How to go back to batch cooking to save money and time

I’m both a menu planner and an optimist who starts every week believing that my family will follow the list that’s attached to the fridge. It rarely happens – I forget that band practice or soccer training throws out our timing, I forget that my fussy teens will reject a meal before I’ve even started making it and I forget that sometimes, I simply can’t be arsed with cooking.

In theory, batch cooking, the practice of cooking multiple meals at a time and freezing them for later, will solve these problems. It will give me a freezer full of dinners that are quick to make with minimal effort. It’s also said to be extremely cost-effective, which is the extra motivation I need to give it a go.

The downside? Just the nerve-wracking prospect of hours in the kitchen surrounded by overflowing pots and pans. I decided to throw myself in at the deep end, printing out the step-by-step instructions for “10 minced beef family meals in one hour”, from The Batch Lady. What could possibly go wrong?

I start off well, laying out the ingredients for bolognese, chilli, fajitas, meatballs and burgers in the order that I’ll need them. But when I’m asked to add 3kg of lean minced beef to a saucepan along with six cups of pre-chopped onion, go awry.

Even my biggest saucepan isn’t up to the job. I persevere, feeling like a contestant on a reality TV show as I systematically wreck my kitchen. Then, feeling cocky, I abandon the instructions and immediately stuff up the fajitas. Later, as I load my freezer, I realise I forgot to add the garlic.

Suzanne Mulholland, also known as The Batch Lady, is the author of several batch-cooking recipe books including Cooking on a Budget (coming to Australia in April).

When I tell her about my rather intense introduction to batch cooking she gently suggests that it’s a good idea for beginners to keep things simple.

“Start by doubling up your favourite family meals, one for tonight, one for the freezer. Once you’ve got over the newbie stage and know what you’re doing, you can make your meals for the week in two hours including the clean-up,” she says.

With a background in time management, Suzanne began batch cooking when her kids were small. “I hated the Groundhog Day monotony of having to cook dinner every night and that the time I was cooking was also the time when everyone seemed to need a piece of me,” she recalls.

Now an expert batch cooker, Suzanne notes that batch cooking doesn’t have to be stews, curries and bolognese. “You can batch cook modern cool meals too – churros, calzones, cakes and traybakes,” she says.

Cooking up a big meal can save you money and time.Credit: William Meppem

When I ask for more tips, Suzanne tells me to forget traditional food containers and use zip-lock bags instead. “You can then freeze everything flat in the bags, like books,” she explains.

“Always label your meals; you will think you will remember what they are, but you won’t once they are frozen.”

Batch cooking is undoubtedly a great time saver. But perhaps, as the cost of living soars, the most significant benefit is financial. Damien Petkovic, a financial coach and founder of Afford a House, estimates that batch cooking can save more than $3,500 a year.

“You can save 20 to 40 per cent by buying in bulk as stores offer bulk discounts and you can stock up on produce that’s selling for a low price when it’s in season,” he says.

There are other savings too. Having a stock of pre-made meals means less money spent on takeaway (Damien notes that replacing a fortnightly takeaway with a home-cooked freezer meal will save at least $1000 a year).

Then there’s food waste. Research from Food Innovation Australia shows that households waste $2000-$2500 worth of food a year. “Even if you reduce the food waste by 25 per cent, that’s a $500 saving each year,” Damien adds.

My own batch cooking experiment shows me that batch cooking really does save time and money, and I have to be honest, I feel a little smug as I pull pre-made chilli con carne out of the freezer. Sadly, the meal is quickly rejected by the teens. Batch cooking can’t solve all my problems, but two out of three ain’t bad.

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