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New Year’s Batch Cooking: Top Tips

It won’t have escaped your notice that the cost of everyday ingredients like rice, pasta, veg and salad have risen considerably recently – alongside everything else, for that matter. Your food shopping bill may now be sky-high, meaning you’ve perhaps had to cut back on non-essential food items. Welcome to the cost-of-living crisis. It isn’t much fun, but in 2023, we’re going to try to help you navigate it as best as we can, by bringing you some money-saving ideas, cooking tips and more. Read on…

Batch cooking, then. Are you a fan of it or is it something you’d like to do more of this year? Either way, there’s no denying that batch cooking your meals makes perfect sense – during the cost-of-living crisis and…well…anytime really.

What is batch cooking?

It’s basically cooking your favourite meal(s) in large quantities. You can then freeze them and pick out a meal, as and when you need it. You’ll then simply reheat it, rather than whipping it up from scratch. It’s ideal if you work in an office and would like to forgo making your sandwiches everyday (it’s also ideal if you’d simply like a hot meal at lunchtime). It’s perfect, too, if you have a large family and want to make your life easier.

Above all, it helps you save some money – as well as only using your hob and other kitchen appliances just once, you’re also able to take advantage of bulk-buy deals in the supermarket.

Batch cooking doesn’t just save you money, it saves you time – and maybe even stress. Here’s an at-a-glance look at why we love it:

It can help you save money
It cuts down the time you spend in the kitchen
You can minimise food wastage by ensuring you make the most of fresh produce
It may mean you have to shop for groceries much less often, meaning you have more time to do the things you love
You can make the most of seasonal ingredients.

So, are you with us; are you ready to give batch cooking a try in 2023? We’ve long championed batch cooking here on the My Appliances site, with many of our team members preferring to spend less time in the kitchen – and less money!

Here’s some of our favourite recipes you could batch cook this weekend:

Slow Cooker Ratatouille

Packed with nutrients, this slow cooker ratatouille delivers four of your five-a-day! Once you’ve cooked it, portion it up into small containers, allow it to cool down and add to your freezer.

Five Bean Chilli

Who doesn’t love a hearty chilli, especially at this time of year? This five-bean version is the perfect batch-cooking recipe – find it here and give it a try this weekend.

Penne with Tomato Sauce

As well as making the most of the savings to be made from batch-cooking, you could also choose budget-friendly ingredients. Pasta is a batch-cooking staple; it’s cheap and it bulks out a meal to ensure you feel suitably satisfied throughout the day. This tomato penne pasta is a lovely recipe for midweek lunches or even a family evening meal. You could add meat to it, too, if you like – such as strips of chicken or mince.

Will you be reaping the benefits of batch cooking in 2023? Let us know by commenting on this blog post – and don’t forget to find us on Facebook and join the conversation.