Does anybody REALLY do batch loads of cooking and then freeze? and if so- what kind of things do you cook?

[Tiredemma]

I am returning to work (full time) in four weeks after 7 months Maternity Leave. I have two DS aged 13 and 10 and DD who will be 6 months (and DP)

The past few months obviously everyone has been returning from school/work to a cooked evening meal, because I am here in the day and have time to prepare it etc.

When I return to work I will be doing 37.5hrs over 4 days so will be out of the house from 8am until around 6pm.

Dp will be getting in from work at around 4pm boys similar time.

Im thinking about doing a batch of cooking that is easily frozen on a Sunday afternoon for the coming week- just to take the pressure off on the evening.

Any suggestions what freezes best? Never done this before and dont want to waste time and money doing stuff that wont satisfy come dinner time!

Sometimes I will make a big batch of something like soup because I have meg to use up and then I will attempt to squeeze it into the freezer which seems to always be full but I am never sure what of!

Sometimes it is a bit of a lottery when I pull stuff but. But I have never done what my dear departed Mum did, and served up turkey pie for pudding. Luckily she realised it was not an apple pie before she poured custard over it!!

Meg - veg!!
But - out!!

'Freezer roulette'
We have 'use up days' where we practically all have a different dinner, using up what us in the fridge and freezer.
Turned it into a fun thing, where both ds's revel in having something different to their brother!!

if I freeze soups I do basic ones that can also be used in other dishes (eg tomato soup or leek and potato)
also, I freeze seasonal fruit eg blackberries, apples, in small portions as are easy to defrost and have with yoghurt that evening as a quick pud. I hate waste so will also blend and freeze and fruit that is turning (eg slightly mushy grapes). blended fruit is great instead of icecream

I keep the box of stickers+pens to label things next to the freezer, its the only way to remember to write down what it is.

I mince up a "basic" mix and freeze: onion, garlic, carrot and celery. this then gets shoved in everything. I freeze it in giant ice-cube things I have left over from when I was weaning my kids. would highly recommend.

apart from what's already been said I would recommend freezing saussages that have already been cooked, so that you can piece together a meal when defrosting eg, one tomato soup+basic mix+two saussages+jacket potato. I find if I freeze too many stews I get bored whereas if I freeze stuff at an earlier stage I can alter things as I see fit on the day (eg turn above into sausage stew with a bit of cumin, another day i'd just have sausage and mash with gravy)

slight tangent, ive been thinking for a while about contacting a large freezer company and asking them why the heck they don't team up with pyrex/Tupperware and design stuff that fits perfectly into their freezers?

I would seriously (so sad but true) LOVE it if it could stuff my freezer full to bursting with Tupperware that fitted perfectly. (am imagining a DVD library/bookshelf thing with every box perfectly labelled. oh, and novelty music when you open the freezer door)

can we start a petition? anyone with me? I am so sick of having to find correct lids etc. when I do batch cook

and Tupperware should have labels that are like blackboards that are permanently on them yet wipeable

maybe one day

I agree Wafflingworrier, It would be so much easier if you could wipe clean labels on pot.

I another good idea is to keep a list of what is in your freezer, so you don't forget what's in there and you don't end up with 10 tonne of spag bog or chicken thighs--, and nothing else.

samesizetoes thank you for the genius tip that is freezing cake ! you might just have changed my life with that one

wafflingworrier oooooohhh Iwantoneofthose!

I'm just about organized enough to do the batch cooking, but have never been able to get the labelling thing down. I have settled on trying to cook exactly three months worth of something, separating it into portions in plastic bags, and then putting the whole lot in a larger plastic bag. When I have used it all up (hopefully within three months) I'll re make it.

I have said for ages that there is a real whole in the market for someone to start up a batch cooking company. That cooks proper food not ready meals, and that are suitable for kids (so low sodium/ sugar etc). I'd pay someone a lot to fill my freezer with a month's worth of spag bolognaise, cottage pie, chicken curry etc. Instead I spend one morning a month cooking it all myself which I hate, hate, hate.

Now, I'm sure I read on MN a long time ago that chinagrapth pencils wash off in washing up water so could be handy for labelling batch cooking???? Been meaning to test this out!

You will be getting in at 6pm. Your DH will be getting in at 4pm. Will he not be doing most of the cooking therefore? How many DHs, if the return home times were reversed, would be spending their evenings and weekends worrying about how they were going to sort the weekday meals?

Btw, DH and I usethe kind of pen which is sold for labelling CDs to write on Tupperware and old takeaway plastic boxes which we freeze things in. It stays readable in the freezer, then you can easily wash it off with a washing up scourer.

Me too bea, not so bad with mince based things but I always thought you shouldn't reheat chicken. All makes me nervous.
Ladyindisguise, how/at what stage do you freeze stir fry?

Please can I have the slow cooker work soup recipe?