Batch Cooking: What it is and what advantages it has

Today we're talking about batch cooking, a culinary technique that has been on the rise worldwide in recent years. Its main advantage is "saving time in the kitchen." Want to know more about it?

Let's explain what it entails and how to carry it out!

What is Batch Cooking?

Batch cooking can be a great ally for those who have limited time for cooking or those who need to prepare meals to take to work every day. It involves cooking multiple recipes at once for different days of the week, preparing intermediate preparations to combine and create different yet nutritionally complete dishes. This technique maximizes resources, so you'll also save money on your weekly grocery shopping. Say goodbye to improvisation and start practicing batch cooking!

Typically, people who practice this technique choose Sunday afternoon to prepare all the dishes for the week. It should be a calm moment when you have time for preparations.

The first and most important step is planning. Choose the recipes you want to prepare for the week, visualize what they have in common, and get started. Cook the base of the dish (e.g., pasta, rice, legumes...), as well as the add-ins (vegetables, greens, or other ingredients like eggs). Then, at the last minute, you'll only need to add additional elements like nuts, ham, cheeses... and season with olive oil, dressings, or spices to taste.

Recipes to Take to Work

Cutting Vegetables

Advantages of Batch Cooking

Save Time in the Kitchen

As mentioned, when you practice batch cooking, it's typical to carry out the main preparations and dish add-ins in specific hours, for example, on Sunday afternoon. This way, you ensure that meal preparation is taken care of for the entire week. You'll only need to season and add the finishing touches.

Prepare Dishes with Higher Nutritional Quality

Batch cooking allows us to plan ahead and create varied dishes with the intention of making them nutritionally complete. How? By combining food groups: legumes, grains, vegetables, greens, or animal products while considering the famous "plate method." Thus, one of the advantages of this wonderful technique is the promotion of a healthy and balanced diet.

Weekly Shopping Planning

Batch cooking aims to avoid improvisation and requires planning the weekly menu. This planning determines your shopping list and helps you save by not acquiring unnecessary products that might spoil in the fridge. This leads us to the next advantage.

Resource Optimization

Optimizing food utilization is one of the most significant advantages. Some tips include buying whole pieces, both vegetables and animal products, for greater yield. In preparations, resource optimization involves: Using multiple burners at once, using the grill and oven trays to prepare several dishes simultaneously, etc.

Cooking Vegetables

What Do We Need to Carry It Out?

If you're new to this, you'll need to keep in mind the key points to start practicing the batch cooking technique. First of all, you'll need several airtight containers to store the preparations properly. Consider the portions you need to cook, that is, for how many days and for how many people.

It's also important to have space in the kitchen to carry out multiple preparations at once: a spacious countertop, multiple burners, an oven, etc. And of course, space in the refrigerator.

Another factor is to learn about different types of cuts and cooking methods. This will help you get the most out of the ingredients and cook them in different ways for a varied diet.

Batch Cooking Recipe Ideas

At Enrique Tomás, we offer various recipe ideas that fit perfectly with the batch cooking technique. You'll only need to choose the ones you like the most and start cooking! These recipes are part of the Mediterranean diet, and we prepare them with the goal of making them nutritionally complete, so you can enjoy them to the fullest.

Our star ingredient is ham in all its forms: slices, shavings, cubes... It always adds an original, flavorful, and intense touch to each recipe. Do you know the health benefits of ham? We tell you all about it in: The Nutritional Properties of Iberian Ham.