How do I cook once and eat twice?
Batch cooking components rather than whole meals, so the second meal is not the same dinner again.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 1 hr
- Read
- 2 min
Short answer
Cook a base — a pot of tomato sauce, a tray of roasted vegetables, a batch of shredded chicken — rather than a finished meal. It becomes something different the second time, which is why people actually eat it.
The failure mode of batch cooking is eating the same thing four nights running. Cooking versatile components rather than complete dishes solves that: the same base becomes a pasta sauce one night and a soup the next.
What you'll need
- Large pan or roasting tray
- Containers
- Freezer space (optional)
Step by step
- Choose a base that goes several ways.Tomato sauce, roasted vegetables, cooked pulses, shredded meat, or a batch of rice or grains. Versatility is the selection criterion.
- Cook double or triple while you are already cooking.The effort of a large pot is barely more than a small one. This is where the time saving actually comes from.
- Season the base lightly.Keep it neutral so it can become Italian one night and Middle Eastern the next. Heavy seasoning locks it into one dish.
- Cool it quickly before storing.Spread it out, or stand the pan in cold water. Refrigerate within two hours, and within an hour for rice.
- Store in portions, not one large container.It cools faster, thaws faster, and you take out what you need instead of reheating everything.
- Plan the second use when you cook, not later.Tomato sauce becomes a pasta bake or a shakshuka. Deciding in advance is what stops it sitting in the fridge.
- Change the accompaniment rather than the base.The same chilli over rice, in a wrap, or on a baked potato reads as three different meals.
- Label everything with contents and date.Especially in the freezer. Unlabelled containers become a mystery within a fortnight and then get thrown out.
Tips
- Roast a large tray of mixed vegetables once a week. They go into salads, pasta, soups, wraps and frittatas with no further cooking.
- Cooked pulses freeze extremely well and are far cheaper than tins. Cook a large batch and freeze it in portions.
- Freeze flat in bags. It stacks better and thaws in a fraction of the time a block takes.
Common mistakes
- Batch cooking finished meals — Four identical dinners in a row is why most batch cooking is abandoned. Cook components instead.
- Heavily seasoning the base — It commits the batch to one cuisine. A neutral base can go in any direction.
- Cooling large quantities slowly — A big pot of hot food sits in the bacterial growth range for hours. Portion it out to cool it fast.
Questions people ask
What is the best thing to batch cook?
Versatile bases rather than finished meals: tomato sauce, roasted vegetables, cooked pulses, shredded chicken, grains. Each can become several different dishes.
How do I stop batch cooking being boring?
Cook components rather than complete meals, keep the seasoning neutral, and change the accompaniment. The same chilli over rice, in a wrap and on a potato feels like three meals.