January 24, 2011
Batch Cooking 101 - What You Need
Batch Cooking 101 - What You Need
So it turns out, you folks are pretty interested in hearing more about my batch cooking extravaganzas. I don't blame you! When I first found out about batch cooking, I wanted to learn absolutely everything I could. I'm not a professional chef or an expert on the subject, but I've been doing it for a while now, so here are my getting started tips.
QUICK TIP! Invite a friend to join you! Not only is it nice to have company in the kitchen, but an extra person to help chop and stir is great. And how happy will their family be for all those meals!
What You'll Need for Batch Cooking:
TIME.
I usually set aside three or four days for dedicated cooking and assembling. I try to schedule it for when I will have help with the kids, because this is not the right moment to have extra little helpers underfoot.PLAN.
Sit down and plan out your attack on paper. Don't try to cook recipes one after the other, because this will just waste time. Take a look at the common ingredients and see what you can combine. If three of your recipes call for chicken, cook the chicken all at once. If you can make several components in one pot or roaster, do!INGREDIENTS.
Have all your ingredients purchased and ready to go before you begin. Running to the market in the middle of an otherwise beautifully orchestrated batch cook can be disaster. I like to set everything out on my kitchen table before beginning to be sure it's all in order.SUPPLIES.
Pots, pans, dishes, utensils, labels, food storage containers. Make sure you have enough of everything!SPACE.
Refrigerator space, freezer space, counter space, oven space, stove top space. You will need a lot of this. Think about it carefully when you're making your plan because what you do or do not have space-wise can have an impact on the recipes you choose.RECIPES.
Do not use a previously unknown recipe for batch cooking. I repeat, do not use a previously unknown recipe in batch cooking! Please, trust me on this, if the family doesn't like it you're going to end up with a heap of wasted time, food and money. Take it from someone who's been down that road. Test your recipes first!
QUICK TIP! If you can't set aside three or four days to cook, then double (or triple!) your recipes when you ARE able to cook, and freeze the leftover portions. If you do this every time you make a meal, you'll have a stocked freezer in no time.
So tell me! Do you batch cook? What's your favorite batch cooking recipe? If you don't batch cook, are you going to try?
3 Comments
January 24, 2011 at 10:53 pm
Many of the meals taste even better reheated with juices soaked into the meat.
January 24, 2011 at 8:05 pm
my fav is pulled pork. all your dishes sound fantastic!
January 24, 2011 at 3:09 pm
BBQ in either pork, chicken, venison, or beef varieties. Hodge Podge soup and pizza cassarole. Its so nice to have it tucked away in the freezer for those days that I just don’t know what sounds good or when guest stop buy.
