What do you think of cooking in bulk? Does it excite you? Here in this article, we will discuss batch cooking. Cooking in large amounts has its benefits if you are running short of time. You can store the food for many days and eat it later. You have healthy meals ready with yourself whenever you need them. But there are some points you need to keep in mind when preparing meals in bulk which can save you from making mistakes and ease your process.

Do’s of Batch Cooking

Below given are some points which will help you in your batch cooking.

• Use an airtight container: Keep the food in the airtight container and freeze it or refrigerate it until you need them. This will prevent air spoiling the food and keep it safe for a long duration

• Prepare healthy meals: To make sure that your meals are healthy, try to choose food from all major food types carbohydrates, proteins, whole grains, dairy, vegetables, and fruits.

• Clean the utensils properly: Deep clean the utensils and other kitchen items as you will not be washing them daily. Also, keep the clean surfaces, and tops thoroughly to avoid any kind of stains.

• Prepare your ingredients: Before starting cooking, make the proper list of the ingredients you need and then buy them early as it will save you time in meal prep.

• Check required equipment: Check that for batch cooking you have basic equipment like large pans, sharp knife and cutting board, storage containers and label to keep track of your food.

• Keep your freezer organized: After meal prep, cool them completely before freezing as it prevents the food to get separated. Also to keep your meal organized make the proper space in your freezer. Keep the new portions at the back, and the old ones in the front.

Don’ts Of Batch Cooking

“Batch cooking can be a great time saver but there are some points you must avoid while meal preparing,” says Ankita Yadav, junior content writer at F and B Recipes. These tips can prevent you from making mistakes as well as save your efforts. 

• Choose the right foods: Avoid foods that may lose quality when reheated as they cannot stay for a long duration. For instance, salad greens and vegetables with high water content, milk-based sauces, fried foods, and cream-based products. Try not to include them in your meals.

• Avoid unhealthy foods: Consider foods that have healthy fats and sugars to maintain good health. You can add a little amount of sodium to the diet but not more than that. Choose natural sugar over added sugars.

• Don’t overcomplicate plans: Try to choose simple recipes and use non-recipe dishes to store them. It helps you to find meals easily and prevent wasting foods

• Avoiding the temperature: After taking out your meal from the freezer don’t just serve it directly to your dish, it may harm you. Try to reheat first then eat it

• Avoid chopping immediately:  Try to chop all the veggies ahead of time and store them in the fridge. You can also use your free time to do it or whenever you are watching television as it will help in faster meal prep.

In Conclusion

Batch cooking is a good idea to save your time as well as money as you will be buying the ingredients in bulk. Just keeping some points in mind you can prepare food for a long time and store it. It will ease your life, saves your time for other work and you can have more time to relax. 

After coming back from your work, you do not need to worry about preparing a meal just take out your food from the freezer, reheat it and eat. It is important to plan and think well before preparing so that you know for how long and how much you need to cook. Investing in some smart kitchen utensils can also help you to store the food properly.

What are some creative ways you use for batch cooking? Does it make your life easy? Tell us in the comments section below!