Large pans – make sure the recipe you plan to cook will fit into the pans you have available. Read the method before you start, in case you need more than one. Bauer Consumer Media Ltd, Company number 01176085; Bauer Radio Limited, Company number: 1394141; Registered office: Media House, Peterborough Business Park, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA and H Bauer Publishing, Company number: LP003328; Registered office: The Lantern, 75 Hampstead Road, London NW1 2PL Home cook turned recipe book author Suzanne Mulholland, aka The Batch Lady , would disagree. The key, she says, is to batch cook ‘base dishes’ that can be used in lots of different ways. This keeps meals varied and exciting while still limiting the time we need to spend in the kitchen. At this time of year, when the days get shorter and colder, we crave cosy, filling meals that leave us feeling nourished and comforted. Think curries , pies , stews and casseroles . These dishes often take time, so making big batches to fill our freezers and fridges with is a no-brainer. All those homemade ready meals will make short work out of dinner for days to come.

7 recipe books to help you master batch cook meals

Perhaps top with mashed potato and bake for an easy veggie cottage pie , or if you want to keep meat on the menu, how about a rich sausage and lentil ragu served with pasta? In the last 10 years, I’ve really got into batch cooking base dishes. They are great for staple family meals and can be adapted easily to serve with different ingredients. They also don’t break the bank, which helps when trying to keep in budget to feed a whole family – especially teenagers!” Take mince, tinned tomatoes or passata, some onions and carrots, and you have your basic bolognese sauce. And while it’s great with spaghetti, there’s so much more you can do with it. Not only can they learn from all your experience, it'll create fun (and messy!) memories that'll last a lifetime. Before you get started on making your base dishes, you’re going to want to have a few key ingredients on hand – ones which are both budget friendly and versatile, says Mulholland.I have been batch cooking since the kids were young – about 18 years. I was fed up with feeling like I was always chasing my tail when it came to mealtimes. You could easily turn it into a lasagne, or even a chilli con carne just by adding some peppers, kidney beans, chilli powder and cumin.

The Batch Lady: Cooking on a Budget: The new cookbook from

Either choose a book which has specific batch cook recipes or double up the portions of your favourite recipe. This sauce lends itself perfectly to pasta, either on its own or perhaps with meatballs (which could also be served in sub instead of on spaghetti). Do you relish getting ahead with dinners for the week? Our batch cooking recipes are easy, many are freezable, and they save you time and money. Blitz tinned tomatoes (or use passata) along with some dried Italian herbs (either a mix or just oregano, perhaps), onion and maybe garlic and you’ll have an effortless tomato sauce . Storage containers – invest in some reuseable plastic or glass containers that are freezer-friendly. You’ll want to freeze your food in portions, so choose containers that are the right size for your family.Batch cooking can be a genius solution for ensuring warm, hearty meals - even when you don't feel like cooking.