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Bulk Cooking

Today I am making a very large pot of ham & bean soup along with 3 large pans of cornbread. This will feed my family of 7 (3 adults, 2 teens, 2 younger) for a couple of days and the rest can go in the freezer for a day when I don't feel like cooking or don't have the time. This is something I do quite a bit. Sometimes I will spend a whole weekend cooking large batches of several recipes and freezing it all. It's cheaper than eating out or buying prepackaged frozen meals and for the most part healthier. I got on this kick years ago when a friend intoduced me to this book The 30 Day Gourmet. It works well for me and there is something very satisfying about stocking the freezer with lots of homemade food. Another benefit is that if I have a main course already to pop in the oven I can spend more time on making more elaborate or interesting side dishes.

So does anyone else do this? If so, what kind of food do you prepare?

I make all kinds of stuff: soups, spaghetti, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, macaroni & cheese, burrito filling, breakfast rice, muffins, cookies, quiche, broccoli casserole and so on.

Tags: bulk, cooking, freezer, freezing, make-ahead, meals

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Prog Rock Girl on June 29, 2010 at 9:00am

I don't make it in quite the same quantity but yeah I like to cook large amounts. It saves cooking later on. I mostly make spaghetti and other pasta, split pea soup, mashed potatoes, things like that. My husband also likes to cook huge pots of curry.

Permalink Reply by Dallas the Phallus on July 1, 2010 at 12:56pm

Dejah, I live alone and don't cook quite in this same way. About the only bulk cooking I do is for my lunch I take to work.

On the weekend, I typically cook a cup or rice, steam some broccoli or asparagus, open a can of black-eyed peas or black beans, grill some veggies perhaps, or make mashed sweet potatoes or roasted new potatoes. Some combination of this kind of stuff, which I then bring it to work in large containers and leave it in the fridge all week. Every night I cook a chicken breast or a piece of pork or something, and bring that each day, but ther rest is already prepared. This is enough food to last me all week in most cases.

Other than that, I don't cook and freeze food of any kind.

Permalink Reply by Dejah Thoris on July 1, 2010 at 6:44pm

You're very smart to prepare your lunch ahead like that. Much better than eating out all the time, for your health and your wallet.

Permalink Reply by sacha on August 18, 2010 at 12:44am

I cook pots full of Indian food, divide it into individual portions and put them in the freezer with a little sticker on top indicating what it is. Indian food freezes perfectly and it tastes like one just made it when it's defrosted. I usually have three or more different varieties in my freezer at any one time.

When I do not have time or the energy to prepare something from scratch, I cook some rice and thaw whatever sounds good. Healthy, delicious, homemade, and fast. It's great.

Permalink Reply by Dejah Thoris on August 18, 2010 at 5:37am

I've never cooked Indian food. It's nice to know that it freezes so well. I will have to give it a try sometime.

Permalink Reply by sacha on September 4, 2010 at 12:30am

let me know if you want some recipes. You may need to get a few Indian spices and lentils, but if you live near a good-sized city, that shouldn't be a problem, or you can order the items online.

Permalink Reply by Dejah Thoris on September 4, 2010 at 7:31am

Sure, that would be great sacha. I know a good source for spices online. I used it to get file and some other stuff when I was trying my hand at gumbo.

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