ike the Robin to your Batman or the Pinkman to your Heisenberg, batch cooking needs to become your sidekick.

What is batch cooking?

Batch cooking is cooking extra portions alongside the meal you’re eating. I know what you’re thinking. How is this any different to meal prepping?

The difference is that batch cooking is pretty laid back. If you’re making a casserole one evening, you might double the ingredients and freeze half, which you then might defrost and eat a few weeks down the line. Or make double the Bolognese pasta sauce and freeze a portion so you’ve got a dinner ready to save you next time you’re tempted by a takeaway because you don’t feel like cooking. Batch cooking is not as regimented as meal prep, but it can still have great results for your weight loss.

Learning how to batch cook will dramatically streamline your meal preparation times and stop you from wandering down the road to the chippy, controlled by your belly’s darkest desires. It’s all about putting a little bit of extra effort in to reap big gains, and Future You will thank you.

How do I do it?

The concept is simple. Cook whatever you had intended to cook but make a bigger batch. Dishes that work well include casseroles, stews, Bolognese and chilli’s – especially if you bulk them out with veg.

The freezer is your friend

Don’t put the work in just to let it go to waste. Your freezer is your friend and will make the whole process even easier. Dish up dinner, box it up and you’re (almost) ready to go. There are a few rules you’ve got to follow to ensure you avoid any kind of kitchen mishaps or worse, food poisoning.

  1. Freeze individual portions as it’ll save time defrosting and stop you overeating.
  2. Make sure you cool your food down before it goes in the freezer. Batches of hot food will screw with your freezer’s temperature. Don’t leave the food out to cool for too long, as this will give bacteria the opportunity to grow.
  3. If you’re using frozen ingredients, do not refreeze it if it’s raw. Freezing food slows down bacteria growth but does not kill it. Defrosting will allow bacteria to grow and then you’d be freezing the nasties, ready for attack next time. Remember though, it’s perfectly fine to defrost, cook and then refreeze, so if you’re cooking with frozen veg, you don’t need to worry as long as it’s been cooked.
  4. Use proper freezer bags/tubs to avoid freezer burn. Yuck.
  5. Make sure there’s room in your freezer as bags/tubs expand and you don’t want anything to blow up.
  6. For smaller foods like berries or banana slices you’re better off if you ‘open-freeze’ them first. Stick them on a lined baking tray until they’re frozen solid and then throw them into a freezer bag so they don’t freeze into an almighty lump.

The ‘do not freeze’ list

You’d be surprised at the things you can freeze and most already complete meals will freeze very well if they’re mixed up in sauces.

Remember that freezing and thawing food will reduce the quality of it and as such there are some foods that probably shouldn’t pop in the freezer alone:

  • Fruit and vegetables with a high-water content such as citrus fruits, watermelon and salad greens. These won’t hold up unless you want a tasteless slush when they’ve defrosted.
  • Herbs without any form of preservatives like oil or butter.
  • Starchy carbs like rice and pasta, but bread is pretty good if you plan to toast it. If you’re making something you want to serve with rice, pasta or spaghetti, just freeze the sauce and cook the pasta or rice on the day.
  • Dairy, including eggs and especially soft cheese.

Don’t leave your leftovers behind

Batch-cooking can also work on a slightly smaller scale. You’ve cooked a 4-portion meal for 2, that means you can go back for seconds, right? Wrong. What you have is your lunch for tomorrow. When you’re serving dinner up, grab a couple of Tupperware boxes and split it straight into 4 servings, ready to be cooled and put into the fridge. Work smarter, not harder.

Go forth and unleash the power of batch-cooking. Minimum effort, maximum gain. As we said, Future You will be pleased… treat him right!