‘Can I batch cook this recipe?’ is a question I get asked many times.
The answer is more straightforward than you might expect. It is always YES.

Batch cooking is very simply one of two things – cooking multiple dishes at one go so you do not need to cook everyday, or making multiple portions of the same recipe.

The latter is more time effective, because you simply make more of what you’ve already planned to make. While cooking multiple dishes at once also gives good results, it is more exhausting to plan for and implement.

Let’s talk about batch cooking one single recipe.

Maybe you’re making triple portion lasagne. One portion is to be eaten on the same day, however the other two portions you’d like to save for other days.

So the real question you need to ask yourself rather than ‘Can I batch cook this recipe’ is – ‘Can this be frozen’? If not, can it be refrigerated and consumed on another day? And, how can I make it more interesting so we are not eating the same meal in a few days?

Let me walk you through a couple of examples

Chicken caesar salad

Salad should not be frozen, as it will end up a soggy mess, but you do have other options. You can either freeze the cooked chicken breast as well as the dressing, or you can make extra salad and use it for two days worth of lunches. If you want to change it up a little bit you can serve it inside wraps or pitta bread.

Chilli con carne

This is freezer friendly, just make sure to make fresh rice to go with it. Another great alternative is to pop it in the fridge, and stuff bell peppers with it for next day’s dinner. Top it with some cheese, and bake until the peppers cook. Yum!

Baked macaroni

Baked pastas make for wicked freezer meals!

Soup

All soups can be frozen, however watch out for the dairy. If there’s cream in the recipe, omit it, and then add it on the day you will eat the soup by adding it when reheating it. Bonus: this also saves you some space 🙂

Beef & veggie (or veggie!) stir fry

Yes, you can definitely freeze this. Undercook the veggies ever so slightly, as freezing will soften them further. You can also store this dish in the fridge and serve with tacos and salad for next day’s lunch or dinner.

Omelettes

Any kind of omelette is perfect for freezing. Omelettes can also be kept in the fridge and used as bread or wrap filling.

Fried chicken

Any fried food does not do well in the freezer. It’s okay in the fridge, but freezing and then defrosting will turn it into a mushy mess.

Marinated ribs

Technically, you can freeze marinated ribs, but it is far simpler to freeze the marinade. While you can totally refrigerate and eat marinated ribs twice in a few days, I don’t feel it’s the ideal, since this dish is not versatile in the least.

Cooked fish

Fish is one of the few no-no’s when it comes to freezing. It cooks so quickly that freezing, defrosting and reheating it will cause it to change taste, texture and colour. Personally, I would never plan to batch cook fish, unless I’m using an extra portion the next day for other recipes such as: a delectable fish spread, to add to soups or curries (at the very end of the cooking process), make it into pie or fish cakes, or eat it cold with a salad.

In short, everything can be batch cooked and almost anything can be frozen.

I do hope that this blog post gives you a little more insight into batch cooking, and will inspire you to try it out for yourself!

On Wednesday, I’ll tell you the story of how Neil and I discovered batch cooking and freezing, and how you can learn what we did: how to make two weeks worth of lunches in under an hour.
Join me on the Mama Manual Facebook page at 4:30pm Malta time. GMT +2. I’m looking forward to it! 🙂

Love,

Nakita xxx