Cooking from scratch

[mumboss1984]

Hello, How many days on average per week do you cook meals from scratch?

I am doing 7 days a week and thinking there must be an easier way with batch cooking and freezing, but then not everything can be frozen 🙈

Any tips gratefully received 😊 Thank you

thebatchlady.com

her Facebook page is also great

I do a big veg oat beef mince every Sunday and freeze half
Chicken and veg soup at same time freeze half thats enough to go all week with rice, oven chips, jac pot, pasta, cheese tossties

Depends on what you mean by cooking from scratch? I'm not milling my own flour and churning my own butter but I do make all my own meals. I buy curry pastes and stock but make my own dressings and sauces as needed.

My tips:
-Sunday batch cook a few meals into the freezer + prep a load of veg side dishes, so I can just grill a piece of fish etc during the week, I also meal plan and buy everything I need on Sunday
-only choose super quick meals for weeknights i.e. that either take 15-20 minutes to cook or go in the slow cooker
-make double quantities and have the second half on day 2

With all the above in mind I am only juggling work and a short cook on Tuesdays and Thursdays, then catch up on the weekend when there is more time.

I cook a chicken with Yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes and veg on Sunday but also prep a Bolognese and portion up in empty takeaway containers and freeze for in week, then just need to cook spaghetti and put meat portions in microwave. I make a chicken pasta bake with breadcrumbs topping in oven midweek with frozen veg on job but also cook a few chicken breasts DH or wraps for lunch. I also throw in a few sausages whilst oven on then microwave for breakfast sandwich for DS and DFS. I do pork steaks, onion, carrots, swead and a couple sliced cooking apples in a casserole and pop a tray of sausage rolls in to cook with them or an apple crumble as cooking apples in garden ATM. Usually there will be some chicken pasta bake leftover I can freeze and casserole too. DS takes these to work for lunch as he has a microwave there. I cook fish once a week either salmon, cod, haddock or coly with baby potatoes and peas or occasionally make a fish pie then there is usually some left for DS for lunch. I make a Shepherds pie sometimes for a change and alwsys make a huge one to freeze 3 portions. I use freezer for freezing what I have in garden so cooking apples, a few weeks ago raspberries, tomatoes etc.

I tend to cook 3 meals from scratch in the week and if I'm doing a curry or chilli I always make enough to freeze a whole portion. So that's a few freezer meals for another day.
Then I would do an easy meal like panini and salad and Friday is always pizza no cook day.
I don't think you need to do a hearty cook from scratch everyday personally.
If you are doing something in the oven then cook a load of chicken breasts and or Mediterranean veg and then you can portion those up and just have with rice and salad another evening.
So it's about getting more out of your time I suppose.

Probably 4-5 times a week. Then 1-2 meals of batched cooked stuff from the freezer and maybe a takeaway or a ready meal when feeling fed up.

I have a mix of quick meals - usually fish - and home made frozen meals for work/gym days. I always make extra if anything freezable including mashed potato which is handy to have in.
Katsu curry sauce freezes well and makes an easy meal quickly with chicken breasts
So I cook from scratch about 4-5 days a week but frying or baking fish, pan roasting broccoli and microwaving pre prepared mash is v quick
Currently in freezer are stove top moussaka, chilli, chicken balti, pulled pork, red kidney bean curry, dhal and a goulash type beef casserole.

I do cook lunch and supper from scratch everyday. I like fresh ingredients! Although if I make something quite long and involved (like lamb curry or Bouef bourgignon) I'll double the recipe and freeze half.

I cook from scratch probably 5 days a week. Roast chicken,Bolognese,Curry, lasagne etc. Its usually a takeaway on Friday and Saturday can be anything,pizza, soup,toasties,baked potatoes.

I live alone and have my main meal at lunchtime. When I am at home I cook from scratch every day - I don't know any other way.
Fresh food, freshly prepared.
However, as it is just for me, although some batch cooking goes on, I also do things like home-made gravadlax or ceviche.

I always make double if I am making something like ragu or meatballs with tomato sauce.
I also try to use my leftovers. I made a lasagne last week and have frozen half of it in portions.
The rest of the week we had chicken tacos (made salsa and guacamole as well as taco spice mix), chicken Kiev and jacket potato, sausage mash and veg with a Chinese takeout on Friday.

We usually do one or two meats that will make two.so big pack of chicken thighs will be two nights curry.
Sausages in sausage and bean bake again 2 nights.
Our 3 day mince is a big pack made into 3- spag, chilli,enchiladas
Or if not enough for a lunch.
Don't freeze usually.
Cooking from scratch yes but with tins,jars,pastes etc.
Get a pack of bacon in that's a pasta bake or bacon and eggs for one night sorted.
Always have a jar of dolmio or condensed tomato soup for a quick pasta tea.
Our lasagne this week has been two meals.
A jacket potato is brill.with beans or fillet of fish or something else quick.

Those all in one packs that Aldiand Lidl do now are also fab.
We've had the stir fry.
And the casserole one is Devine.

I probably cook from scratch 3 or 4 days a week. The other days meals are batch-cooked portions from the freezer.
So much can be frozen: bolognaise, curry, chilli, pies, lasagne, casseroles, burgers/meatballs/fishcakes.

The problem with full on batch cooking is that unless you have a big freezer you can end up with a load of portions of only 2 or 3 variations of dinner... because you still need room for other things in the freezer. But even if you just cooked a double portion of everything freezable for the next 10 dinners, that would give you 10 meals in the freezer.

I've got the cooking bug . I'm finding it more economical than my lazy meals.

Did the good food guide spag Bol- best ever ! Did 5 meals. Got 3 in freezer. Doing loads of or Oliver meals - I'm finding it all cheaper , tastier , and freezing loads meaning easy meals some days

I send a portion of whatever I'm doing to my neighbour too....so she does the same !

Every day as we don't have a freezer.

Six days out of seven. Friday is pizza night.

But other days, we eat home cooked. I sometimes wfh and I can prep supper at lunchtime, & put it in the slow cooker. It's ready by 6.30, Or I do things that take no longer than 10 mins to prep, 45 mins to cook.

Baked sweet peppers stuffed with herby sausage meat served with garlic bread.
Most pasta sauces take 5 mins to assemble and 30 mins to simmer
Risotto only takes 40 mins - seafood or chicken & mushroom.
Grilled chops with a glaze - honey & mustard or fruit puree.
Whole trout stuffed with herbs - baked for 20 mins.
Butcher's sausage & mash.
etc

Batch cook & freeze in portions. Frozen seafood is useful because it cooks quickly from frozen. Fish in general is "nature's fast food", cooks in minutes. Cooking thing together helps too, like putting potatoes on to boil, then putting broccoli or cauliflower above in a steamer.

The most useful thing I've done is get into a routine. I take supper out of the freezer while waiting for the kettle to boil for first morning coffee.

All our meals are cooked from scratch. I do at least 4/5 on the weekend and keep in the fridge for the week.

Yesterday I made lentil soup, lasagne, turkey bolognese, Spanish chicken casserole and balsamic pork. I will also make a roast one evening and fish, but they are better freshly cooked so will make these on the days I am working from home and therefore no commute!

I am also making pasta salads and some bbq chicken strips for lunches during the week. I don't really freeze much. Just cook for the week and pop in the fridge.

Thank you everyone, lots of great suggestions 😊

I generally cook from scratch most days (although like a PP, use curry pastes if I'm making curry). But I try to ensure I have a mix of easy quick meals (eg a quick pasta sauce) and those that take a bit more effort (eg paella).

I cook most days but it’s usually something very quick like stir fried veg with noodles or pasta with tomatoes and garlic.

I’ve no idea how from scratch you mean - so far this week I’ve done roast, curry and fish parcels. The only processed thing would have been the curry paste. Tonight it’s sausages, mash and greens. I will use a stock cube for the gravy - I can’t afford boned beef to make stock. This is a normal week for me.