Bulk Cooking 101

Cooking supper every single night can wear you down faster than anything can.  If you want to take a breather from this boring routine, consider doing bulk cooking.  That way you will save your energy, your time and money.  This is a forgotten custom which worked so well for our grandmothers and may very well work for us as well.
If you like the convenience of TV dinners but disdain the fat, salt and additives they contain, bulk cooking is the only option for you.  Sure, for a day, you might be cooped up in your kitchen doing bulk  cooking, but you'll be free for a week afterwards. 

What is bulk cooking?

Bulk cooking is about cooking in advance more than one meal at a time.  You could cook for 2 meals, for a day of meals, a week's worth or even 2 weeks' worth. 

What dishes can be cooked in bulk?

There are recipes which take the same time to prepare whether you're cooking for 2 or 20 servings.  What are these? 

• granola--Cook a pound or two, let cool and repack in small ziplock bags.
• chili—Cook up a big pot and transfer a serving each to a container then freeze.
• spaghetti—Cook a big batch of spaghetti sauce and repack by servings then freeze.  Do the same for the pasta.
• pizza—Cook a big volume of standard dough and just have in hand a variety of toppings such as cheese, red pepper slices, pepperoni, anchovies, ham, etc.

The same principle can be done for:

• soups
• lasagna
• casseroles

What do you need to do bulk cooking?

• You should of course have big pots, pans and saucepans to cook volumes of dishes in.  Your may need a bigger freezer than you currently have.
• You need to buy freezer-proof, microwaveable and oven-proof containers in which to stock your bulk dishes.  Each container should be of a volume enough to keep one meal for your family.
• You should have at least half a day for cooking, repacking, labeling and freezing your meals.

What are the benefits of bulk cooking?

• You need fewer trips to the grocery.
• You'll spend less time cooking since you'll simply be reheating.
• You'll spend less time washing pots and pans because all you'll be washing are small food keepers.
• You'll save money on gas, electricity and water because of the above reasons.
• You'll have more time for your family or for other things that you enjoy doing.