Why you should batch cook one day per week

No time to cook during the week? Hear me out: dedicate one entire day to cooking.

Lindy Lawler

3 min read

May 1, 2024 - 10:04AM

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Trust me, this isn’t as difficult as it sounds. Cooking one day a week at the most is one of the best ways to prepare meals for the week and sometimes even the month ahead.

Cooking has been marketed as a chore. We don’t want to do it, we don’t have enough to shop for ingredients, and we certainly don’t have enough time to cook. There is a mountain of super-quick meals floating around the internet. While they save us time, they don’t always consider the proper preparation of ingredients before cooking with them. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

If we change our mindset, we can begin looking at cooking as a labour of love. It makes sense for us to be more thoughtful about our ingredients and how we prepare dishes. And being clever with cooking doesn’t just have financial benefits. Using ingredients immediately helps preserve their nutritional value for weeks or months.

Batch cooking impacts our contribution to food waste, too. According to Foodbank.org, 7.6 million tonnes of food is wasted annually, and 70% is perfectly edible. Delicious-tasting produce is often rejected because it’s not the optimal size, shape or colour. Food within close range of its use-by date is discarded by retailers, and domestic kitchens tip leftovers and unused food into the bin.

So, how does one make the best of their time, preserve nutritional content, save money and get ahead on the cooking? Simple. Spend a day batch cooking.

A little time spent cooking can set us up for a week or a month of meals. Follow these tips to make the most of your cooking time.

Begin with a plan

The easiest way to begin is with a sound plan.

Create a list of the dishes you’d like to eat.
Ensure they are big-batch recipes, so you get multiple servings from the same dish.
Make the most of your favourite cooking methods. If you enjoy cooking in the oven, choose as many dishes cooked in an oven as possible. If you love using your slow cooker, ensure the bulk of your menu plan is done in the slow cooker. This way, you can maximise energy usage and lean into your strengths.
Check what ingredients you already have in the fridge or pantry for your big-batch cooking.
Create a master ingredient shopping list by adding the ingredients from each recipe. At the end, add up exactly how much of each ingredient you need.
Ensure you have enough freezer-proof containers to store all your cooked dishes in. Choose containers that can be frozen, thawed, and reheated to cut down on washing up.
Put on your apron and some background music, and start cooking. My grandma used to begin at 6am, which might be early these days. But starting early means you’ll have the entire day to prepare food and allow it to cool down.

Try these delicious big-batch recipes.

Get ahead of the game by making this big batch of budget-friendly gravy. Future-you will be very grateful next time you roast a chook.

Budget big-batch gravy

This big-batch pasta sauce can be frozen in portions and defrosted for an easy midweek home-cooked dinner.

Freezable big-batch pasta sauce

This fresh big batch seafood chowder serves 10 and can be cooked in the slow cooker or on the stovetop. Use a pre-made marinara mix to make it super easy.

Big-batch slow-cooker seafood chowder

“Always keep a delicious cake on hand,” Grandma used to say. This golden syrup slab cake is just the ticket and serves 15 making it a cost-effective dessert.

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These easy lemon biscuits are a bite-size explosion of flavour! This recipe makes 45 biscuits that are delicious with herbal tea in the afternoon.

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This batch recipe for condensed milk biscuits makes 80 biscuits and is excellent for the kids, fetes and cake stalls.

Condensed Milk Biscuits

Two of your favourites come together in this spicy, hearty chilli con carne shepherd’s pie that serves 8.

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Get this delicious slow cooker beef curry with vegetables simmering in the crockpot, and forget about it until dinner. It feeds 8 and needs steamed rice for a delightful, budget-friendly crowd-pleaser.

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Old-fashioned meatloaf gets a facelift with plenty of veg in this mince, carrot and zucchini loaf. There’s enough for 6 servings, and it freezes well.