Batch cooking ideas please

mjoyeux

I like to have a decent evening meal most nights and although I fancy myself as a good cook, it's hard to justify cooking something when there is just me eating. I normally end up cooking massive quantities of chilli or bolognese and freezing them, taking one out of the freezer on a morning before work and then eating them when I get home. I run a lot so need something nutritious and healthy.

But now I fancy branching out and having something different in the freezer.

I don't mind cooking up rice, pasta or potatoes on the side or some frozen veg...

But what can be stored as my "main"?

Any ideas would be appreciated...

Pink.

Hi mjoyeux,

Have a look at this recent thread, which contains links to other bulk cooking threads on Old Style, for some inspiration:

Need ideas for tasty bulk cooking

I'll add your post to that one later to keep the suggestions together.

Pink

Stephen_Leak

mjoyeux wrote: »

I like to have a decent evening meal most nights and although I fancy myself as a good cook, it's hard to justify cooking something when there is just me eating. I normally end up cooking massive quantities of chilli or bolognese and freezing them, taking one out of the freezer on a morning before work and then eating them when I get home. I run a lot so need something nutritious and healthy.

But now I fancy branching out and having something different in the freezer.

I don't mind cooking up rice, pasta or potatoes on the side or some frozen veg...

But what can be stored as my "main"?

Any ideas would be appreciated...

Firstly, welcome to the world's first virtual loony-bin.

Idea 1. Do smaller quantities of more different things?

Idea 2. Fancy a curry?

MEAT CURRY

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

375g of beef, chicken breasts or lamb
1 clove of garlic
2cm (1 inch) piece of fresh ginger
2 onions
2 tablespoons of sunflower oil
200g (½ a 400g tin) of plum tomatoes*
1 teaspoon of chilli powder
1 tablespoon of garam masala
½ a teaspoon of ground turmeric
250ml of water

METHOD

Chop the meat into 1cm (½ inch) pieces. Peel the garlic and chop it into tiny pieces. Peel the ginger and chop it into tiny pieces. Peel the onions and chop them into tiny pieces.

Put the oil into a saucepan on a moderate heat. Put the garlic, ginger, meat and onions into the pan. Cook for 20 minutes until the meat is cooked thoroughly. Stir frequently to stop it sticking.

Open the tin of tomatoes. Pour the juice into a bowl. Chop the tomatoes while they are still in the can (it’s easier than chasing them around the bowl). Put the chopped tomatoes into the bowl. Use half and save the other half.

Put the chopped tomatoes into the pan. Continue to cook, stirring as the mixture boils. Add the chilli, garam masala and turmeric, and stir. Add the water. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat until it is just boiling (simmering). Put the lid on the saucepan and cook for 30 minutes.

ADDITIONS & ALTERATIONS

The quantity of chilli powder above makes for a medium curry. For a hot one, increase this to 1½ teaspoons.

For a mild one, add 100ml (½ a 200ml pot) of yoghurt 5 to 10 minutes before the end of cooking. For a mild Chicken Korma, also add a 50g sachet of creamed coconut. Add ½ a teaspoon of mint sauce to the leftover yoghurt to make some mint raita.

* Plum tomatoes can be used either whole or chopped. It is difficult to stick chopped tomatoes back together again if you need to use them whole.

mjoyeux

Thanks guys, some fantastic ideas on here!

Mrs_Bones

hello

I'v never done Batch cooking but I now find i'm always wasting food, use to cooking for a large family and now it's just me and dad I really need to cut down, I'v tried cutting recipies in half but somehow they don't come out the same and just doing simple things like veg, i know there is only 2 now but I still always do to many potatoes, my portion control has gone out the window as my waistline is now telling me :rotfl:
The other problem I'v got is because of ill health I don't always feel up to cooking or even sometimes eating so I'm getting ready meals for dad which cost more and just basically arn't as good. With food going up in general I'm just looking for ways to help me save and still have decent food.

I've decied to get some of the foil containers next time I get to wilkos then when I do a lassagne or sheppards pie I can do one for a meal and one to freeze. Am I right in thinking that I'd just cook the one i'm going to freeze upto the point where it would go in the oven before i freeze it?

Can anyone else suggest what I could cook to batch freeze and also avoid ready meals, dad's kind of old fashioned where meals are concerned. He likes Mr Brain's faggots is there something like that I could cook? and other idea's for stews etc. I read on another thread that you can freeze cooked slices of gammon joints so i'm going to have a go at that too instead of buying so much from the deli counter, would this work also for other cooked meats?

I was always brought up to cook and I enjoy it but I'm not at all sure what I can freeze and then reheat up, it really worries me, I don't want to posion anyone it worries me because I'm sure I was once told that your not suppose to reheat meat pies, so is it allright to cook meat freeze and then recook as such in the oven? I'm very confused, can someone help.


thanks for reading

Beki

Hiya

I batch cook a lot, and with the lasagnes i cook them in the oven BEFORE i freeze them. Then say i want to eat one on the wednesday... on the tuesday night i'd get it out of the freezer and stick it in the fridge to defrost overnight. The next day you just bung it in the oven to heat back through

You can freeze slices of cooked meat no problem! In fact you can freeze just about anything! Juts with most things, make sure you've defrosted well before heating back through thoroughly. You won't go far wrong that way xxxx

redruby

Hi Mrs Bones,

I quite often batch cook things, whenever I am making lasagne, I make one for that evening, and one for the freezer, I make them up to the point of putting into the oven, let them cool and then freeze one and cook one. I also do this with cottage/ shepherds pie, always make two and freeze one, I always freeze with the mash on already, some people don't like doing this, but it works for me.

I don't know if your dad would eat chilli, but same again, make enough for two meals (or more) and freeze the extra, spag bol too, just the topping mind, not the spaghetti.

As for pies, I make a nice steak and ale pie, (cheap stewing steak), cook the meat in the sc, enough for 2 - 3 pies, put it into dishes, top one with pastry for that night, then put the others in the freezer, you just need to take it out and top with pastry when you want to eat it.

Casseroles, I make a huge chicken casserole, and freeze the rest into potrions, any uneaten meat from the sunday roast gets frozen and turned into currys etc.

My dd loves pasta bake, so I often make up a huge one of these and freeze into individual portions, she takes one to school each day.

I am not sure about faggots (I don't like them) but you could make up meatballs and burgers to freeze. Also any left over veg can be frozen to reuse another day, my friend always plates up two extra roast dinners on a sunday so that when she is in a rush during the week, she can still give her kids a good meal.

When you are having a good day health wise, you could spend the day cooking and freezing, then when you are not so good you just have to take it out of the freezer and cook. There is nothing better than coming home from work to a home made ready meal .

Hope this has helped a bit, I am sure other suggestions will follow x

WartimeScrapingofMarmite

Fish pie freezes well and any sort of "bake" - I made parsnip and parmesan bake last November and froze it ready for Christmas Day and will do the same this year as it worked really well!

Mrs_Bones

Thanks Beki and redruby for the replies

I like chilli etc but dad won't eat it, so I've not had any myself for ages, may do like you suggested and on a good day make a batch up and keep a bit out for myselve then freeze the rest in portions for me when I'm on my own. I'v only just got him to have lassagne so most things like pasta is out too, not sure about spag bol. might give that a try. I don't like faggots either but if I could find a recipe i'd do some for him.

Roast I enjoy doing and don't get any waste from because we have have hot one day, cold next with chips then finish bits off in sandwiches and dog helps out too

redruby could I ask for your recipe for steak and ale pie, dad would like that and I have a SC but don't use it as much as I should, would they be alright to freeze with the pastry on?

Penelope_Penguin

Hi there :beer: I've had to delete the above post as it's copied directly from another website

MSE_Martin wrote:

Take care over copyright. Use excerpts and links rather than copying long text. This site asserts copyright on all comments posted on the board.

Fagot recipe here

I think there's a previous thread on batch cooking, so I'll merge this one with it, to keep all ideas together.

Penny. x