Once a month cooking

missychrissy

I can understand why you are considering cooking in bulk once a month. However, the first meal is always the best. Although I have no problem defrosting and reheating food I don't think it ever tastes as good as the first fresh cooking. If you cook in bulk once a month then you will miss out on the best meal of each batch. In particular I find anything with potato is much better the first time around.

I cook more than I need on most occasions, especially when using the slow cooker, or a roast, then freeze one person sized portions. I don't like meal planning because it does not allow me to take advantage of bargains and I like to be free on any day to choose what I fancy rather than something I have pre-planned.

rosekitten

I often try to do larger amounts if I can
one time I was in Tesco and they had
a big sack of potatoes reduced.The contents
seemed perfect so we had jacket spuds for
a few nights,peeled and boiled the rest in
a big pan picked off so may while boiling
froze them on a tray.Once frozen bagged
them up and used them for roast potatoes.
The rest boiled and mashed and put in
those plastic containers with lids from the £
shop,10 for £1 and froze them.,adding butter
and milk when I came to use them or to top
sheperds pies.

purpleivy

rosekitten wrote: »

I often try to do larger amounts if I can
one time I was in Tesco and they had
a big sack of potatoes reduced.The contents
seemed perfect so we had jacket spuds for
a few nights,peeled and boiled the rest in
a big pan picked off so may while boiling
froze them on a tray.Once frozen bagged
them up and used them for roast potatoes.
The rest boiled and mashed and put in
those plastic containers with lids from the £
shop,10 for £1 and froze them.,adding butter
and milk when I came to use them or to top
sheperds pies.

It's all very well getting big bags of stuff for saving money, but if you have to buy foil trays, doesn't this mess up the money saving. Apart from not being very environmentally friendly.(Not that I'm very big into that, but I am aware of what rubbish goes into my bin and sort to the best of my abillity)

Some of my cheapo pulse meals probably don't cost much more than the cost of a tray, hence would be effectively doubling the cost of the meal.

mumoftwo

purpleivy wrote: »

It's all very well getting big bags of stuff for saving money, but if you have to buy foil trays, doesn't this mess up the money saving. Apart from not being very environmentally friendly.(Not that I'm very big into that, but I am aware of what rubbish goes into my bin and sort to the best of my abillity)

Some of my cheapo pulse meals probably don't cost much more than the cost of a tray, hence would be effectively doubling the cost of the meal.

or you can recycle empty margarine tubs, they stack nicely, and the plastic tubs from the £ shop you can use again, or tupperware style tubs, or lock and lock. You don't have to throw them out after one use.

ubamother

If you use the foil trays because they go straight in the oven, which can be useful, you can freeze a meal in one, then pop it out and into a freezer bag. When ready to defrost or cook, pop back in a foil tray. That way you don't need as many as they're not held up in the freezer

tryingtoruletheworld

I use the pyrex dishes with plastic lids. They stack in the freezer, take the lid off and go straight in the oven, then after dinner it can go in the dishwasher! They are fantastic for ease of use, and I prefer not to buy disposable trays etc. I also recycle margarine tubs for soups and things that will be re-heated in a pan rather than the oven.

LittleBrownFrog

Does anyone here do a big cooking day once a month? At the moment I make double or triple portions of various meals & freeze. I'm thinking of taking it to another level next year & having a huge cooking day to prep & freeze all the main meals for the month.
I bought a book 'frozen assets' & am going to look at one of the menus in there to get me started. just wondered if anyone else does this & has some good money saving tactics. i'm thinking that one big shop is bound to be cheaper than four smaller shops.

Hardup_Hester

Hi LBF
I used to do this regularly but it was hard work as I was cooking for 6 of us, now there is only 2 of us I tend to do things like cooking 5 kilo's of mince & freezing it in batches, or a couple of huge chickens & make a batch of pies etc.
I buy my veg & meat locally & shop at a supermarket 4 or 6 times a year for tins & dry goods.
Hugs Hester

Pink.

Hi LittleBrownFrog,

There's an earlier thread with lots of advice on once a month cooking that may help so I've added your thread to it to keep the suggestions together.

These threads may help too:

Cooking for the Freezer..

Batch cooking ideas please

Pink

HoneyBee83

Im not extreme now-a-days but i do like to keep my freezer well stocked.There are two of us,myself and DD so theres a lot leftover.

*Lasagne/cottage pie: My oven dishes will hold enough for 6 so i freeze 4 portions of each. I make both and cook together to save wasting energy while heating a big oven for one dish...only if i plan to have one for that evenings meal!
I do the mince in my slow cooker. Meat,onions,garlic,tinned toms and mushrooms plus lentils to bulk up. I take out 4 portions for bolo (line cereal bowl with freezer bag,pop in required amount,allow to cool,seal and freeze-do this to measure soup too) i then add extra veggies,say carrots and peas cook and make up my lasagne/cottage pie.
* If i make mash and have leftovers i freeze and keep adding to the box until i have enough to top a cottage pie.
*I make up huge batches of curry when its on my menu plan and again freeze the leftovers.
Do this with pretty much everything!

I find this much easier not to mention stress-free and it means theres always something in the freezer!!