Accessibility Tools
Skip to main content
How can we help you?
Waste and Recycling

The ultimate guide to batch cooking

In this section
The ultimate guide to batch cooking
hands slicing cucumbers with a knife

Imagine a food delivery service that saves you money and reduces food waste. Even better, it’s ready to eat in the time it takes you to pick a movie and put your comfy clothes on.  If your freezer or fridge is loaded up with meal prep, that could be the reality.  Here are the #FoodSavvy top tips for prepping like a pro:

    1. Pick your dishes carefully: Look to pick dishes that have common ingredients so that your shopping list doesn’t become too long and choose meals that lend themselves to freezing and cooking in bulk well. Ideas include soups, stews and curries.
    2. Cook creatively: Get creative and if you are missing something try and identify another ingredient you do have that could offer a similar textile or flavour.
    3. Cook once, eat twice: Instead of cooking daily you can set aside a few hours to prepare meals for the whole week. This frees up time and energy on busy weeknights.
    4. Cheating is okay: Frozen vegetables, ready made sauces or jars of sauce can all save you time.
    5. Mass chop: Work out how much garlic, onions and other vegetables will feature across each of your dishes and chop them all together – saves time and tears!
    6. Healthy options: When you batch cook you choose all the ingredients and preparation methods. This makes it easier to control portion sizes and ensure you are eating nutritious, balanced meals rich in vegetables, grains and lean proteins.  It also means you can sneak vegetables into sauces so fussy children are still getting some of their 5 a day.
    7. Tupperware at the ready: Make sure you have enough containers for everything you are going to cook. Tupperware is great, but so are old takeaway tubs as they hold one portion as well as old ice cream tubs.  Just make sure they have a tight seal if they are going in the freezer to prevent freezer burn.
    8. Make room: Make sure you have enough space in your fridge and freezer for your creations.
    9. Dinner in five: With pre-cooked meals ready in the fridge, you can have a homemade dinner on the table in minutes by simply reheating or combining pre-prepped ingredients.