With snowy weather on the way, you may already have the beginnings of a resiliency plan to beat the winter blues. Cooking is a great way to distract yourself from sunlight’s diminishing returns, learn something new, and try new flavors. If you don’t always have the energy or funds to try new recipes, trying a new cooking style could satiate your needs in more ways than one. Here are a few introductory tips if you want to explore batch cooking.
Realize Batch Cooking’s Many Benefits
To make the most of batch cooking, it helps to understand its advantages. For one, buying ingredients in bulk reduces your food costs over time. Batch cooking is also an easy way to eat healthy meals, especially if you don’t always have the time or energy to cook nutritious recipes. Another significant fact about the cooking method is you save time in the kitchen. Rather than several cooking sessions, you spend one day cooking all your meals for the week.
Start Your Cooking Session With a Plan
See what ingredients you already have that would go great with large meals. Then, explore batch cooking recipes with ingredients you already have. The Supercook app can give you some ideas for recipes according to the items you have and your dietary preferences. You can use the resource as a starting point for batch cooking meals and your weekly grocery list. Don’t forget to make space in your freezer before you throw down in the kitchen.
Get the Right Equipment
Thankfully, you don’t need special equipment for batch cooking. However, you will need large pans, freezer-friendly storage containers, a cutting board, a sharp knife, and food labels. You could also use a stockpot and slow cooker. Review the recipe before you start cooking, so you know you have the right equipment and a large enough pan.
Prepare Your Ingredients First
Once you’ve got your recipe, cut, measure, and weigh all your ingredients first. This saves you a lot of time and keeps things moving in the kitchen. You’re also less likely to get distracted and have too many things going on at once if you prioritize preparing your ingredients before anything else.
Clean as You Go
Another reason to prepare your ingredients first is so that you have an easier time cleaning as you go. Because you’re cooking a large amount of food, you could have a lot of dishes to scrub when you’re done. Cleaning bit-by-bit cuts down on the task, especially if you want to cook several recipes in one day.
Let Your Food Cool Before You Freeze It
After finishing a batch of meals, let everything cool before storing containers in the freezer. You don’t want to risk hot food raising the temperature inside the freezer, which could ruin frozen foods. Double-check whether you can freeze all the ingredients you used in a recipe. While you wait for everything to cook, you can create labels for your meals. Note the date, number of portions, and recipe.
Cook Your Sides Fresh
Usually, you’ll batch cook main entrees and save the carbs for later. If you want a side like pasta or rice, it’s better to cook it fresh. Aim for quick and healthy sides, so you don’t spend too much more time cooking.
Organize Your Freezer
While batch cooking saves you time, it also takes up space in your freezer. To avoid wasting money and food, create a system that ensures you enjoy all your hard work. One vital reason to use labels is so you know how old meals are. Rotate older meals to the front, and keep newer ones in the back.
Batch cooking can be a great habit to develop in the colder months. Happy cooking!
