Why And How To Batch Cook

Batch Cooking is an organized way of preparing our meals with a little more freedom than Meal Planning. It’s about preparing separate ingredients, in advance, that we will then combine spontaneously, depending on what we feel like eating.

Definition of Batch Cooking

Planning ahead is a strategy that works wonders to maintain a healthy lifestyle, especially when it comes down to healthy eating. 

We have already seen that Meal Planning is a fairly good strategy, and it helps to plan and make our meals in advance. However, if you don’t enjoy eating the same dish for three or four days in a row, batch cooking might be a better strategy for you

Advantages of Batch Cooking

Let’s see what the advantages of doing batch cooking are and why it would be a wise decision to give it a try:

Healthy Batch Cooking

If you are a beginner at batch cooking, or even new in the kitchen, don’t worry, you don’t need any specific expertise to get started with this strategy. 

Let’s have a look at what kind of ingredients you could start with and how to cook them:

Whole Grains

Quinoa, brown rice, wild rice, millet, not-wheat pasta, buckwheat

Boil them with the right ratio of water, which is usually found listed on the package.

A white cocotte with wild rice in it

Starchy Vegetables

Potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, squash, carrots, turnips, beets.

You can roast them for about 45 minutes, or you can steam them.

Cruciferous Vegetables

Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, cabbage.

You can roast them for about 25 minutes, or you can also eat them raw or steamed.

Dark Leafy Greens

Kale, chard, collards, spinach, bok choy.

You can blanch (boil for just a few minutes and submerge immediately in an ice bath to stop the cooking process), sauté, steam or eat them raw.

Meat, Fish and Plant-based Proteins

Chicken, veal, pork, salmon, tofu, etc.

You can grill, pan-fry, or roast them, but also braise or stew them.

Eggs

The easiest method to make eggs when batch cooking is to boil them. We can make a soft-boiled egg that is still runny inside by boiling them for 6 minutes.

The longer we boil them, the harder they become. To stop the cooking process for the runnier eggs, make sure to use an ice bath after the boiling time is over.

Peel the eggs before storing them in an airtight container, so that they are ready to grab and eat.

Dressings and Spreads

Cucumber appetizers with sardine spread and an olive on top

You can make your own salad dressings, sauces, and spreads that can be stored in the fridge, making them ready whenever you want to add a different touch to your food.

Here is a good resource about cooking methods.

Batch Cooking for Beginners

Here are a few suggestions if you have never tried batch cooking before, and you are not even familiar with the concept:

How to Store Food when Batch Cooking

After spending time preparing your food, you don’t want to have any of it wasted just because you didn’t know how to store it properly.

A glass jar with applesauce and apples and cinnamon stick as background

Here is a little guide:

Batch Cooking Recipes

Breakfast

Lunch or Dinner

Snacks

Salad Dressings, Fridge Staples and Spreads

Batch cooking is a great strategy to keep healthy eating habits that will improve your energy and well-being. 

Remember to take one step at a time in your journey to a healthier lifestyle, and if you need some help to make your journey easier and more enjoyable, don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

On my private sessions page, you can find more information about what we could do together. 

As always, I appreciate you stopping by my blog, and if you think this post might help someone you know to make even a small step to a healthier lifestyle, please don’t hesitate to share it away!

Happy Healthy Living!

A big hug,

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