There should be a term for that feeling you get when you need a dinner idea. After a long day, when both energy and ingredients are scarce, take-out can seem like the only solution.
This dinner-time deja-vu can benefit from batch cooking.
Defined as the practice of cooking large amounts of a type of food at one time, and keeping some to eat at later meals, batch cooking can help save money, stress and dinner.
Batch cooking, like meal prepping, can help folks eat the nourishing foods they enjoy and prevent unplanned take-out meals. The investment of time and planning is worth it when batch cooking saves money and reduces the stress of last minute meal planning.
Pulling frozen vegetable soup from the freezer and serving it with a comforting grilled cheese can be a quick meal that includes some easy to enjoy nutrition.
Soups and stews are common recipes for batch cooking. Boosting nutrition in these recipes can be easy with the addition of extra vegetables or canned beans and lentils.
Baking homemade banana bread or cookies and stashing it in the freezer can be a welcome discovery on a Friday morning when the groceries are getting low.
Does the thought of making all your food from scratch on your precious day off leave you feeling tired already? Many people use some great ideas for using convenience foods in their batch cooking. Consider buying rotisserie chicken (often on sale at the end of the day) and putting it into a plastic storage bag.
Massage the bag of chicken and the bones can be easily removed leaving you with a delicious bag of tender, well-flavoured and cooked chicken that you can store in your fridge or freezer for use.
Need more simplicity? Try batch cooking a food that you can use multiple ways.
Making your favourite pasta sauce means you can enjoy pasta and sauce any time. It also means you can adapt that sauce by adding some beans and warm spices to turn it into chili or top it with corn and mashed potatoes for a shepherd’s pie.
There are a few tips that will make your batch cooking successful.
Firstly, if your batch cooking is going to be stored in the freezer, make sure you’ve got some room in your freezer. Think ahead to what storage containers you plan to use and make sure you have them on hand. Many folks make good use of clean take-out containers or canning jars for their food storage.
Another option is freeze your prepared food in single servings. Silicone muffin or bread pans are one way to prepare frozen soups and stews. Once frozen, add the frozen meals into a freezer bag and pull it out when you need it.
Another helpful hint, especially if you’re making multiple dishes, is to clean as you go. As the soup simmers you can tidy up in preparation for making the oatmeal cookies. After all, the family members who smell the cookies may be willing to clean up the baking dishes.
Community or collective kitchens are a fun way to do batch cooking with your friends. Cooking with other people is a great way to socialize. Cooking together once a month can also cut down on food costs by allowing you to shop in bulk. You can cook together in each other’s kitchens or share the cost of renting out a commercial kitchen in a local church or at Guelph’s own 10C. You can make enough food to take home several meals and even have dinner together on your cook day.
One local company puts their batch cooking to good use for many people. Delicious Direct prepares a variety of heat-and-eat meals for seniors. Each week, the chef and owner Dan Baker, makes and donates prepared meals and soups to Hope House for their Seniors’ Community Food Markets.
Try batching cooking for yourself and thank yourself later!
