“Batch cooking” – the act of preparing large amounts of food in advance.
Ninety Minutes, Once a Week
If you work efficiently, a 90-minute block of time one day per week can make a difference to the amount of preparation time you need during the rest of the week. In that time, you can simultaneously:
Ninety Minutes, Once a Week
If you work efficiently, a 90-minute block of time one day per week can make a difference to the amount of preparation time you need during the rest of the week. In that time, you can simultaneously:
- simmer a pot of beans or a soup
- roast, bake, or steam potatoes or other starchy vegetables
- clean, slice and store some produce
- make a sauce, dip or dressing
- make a batch of rice or grains
1. Clean and sanitize your work surfaces.
2. Ensure you have all the correct equipment: pots, cutting boards, knives, ample storage containers, etc.
3. Gather all the ingredients you need, separated into their different batches. For example, group your cleaned raw vegetables in one pile; put your grains, pot and water together; and place your dressing container and ingredients together.
4. Understand the order you will prepare your batches in. For example, the beans and grains have relatively long cooking times, but the active time to prepare these base recipes takes just a few minutes. They can be prepared first, and then left to simmer while you chop your vegetables for the week.
Note: Don’t have time to finish eating your base ingredients during the week? Store extra beans and grains in airtight, sealed containers and freeze them. They’ll last up to six months in the freezer, and can be quickly thawed for lightning-fast meals.