With a little forward planning, it's easy to prepare food that stretches beyond just one meal. The key? Batch cooking. Not only will cooking up a large batch of food save you time in the long run, but it can also help you save money and reduce waste. To help you become a batch-cooking pro, we've compiled the ultimate list of tips, tricks and recipes, from making the most of your freezer space to whipping up base recipes for several different meals.
Click or scroll through our gallery to discover 34 brilliant batch-cooking hacks that are guaranteed to save you time – counting down to the most genius tip of all.
Who wouldn't want to have brownies on standby? Brownies are a great batch bake; they keep for up to three days in an airtight container and they freeze well, so it's worth making a few batches. You can either store them in boxes between sheets of baking paper, or open freeze them on a tray before bagging them up. Our rich, fudgy peanut butter caramel brownies are definitely worth a try.
Our banana bread recipe, flavoured with coffee and cocoa nibs, is perfect for easy batch baking. It keeps for three days in an airtight container and freezes well. It's worth freezing the banana bread in individual slices, so you can take one out whenever you like. We love to serve it lightly toasted, with a little butter or peanut butter.
Having shredded chicken in the fridge or freezer is handy for so many recipes. You can use it in stir-fries, salads, sandwiches, soups, burritos, noodle dishes, tacos and more. Poach a whole chicken, then pull apart the tender meat – you'll also end up with a really tasty chicken stock to freeze. You could even freeze the chicken bones to use when making more broth in the future.
It's not a recipe you can rustle up in minutes due to the long rising time – so there's all the more reason to batch bake sweet and sticky cinnamon buns. Pack them in boxes between sheets of baking paper before putting them in the freezer. When you want to eat the buns, thaw them overnight in the fridge, then flash them in a very hot oven for a few minutes to allow them to go warm and soft.
A curry or a chilli con carne will usually taste better the day after you've made it, as all the spices will have had time to really infuse into the sauce. Freezing also intensifies the flavour of sauces – which is, of course, a good thing. However, it's something to keep in mind when seasoning or adding heat to a sauce. Salt and chilli will become stronger upon freezing, so you may want to reduce the amount; you can always add them later after reheating and tasting.
Great pulled pork is a labour of love. The meat needs marinating, then slow cooking for up to eight hours. You'll need a large piece of pork too, usually a pork shoulder weighing about 2kg (4.5lb) – so unless you're feeding a small army, it's a perfect dish to batch cook and freeze. Start by slashing the meat, rubbing it with 3.5oz (100g) sea salt and 5oz (150g) brown sugar, then resting it in the fridge overnight. Wash the meat to remove the excess salt and sugar, dry it fully, then marinate it with your favourite herbs and spices. Cook for six to eight hours in an oven on a medium heat, basting every now and then. Use it for burgers, stir-fries, nachos, tacos, sandwiches and quesadillas.
If you're freezing food in plastic bags, get rid of as much air as possible by pushing and flattening the ingredients before sealing. It will help to prevent freezer burn, a phenomenon that causes ice crystals to form on frozen food when it's exposed to air in the freezer. It isn't harmful but will affect the texture, colour and flavour of the food. If you're freezing your food in lidded boxes, adding a layer of baking paper over the food's surface will also create an extra barrier.
It's always worth having some healthier snacks to hand, whether you prefer to enjoy them with a mid-morning coffee or pop them in a lunchbox. Granola bars really fit the bill, as they'll keep for up to a week in an airtight container. They also freeze well – so make one batch for the cupboard and another for the freezer. You can adapt the recipe to incorporate your favourite nuts, dried fruits and seeds.
When you're elbows deep in chopping onions, carrots and celery, or if you're making a large batch of curry paste or pesto, hand the job over to the food processor, which will whiz everything up in minutes. Equally, if you have lots of carrots or cheese to grate, try using your tool's grating plate attachment. Making soup or a purée? An inexpensive stick blender will give a smoother result, and you can blend your ingredients in the pan to save time and washing up.
Having a batch of pancakes in the freezer makes breakfast a breeze – you can reheat them from frozen in a very hot oven for around five minutes, then serve everyone at the same time, rather than having to cook each pancake individually. Freeze your pancakes between sheets of baking paper so you can take out however many you need. For a simple batch, combine 4.7oz (135g) plain flour, 0.5tsp salt, 2 tbsp caster sugar, 4.4fl oz (130ml) milk and an egg, and mix until smooth and thick. Add one ladle of batter to a heated pan with melted butter and wait until the pancake begins to bubble before flipping it over. Repeat the process until you have as many pancakes as required.
Pasta bakes, such as macaroni cheese, are pretty straightforward to prepare, making them a perfect batch-cook meal to enjoy midweek. Make a large quantity – you can double up most recipes quite easily – then divide your bake into portions before freezing. Reheat it in a microwave or for around 20 minutes in a medium oven. Try our creamy pasta bake with mushrooms, bacon and peas, coated in a rich cheese sauce.
The last thing you want to be doing is trying to thaw at a large frozen lasagne come dinnertime. So, when batch-cooking to freeze, divide food into portions before you pop them in the freezer. Think about portion sizes; single servings work when you have teenagers wanting food at 9pm, for example, or when there's just one person at home for lunch.
There's nothing worse than being halfway through a recipe and discovering that an essential spice, usually found lurking at the back of the cupboard, is two years past its use-by date. The key to batch cooking is organisation, so have a really good sort out of your food cupboard prior to starting. That way, you'll know exactly what you have and what you need to buy.
Having some baked goods and snacks in the freezer is so handy – and scones, a British afternoon tea favourite, are truly delicious. You usually need to eat freshly baked scones on the day they're made, but they freeze very well. Freeze them once baked, layered in boxes between baking paper, or flash-freeze them on a tray, then bag them up. Warm your scones through in a hot oven for a few minutes before serving.
When defrosted foods are refrozen without being cooked, it can lead to harmful bacteria growth and likely result in food poisoning. So, if you've defrosted minced beef to make burgers, you shouldn't refreeze the raw meat again; otherwise, you risk bacterial contamination. However, if you cook the burgers first and then freeze them, that's fine. Similarly, if you use frozen raw prawns in a fish pie, it's fine to freeze the finished dish once cooked.
Having multi-purpose base dishes in the freezer or fridge is always a bonus. A rich tomato sauce, such as a marinara sauce, can be paired with meatballs, pasta or schnitzel, or used as a dip for potato wedges. Make a large batch, then freeze it in usable portions – or keep it in the fridge for an instant midweek meal. It will keep for up to five days refrigerated.
The tastiest stews always involve long, slow cooking. Cheaper cuts of meat, such as shin or short rib, deliver masses of flavour, but they do take time to become meltingly tender. If the oven's on, you may as well double up the recipe or cook two different stews. They'll freeze perfectly or will keep for up to three days in the fridge. Try our rich beef in red wine, which you can double up (though bear in mind that the cooking time will be a little longer).
You'll need space to store perishables before you begin to cook. So, chuck or compost anything that's gone off and check you have enough essentials (like tomato purée and milk) on hand. Organise the refrigerator so you can see everything, and take the opportunity to give it a good clean. Use a bicarbonate of soda solution or sterilising fluid or tablets, all of which are odour-free.
Granola takes around 30 minutes to bake and put together, so it's hardly something you want to be making first thing in the morning. It's the perfect batch-cook breakfast, as it'll keep for around two weeks in an airtight container. Plus, making your own means you'll know exactly how much sugar is in it, compared to shop-bought granola – and you can add your favourite dried fruits and nuts. A simple recipe combines 3.5oz (100g bran), 5oz (150g oats), 3.5oz (100g nuts), 1 tbsp sunflower oil and 5 tbsp maple syrup. Bake the mixture for around 20 minutes and make sure to stir halfway through to make sure it’s golden and crunchy on all sides. Once the mix has cooled, add in your dried fruit.
Providing you aren’t meal prepping your lunches for the week, we’d recommend steering clear of cooking side dishes, such as pasta, rice or steamed vegetables, ahead of time. These are often best enjoyed fresh and take less than 15 minutes to come together. Plus, they’ll taste a whole lot better – and they won't go mushy or slimy during the defrosting process.
A really good chilli con carne takes time to cook – so it's definitely worth making a large quantity, keeping some in the fridge for the week ahead and saving some for the freezer. It can be enjoyed in so many ways, too; serve it with rice, sour cream and guacamole, use it as a filling for jacket potatoes or ladle it onto nachos. Our recipe serves eight, and it doubles up easily (although the cooking time will be slightly longer).
When you're batch cooking, a good supply of lidded, freezer-safe containers is a must. Check what you have before heading to the store – do your boxes still have a lid that fits, and what sizes are they? If you're low on freezer space, you may want to use freezer bags and some reusable foil containers (you can bake and freeze dishes in the foil containers for ease, too). 'Pour and store' plastic freezer bags have a solid base, so they're perfect for soups and sauces.
Curries that are made in advance (or frozen) taste even better on reheating. Planning on making a fish curry? Add the fish to the base just before serving, rather than freezing the whole thing. Meat curries, however, can be cooked in their entirety before freezing; just hold off on adding any herbs and toppings. Our sweet, mild Burmese pork curry is perfect for freezing.
Whether you’re prepping food for the refrigerator or storing it in the freezer for weeks to come, it’s a good idea to keep your batch-cooked goodies labelled. Invest in some food labels for your airtight containers, grab a black marker for your freezer bags and ensure you write down the food’s name and the date you prepared it. Most cooked meals can last around three months in the freezer before their flavour and texture is compromised, so you might want to include a use-by date, too.
Whether you're cooking for the freezer or making a dish to store in the fridge, there are some recipes where the final ingredients are added once the dish is thawed on the day of serving. For example, things like fresh herbs or vegetables with a high water content can be added when you're reheating the meal to avoid them going mushy and soft.
Batch cooking multiple dishes at once can get messy and overwhelming, so the easiest way to stay on top of things is to tidy as you go. Many chefs recommend having a big bowl on hand for any vegetable scraps and unusable items; that way, you'll avoid a big pile-up of mess. Have a curry that’s simmering away? Wipe down the surfaces while you wait.
If you’re batch cooking in large quantities, the last thing you want to do is realise you haven’t got a pan big enough to cook your soup. So, before you start cooking, think about how many meals you’re hoping to prepare, read the method and figure out what kitchen equipment you'll need to use. It could be as simple as using two medium pans or investing in a large pan for future batch-cooking days.
Delicate ingredients can lose their texture, flavour and consistency when frozen, so it's worth holding back on adding these ingredients until the time comes for reheating. For example, if you're making a prawn curry, store or freeze the base sauce, then stir through prawns, lime, spinach and coriander when it's piping hot and ready to serve.
It may seem obvious but, in order to batch cook successfully, you'll need to make space in your freezer. Thaw and use up as much as you can, and throw out any unknown items or those that have excessive freezer burn. Three open bags of oven chips? Consolidate them into one bag. If you have a chest freezer, it may help to invest in a few freezer-safe baskets to help see exactly what's in there. Be ruthless, then begin with a clean, organised slate.
Hearty soups are perfect for midweek meals, but they can involve a lot of chopping and slow sweating of vegetables. This makes them a good candidate for a batch-cooking session, especially if you use your food processor and blender to do a lot of the hard work for you. A classic French onion soup is a great choice, as it takes some time to get the onions to the sweet, caramelised stage. With all soups, add the final flourish – herbs, cream or cheese – just before serving.
Here's an essential food hygiene rule to stick by: defrost foods in the refrigerator (not at room temperature) overnight. This will help prevent bacteria growth and avoid the risk of food poisoning. When you’re ready to eat, heat up your meal of choice in the oven. Alternatively, pour it into a pan and reheat it on the hob until warmed through fully.
There are some recipes that just don't work for batch cooking or making ahead of time. Stir-fries are the perfect example; the freshness and crunch of the vegetables are key to this dish, and the noodles can become slimy if they're not served fresh. If your food takes 15 minutes to get on the table, save your batch-cooking efforts for meals that involve more prep and cooking time.
Whether your food is destined for the fridge or freezer, it's essential to cool it thoroughly beforehand. Freezing or refrigerating hot or warm food will increase the ambient temperature inside the refrigerator or freezer, which can cause other foods to spoil and may, in rare cases, encourage bacteria to develop. Cover and allow food to cool completely or, on a hot day, place it over a bowl of ice cubes or freezer blocks to speed up the cooling process.
If you're planning a whole day in the kitchen, it's time to channel your inner chef and get organised. Check all your knives are sharp enough; blunt knives will slow you down and increase your chances of cutting yourself. Get out all the ingredients you need for the recipe, sort out the pans you're going to use and prepare all the ingredients before you begin, and clear and clean as you go.
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