Is batch cooking worth it?

Batch cooking has become increasingly popular due to its many benefits. The primary benefit is the time-saving aspect of having multiple meals prepared and ready to eat throughout the week. Additionally, batch cooking can save money, as it allows for bulk purchasing of ingredients and reduces food waste.

What food is good for batch cooking?

Best batch-cooking recipes Melted leeks with spinach and basil ricotta. French onion soup. Butternut squash, tomato and rosemary sauce. Beef, beetroot and butter bean stew with Stilton dumplings. Batch-it-up family Bolognese. Macaroni cheese chorizo bake. Melted leeks with spinach and basil ricotta. French onion soup. More items...

How to batch cook for the week?

Try meal prepping the same meal for early in the week. Eat it on Monday and Tuesday. Then use some batch cooked ingredients to create three fresh and exciting meals for Wednesday-Friday.

Is pinch of nom low calorie?

Well, the simple answer is that all of the meals in this book come in at under 400 calories. We've made sure to use the right ingredients so you're still getting decent portions!

Can batch cooking help you lose weight?

Batch cooking is not as regimented as meal prep, but it can still have great results for your weight loss. Learning how to batch cook will dramatically streamline your meal preparation times and stop you from wandering down the road to the chippy, controlled by your belly's darkest desires.

What are the disadvantages of bulk cooking?

One of the biggest downsides of bulk cooking is that it requires planning and preparation. This includes shopping for ingredients, preparing the meals, and storing them properly. In addition, bulk cooking can be time-consuming, especially for those who are new to cooking or who have busy schedules.

Can you batch cook rice?

All types of rice freeze well, including white, brown, and even fried rice (containing meat and veggies). Batch cooking rice and freezing it for later can be a serious meal prep game changer.

What is the number one rule when cooking?

1. Read the recipe. Of all the important advice out there about cooking, this by far has to be the number 1 rule of cooking: read your recipe completely before getting started. This may seem like a mundane task (especially when you're excited dive in!), but you'll be so thankful you took the time to do it!

Is it cheaper to batch cook?

Buying ingredients in bulk is invariably cheaper. Having meals to hand in the freezer means you don't have to cook from scratch every night, saving you time. And keeping your recipes healthy and nutritious means you're not tempted by takeaways, or speedy unhealthy options.

How batch cooking saves money?

Batch cooking is the process of preparing large quantities of food in advance and then storing them in smaller portions for later use. This approach can save time, money, and effort as it helps to streamline the meal preparation process.

How long can batch cooking last?

One important note though: as long as you cook meals properly, food will be perfectly safe to eat within seven days. However, by day five, it might not be as tasty. If there's one number to remember from this cheat sheet, it's four. Most meals are good (safe AND tasty) in the fridge for up to four days.

Are cooking subscription boxes worth it?

It's true: Meal kits are a good way to get you and the family fed for a fair price, but they can also be a lot of fun and a good way to sharpen your cooking skills.

Our Top 10 Batch Cooking Recipes - Pinch Of Nom Slimming Recipes (2024)

We’d all love to cook a delicious meal from scratch every single night, but unfortunately it’s just not always possible with busy schedules – that’s where batch cooking comes in.

We asked our Facebook Group for their top 10 favourite batch cooking recipes and here they are!

When you’re batch cooking, planning ahead is absolutely key. Try and cook double batches of meals or bulk recipes out with plenty of veg to make the meal go further.

If you can, try to put aside a few hours each weekend to batch cook your meals for the week ahead – some extra effort on a Saturday or Sunday can save you loads of hassle during the week.

These plastic containers with lidsare the perfect reusable option for freezing loads of meals and they’re suitable for use in the microwave and dishwasher too.

Some recipes are particularly good for batch cooking as they can be used in several different ways, for example a basic bolognese recipe can be used as it is, in a lasagne, a bolognese pasta bake or adapted into a chilli!

Don’t forget to freeze your batch cooked meals in portions – there’s no point defrosting 5 litres of soup if you’re only going to eat 1!

Freezing our recipes

Not all food freezes well and to make it super simple, if one of our recipes can be frozen you’ll see this ‘suitable for freezing’ icon.

If you do freeze one of our recipes, there are some really important things that you need to make sure you do in order to keep you and your family safe;

– Freeze it as soon as it is cold enough
– Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.
– Defrost thoroughly before reheating.

Make sure it’s piping hot before serving!

Our Top 10 Batch Cooking Recipes

Loads of our recipes are suitable for batch cooking, but these are our top 10 recipes as voted for by our Facebook Group!

Chicken Balti Curry

Our Chicken Balti Curry is a family favourite as you can alter the amount of spice used – perfect for catering to little mouths!

Campfire Stew

Perfect for using up all of those leftover veggies, our Campfire Stew is a Facebook Group favourite!

It’s so easy to make and, as it’s cooked in the slow cooker, you can get on with your day while it cooks.

Chilli

Our Chilli recipe is a super versatile dinner option and can be served with a jacket potato and salad, or loads of rice and veg.

It can also be adapted into a variety of different dishes including our Chilli Pasta Bake – a tasty twist on two classic meals.

Or, use it in our Chilli Cheesy Nachos for a delicious, indulgent dinner that feels much naughtier than it actually is!

Dirty Fried Rice

Our take on a classic ‘dirty rice’ dish, our Dirty Fried Rice is the perfect combination of Cajun and Chinese and it’s absolutely delish!

Worried about freezing rice? The recipe includes all of the advice you need to safely freeze and reheat rice.

If you’re after a more traditional ‘dirty rice’ recipe, then our Cajun Dirty Rice is a fantastic alternative to our Dirty Fried Rice, and is another great way to use up any leftover veg that you have lying around.

Spaghetti Bolognese

Another favourite, our Spaghetti Bolognese recipe is the perfect thing to have on hand for quick mealtimes and is so versatile!

If you’re not a fan of spaghetti, then it can also be adapted into our Pasta Bolognese Bake – melted, crispy cheese, what’s not to love?!

Cottage Pie

Cottage Pie is a truly classic dish and is just the thing to warm up on those cold, winter nights! Our slimming friendly version of this comfort food has all of the flavours without the additional calories.

Caribbean Jerk Stew

Stews are a fantastic option for batch cooking and this Caribbean Jerk Stew recipe is a tasty, alternative to the more classic dishes.

Packed full of flavour and simple to make, it can easily be bulked out with extra veg as well.

Slow Cooker Sausage Casserole

Our Slow Cooker Sausage Casserole is a super comforting, warming dish that’s perfect for those cooler nights. Packed full of veg, it’s the perfect way to make your sausages go a little bit further.

Lasagne

This Lasagne is a batch cooking classic and can be frozen as one large dish or divided into individual portions.

This is another great dish to use up any extra veg that you have lying around, which means that, not only is it packed full of healthy food, but your meat goes further too!

Fish Pie

Our Fish Pie is such a tasty, comforting meal that it’s well worth having a few tucked away in the freezer for a rainy day! Not a fan of fish? You can easily adapt this recipe to use chicken and mushrooms as the filling instead.

Need some extra help & motivation on your slimming journey?

Come join our Facebook group! We have over 950,000 members, who want to help you! You wouldn’t want to miss out on the fun would you?

You might just find the inspiration you need from our awesome members. If you’ve joined already why not invite any friends that may find it helpful?