Batch Cooking – Everything you need to know

If you have little time to cook and your goal is to eat healthy, the batch cooking idea is for you. This method of meal planning is being used more and more and is revolutionising the networks, as it has a very important objective: to cook in a few hours for the whole week.

Many times, our routines make us fall into last minute meals, go to the supermarket several times a week or have bad habits. Therefore, batch cooking will help you save time, money and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

What will you achieve through batch cooking?

• Save time: This is one of the main objectives sought by people who use this method. Get up in the morning and stop wondering: What am I going to eat today, do I have to go to the supermarket, what do I have in the fridge?

• Save money: Our routines often make us rush from one place to another, so getting home to cook after a long day costs us more and more. Batch cooking allows us to have a dish ready in our fridge, so we don’t fall into last minute temptations.

• Not wasting food: Not having a meal plan like the one provided by batch cooking often makes us go to the supermarket without control, or even several times a week. With this method, the aim is to buy just enough for each week and use the ingredients and cooking from one dish in another. What more could we ask for?

• Establish a habit: Cooking in a few hours for a whole week has its advantages, and it is very easy to establish a healthy rhythm of life. You will be able to regulate the amount of meat, fish, pulses… that you eat, and thus establish your own rhythm, whether you are following a strict diet or not… You set the pace!

Batch cooking step by step

– Food preservation

It is very important to think about this step, as it will ensure that we don’t lose the rhythm.  You should know that not all foods will last the same length of time in our fridges, and that the material you use for their preservation will be key, so pay attention! We will give you a few tips.

When it comes to storing our food, it is important to do so in well-sealed containers, preferably airtight or glass. You can store dressings or creams in smaller glass jars for better preservation, or even use tupperware with different compartments to take to the office. All this will make batch cooking the solution to the lack of time.

– Doing a weekly shopping

As mentioned above, one of the objectives of batch cooking is to avoid wasting food. Sitting down and planning how you want your meals to be during the week is essential to avoid having to go to the supermarket several times during the week. A good way to do this step without forgetting anything is to do it online. There are platforms such as mentta, a marketplace specialised in food, that will make this task easier.

– Cooking

Those who opt for batch cooking usually opt for simple recipes, in which you can use the cooking of one element for several dishes during the week. They can also make stir-fries, sauces or creams that can be combined with the basic products. The aim is to save time and maintain a healthy style, so the main cooking methods are boiled, steamed or grilled products.

Shopping list for weekly batch cooking

The batch cooking process will organise your week, but you will need to plan how you want these meals to be according to your lifestyle and preferences. Here are some tips to make sure you don’t forget to include any essential items:

– Fruits, vegetables and greens

A healthy menu should contain plenty of vegetables and greens, as they are the mainstay of our diet. We should preferably include them in lunches and dinners, as apart from being perfect for the batch cooking method due to their easy preservation, they are also necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

They should make up at least half of the plate or of the meal, and we give you some ideas. Don’t just include them as an accompaniment to your protein, but a quick and easy way to make a quick and easy dish is in cream format. It’s very simple, and you can include your favourite vegetables.

– Protein foods

We should not neglect to include this type of food in our diet. All kinds of meat and fish accompanied, as mentioned above, with vegetables are a simple and delicious dish if the raw material is of high quality. On platforms such as Mentta you can find the best quality raw material, finding the distributor that best suits your needs.

If you are vegan or vegetarian, batch cooking is also for you! Here we leave you with a series of elements that you can substitute for protein, and are ideal for batch cooking.

– Bread, cereals, rice and pasta

These are key elements, as they provide us with the energy we need to carry on with our day. Depending on the type of diet we want to follow, it is advisable to include them in some of our meals, preferably at breakfast, as they contain carbohydrates and some proteins.

A very simple way to include them in batch cooking is through pasta or rice salads, which combine perfectly with proteins such as tuna.

– Batch cooking drinks

As you may already know, drinking water is essential for everyone, so it should be the staple drink in our diet. But we know that a good coffee is necessary to start the day with energy. You can also keep up the pace with teas of different aromas and flavours, an option for people who are not coffee lovers, which you can make in large quantities and keep in your fridge for the whole week; perfect for batch cooking.

Results

Of course, this planning can be a bit excessive, as you might ask yourself, how am I supposed to know what I want every day?

Batch cooking is all about establishing a rhythm and a routine, as well as saving time and money in the process. You will have several dishes to choose from, so this will not be a problem. Plus, you can add snacks to your diet as you see fit – you set the pace!