How to Cook in Batches Without Spending All Day in the Kitchen

Cooking in batches can be a great way to eat well while having all your favorite meals ready, even if you have a busy schedule. However, the actual phase where you have to cook all the meals can be pretty time-consuming.

When I was starting out, batch cooking would keep me in the kitchen all weekend. I’d be absolutely exhausted by the time I turned in for bed at night.

The secret is that you can cook in batches while still having time to rest and recuperate. You just have to be smart about meal prepping.

Saving Time While Meal Prepping

From being mindful of your batch-cooking recipes to multitasking while meal-prepping, here are my key strategies to save time in the kitchen.

1. Choose Meals Meant for Batch Cooking

One key to doing batch cooking really well is figuring out which foods actually work best for it. Here are some things to consider.

Food With the Same Ingredients

Soups are among my favorite things to batch-cook. I can cut up the same mushrooms, cabbage, carrots and other vegetables and use them in several recipes. I can make the same meatballs.

Then, all I have to do is make a variety of soup bases, so I have different flavors on hand.

Wraps are also pretty good, since you can switch the main flavors of the filling based on the seasoning.

I also like swapping out different proteins: half of my quesadillas contain chicken, while the other half have ground beef.

Food That Freezes Well

With batch cooking, you’re essentially meal prepping for a long time. Avoid spoilage by choosing fridge- and freezer-friendly recipes. Some foods, like rice, can last a long time in the freezer. Meanwhile, it’s not advisable to freeze eggs in shells, canned food and the like since it can change the food’s overall quality.

Recipe Idea – Freezer-Friendly Chicken and Rice Bake

For approximately eight servings, use:

• 2 pounds of cooked chicken
• 4 cups of cooked rice
• 3 cups of mixed vegetables
• 2 cups of stock
• 1 cup of grated cheese
• Garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper

Mix everything in a large baking dish and bake at 375°F for about 25 minutes. Allow it to cool before dividing it into freezer-safe containers.

Add a short note explaining that the meal should be cooled promptly, labeled with the date, and frozen in individual portions.

It would strengthen the educational value of the freezing section.

Food You Actually Like

Look, no one would really want to cook a large batch of food that you or your loved ones are not keen on eating.

If you’re brainstorming what to make, prioritize the meals you’ll actually want to eat. The more enthusiastic you are, the easier it will be to breeze through the cooking process.

Recipe Idea – Three-Way Vegetable Soup Base

Prepare a large base with:

• 2 onions
• 4 carrots
• 3 celery stalks
• 4 garlic cloves
• 8 cups of stock
• Salt and pepper

Divide the cooked base into three pots, then finish each one differently:

• Add tomatoes, beans, and Italian herbs for minestrone.
• Add coconut milk, curry powder, and chickpeas for curry soup.
• Add meatballs, cabbage, and noodles for a hearty meatball soup.

This would make the ingredient-sharing advice concrete and show readers how one preparation session can create several distinct meals.

2. Have Your Batch Cooking Recipes Ready Right Away

Make sure that you have your recipes printed out or at least saved on your mobile device. Part of what eats up the meal prepping process is having to visit multiple recipe pages and feeling confused about which is better.

Review them beforehand to finalize things.

Remember to adjust the recipe according to your needs.

For instance, a batch of chili may provide six servings, but you might be aiming to make enough for the whole week for a family of four. In that case, it’s best to triple or even quadruple the portions to get you by.

3. Get Your Biggest Equipment

A chef is only as good as their tools. When you’re batch cooking, certain items can make a difference. Here’s what you need in your kitchen.

Large Cooking Pans and Pots

I have tried cooking a week’s worth of soup in a medium-sized pot. I ended up having to use two to three pots to hold everything I whipped up.

It was hard not to feel absolutely stressed in the thick of it. If you want to save your time, energy and counter space, invest in a large cooking pan or pot. Your future self will thank you.

Measuring Spoons

One scary thing about portion cooking is inconsistent quality. For example, one container of marinated pork ribs might taste different than another.

To prevent this, make sure you have proper measuring spoons. Using the same measurements for each portion, rather than eyeballing, yields equally flavorful dishes.

Same-Sized Containers

Part of why batch cooking can take so long is that it can be difficult to separate the final dish and ensure equal portions of each.

Same-sized containers can make portioning dishes much easier. Plus, they can be much more satisfying to organize in your fridge. Just make sure you’re using freezer-friendly cartons.

4. Be Systematic With Your Cooking

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Sarah Butler (@sarahbutlerathomeofficial)

Cooking gets easier and faster when you find a system that works for you. It can take some trial and error, but you can simplify the process.

For example, I cook with lots of garlic. It goes into almost every dish I love making, so chucking several bulbs into a food processor works for me.

Using two burners is ideal when you’re making two dishes at once. You can also cook one item on the stove while a tray bakes in the oven.

5. Clean As You Go

Simultaneous cooking isn’t the only way you can multitask. Cleaning while your food simmers or bakes lets you rest sooner rather than later.

Plus, it can also give you quite the workout. Fun fact, 30 minutes of washing dishes with moderate intensity can burn 300 calories if you weigh 200 pounds.

Remember to Give Yourself Grace

I remember when I started batch cooking and how frustrated I would be with both the process and results, so I just want to tell you to cut yourself some slack.

You are going to great lengths to eat and stay healthy, and you are trying your best to save time. That’s doing more than others.

Also, there are times when you can skip batch cooking. For instance, order in when you feel a little too exhausted to meal prep on the weekends.

You should also treat yourself to quality restaurant meals while on vacation to save time on kitchen work and stress.

Enjoying Your Batch-Cooked Meals

When you’ve successfully batch-cooked meals, make sure you reheat them properly so they taste fresh.

Microwave cooking can help retain heat-sensitive nutrients while efficiently warming your food. However, some meals with liquids may heat up better on the stove.

As a general rule, remember to defrost meals in the fridge overnight. It can be convenient to cook them from frozen, but defrosting starts the thawing process and makes heating much easier.

Have a Balanced Lifestyle

Batch cooking is not for the weak of heart. However, it can be incredibly rewarding once you finally nail the process.

Test out my tried-and-true methods and let me know how much time you’ve saved while meal prepping!