Batch Cooking

Goldenbast

This is known by various names such as Freezer Cooking, Once A Month Cooking and Assembly Line Cooking. The basic principle of this is that you buy up everything you need for several days to a whole months worth of cooking and put it all together at once, thereby freeing you up for those days of simple meal prep.

There are actually a few different types of batch cooking depending on what it is for:

Freezer Cooking: This is meals you freeze such as casseroles or TV Dinners. This also includes other freezable items such as chopping and freezing vegetables, fruit and snacks (think mozzarella sticks).

Canning: This is another system in and of itself with huge savings potential. It’s like grandma used to do: jar up various veggies, jams, jellies, sauces and store.

Dry Mixes: This is putting together homemade dry blends such as spice blends like taco seasoning, baking mixes like pancake mix, and dry soup base like homemade onion soup mix.

Staples From Scratch: This is like freezer cooking except instead of making the whole meal, you make the staples and then freeze them such as stocks and broths, browned hamburger meat, cooked beans, etc.

All these have the potential to save you huge amounts of cash and while some can be time consuming, in the long run it works out because it allows you some ‘free’ nights where all you have to do is pull something out of the freezer and pop it into the oven, or pull out homemade staples and throw them together for a meal in a snap. You can be ambitious and do a whole month worth of meals, or you can do a week worth of meals, it is all up to you.

*Essentials to Have On Hand*

Freezer Bags or ‘Tupperware’: Both freezer and storage bags in various sizes, or you can get ‘Tupperware’ I call it this even though not one of my storage containers are actually Tupperware brand…Ziploc, Gladeware, store brand, whatever. There are so many different sizes and the containers have the added benefit of being reusable.

Markers: You need to label your stuff and Sharpies work great for this.

Masking Tape: If you use storage containers or reuse other containers then masking tape is a must so that you can properly label your food.

Foil: various uses.

Plastic Wrap: various uses.

Wax Paper: various uses.

*The Method*

Part 1 – Plan

First you have to plan out what you will be doing. Plan out your meals and make a master ingredient list. This goes hand in hand with sale shopping and bulk shopping. For beginners it is a good idea to make a ‘Prep Plan’ that is you list what all needs to be peeled and chopped, what needs to be cooked, and whatever else require preparation. This gives you a working plan to follow.

Part 2 – Preparation

Now you refer to your plan and start to peel, chop, and shred the veggies.

Cook the meats

Part 3 – Assembly and Storage

Now just put everything together and into freezer bags or storage containers, press out as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn and store away in the freezer.

---->This is a very simplified explanation. I will list some link in the links section to some good sites on these methods.

Start at: Once a Month Mom. This site may be a little daunting at first, so check out the 5 day mini menus...but these give you a good look at how to do these and soon you can create your own. http://onceamonthmom.com/

wait_loss

Thanks for the tips, I also try and prep stuff ahead of time when I get infrom shopping. I often buy produce on the reduced section, I bring it home slice it up and broil it then pack it up into usable portions. Ie peppers zuchini and eggplant are great broiled or bbqed I put into plastic containers for adding to sandwiches, or for a quick side that I just need to heat through. lot cheeper than buying jars of Prepared peppers and with the addition of some Italian seasoning. It is just the best.

Elliehmltn

I used to do once-a-month cooking when we were raising 3 teens and also feeding a lot of their friends who dropped by. Once I had the monthly meals cooking, pots and pans everywhere, house smelled like a restaurant, when our daughter and several of her high school friends breezed in after school. I said, "Hey, you're just in time! I've got tons of food!" They were practically drooling. I said, "There are no clean dishes, though... wash some up and then you're welcome to help yourselves to whatever's here." They went into a huddle to discuss this, then announced, "Guess we'll just go to McDonald's!" LOL!

Now our kids are grown and gone and my husband and I sold the house to our son and moved into an RV. It's a 28-foot camper trailer, not a big motor home. Little half-size fridge. No space in the freezer for batch-cooked meals -- my husband likes his Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches and frozen taquitos and such, which take up a lot of room (even taken out of the boxes.) I've thought of canning, but likewise I don't have much room to store jars.

So I only cook what can be eaten in 5 days or so. My own tastes have become simple, since, having retired early (maybe too early) our budget is quite tight. Things I buy in bulk are oatmeal, beans, rice, and.... well, oatmeal, beans and rice. Luckily the garden is coming in now (church across the road plowed up their side yard into garden plots, available for a free-will donation) and I have lots of greens; tomatoes and squash will be coming shortly. Mostly I drink water, although I'm known to have one of my husband's diet sodas occasionally.

I hope this group revives because I think I have a lot to share and I'm sure others do too.