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We all know that home cooking is a more nutritious and healthier way to enjoy meals, but for many, it can be time-consuming and unrealistic every day. Many people are beginning to realise the benefits of batch cooking, and how it can help set you on the right path to wholesome, nutritious meals every single day.
Batch cooking is when you spend some time prepping and preparing your meals for the next week or two, and then storing them in the fridge or freezer. Getting started takes a bit of effort and forward planning, but it is worthwhile when you consider the many benefits that batch cooking can bring.
You can prep and store meals that are ready to reheat and eat, or require just a bit of work before they are ready to enjoy. If you are considering trying out batch cooking, then read on for the top benefits of this handy life hack.
Reduce Meal Costs
Batch cooking can help you save money on your food shop because buying in bulk is cheaper than buying small amounts regularly. While the initial cost will be higher than the usual shop because you are buying more in one go, over time, your meal costs will be less.
Purchasing all your ingredients for many meals together often means you can make the most of supermarket deals and discounts and buy larger packs of expensive items. All these ingredients can then be used to cook and freeze various different meals, and it isn’t always necessary to cook entire meals in one go.
A popular method of batch cooking is to prepare and store the main ingredients, such as cooking onions and mince, which can then be defrosted and use to cook chilli, spaghetti bolognese or shepherd’s pie. In addition to saving money by bulk buying, when you have delicious meals already prepared, you will be less tempted to splash out on a takeaway or meal out.
Wholesome Healthy Meals
Healthy cooking doesn’t always have to mean sad-looking salads and small portions. Any meal that has been homemade with healthy ingredients will be better for you than a ready meal or takeaway. With busy lives, it can be challenging to cook healthy fresh meals every single day. But batch cooking means you will always have wholesome dinners in the freezer ready to go.
Preparing and cooking vegetables and nutritious meals is always time-consuming. But, when you batch cook a variety of meals and store them for those busy days, you will always have a tasty, nutritious meal on hand. Not only that but eating healthy and staying on track becomes much easier when you know what you are going to be eating that day.
When you start your day by choosing yourself a healthy meal for the evening, you will be better positioned to make healthy choices throughout the rest of the day.
Less Time Cooking, More Time Enjoying
One of the biggest benefits of batch cooking is that it cuts down on the amount of time you have to spend in the kitchen. When you batch cook your meals, you only need to cook once a week, as opposed to every single evening. It can be a real lifesaver for those days when you get home late.
Instead of getting in and spending an hour preparing your meal, or choosing a fast, unhealthy option, you can have a wholesome dinner on the table in just a few minutes. As well as saving precious time on cooking every day, you will also save time on grocery shopping. Batch cooking means you only need to do a food shop once every week, or even less frequently depending on how much you cook.
Minimise Waste
We are all guilty of going food shopping and buying various things that look good at the time but then not using them before they go out of date. When you are buying and cooking meals every day, you will create a lot of waste without even realising it.
Batch cooking means you can plan recipes to use up what you have left in the fridge or freezer, as well as buying less unnecessary items on your food shops. When you plan your meals in advance, you will only purchase the items you really need, and not what you think you might fancy in the week. Batch cooking also means you can perfect your portion sizes, so there is no waste at the end of the meal.
Start Batch Cooking Today
So batch-cooking saves time, reduces waste and provides an easy way to create a healthier diet. Start by planning your meals for the next few weeks, so you can work out what you can batch cook. If you need a little inspiration, there are some fab batch cooking recipe books such as Cook Once, Eat All Week by Cassy Joy Garcia, Cook The Week In Two Hours and Cook When You Can, Eat When You Want both by Caroline Pessin.
