think if you enjoy the process of cooking then it takes the fun out of a part of the day that you like. But if, like me, you do a lot of cooking and don’t like it 😂 then it’s useful to do. I think it also depends on what you’re cooking and whether it’s delicious/something to be excited about. You can plate the food before you heat it if it’s not frozen.

I know a couple of people who will go to the shop everyday to get what they fancy that day and I think they would find batch cooking too prescriptive and restrictive. But I’m happy to eat the same thing several days in a row and the boxes don’t bother me unless there’s not enough in them!

I think it’s interesting that recipe boxes were really popular a few years ago but now I get ads for healthy meals that are already cooked for you. Supermarket “Ready meals” have been around for yonks and I think a lot more people would buy them if they were healthier and less processed as many of us want the convenience