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5 Tips For Batch Cooking

By Betty Crocker Kitchens
Updated October 24, 2022
Make-Ahead Oven-Roasted Pulled Pork
Batch cooking is your new best friend for hectic weeknights. It's a handy cooking method that sets you up for days.

If you have a busy week coming up, are preoccupied with home renovations, are expecting a baby, or a medical procedure, batch cooking helps you quickly get a home-cooked dinner on the table that you actually want to eat.

Best of all, we’ve collected some of our favorite batch cooking recipes so you can try this time-saving cooking method (and you'll be glad you did!) Just think of batch cooking as present you looking out for future you.

Batch cooking is a great way to save time and money, as it typically sets you up with meals or components of a meal for up to a few months in advance. These recipes are generally freezer-friendly and yield large serving sizes.

How to Store and Keep Items Fresh When Batch Cooking

  • Use airtight freezer-friendly containers or bags to keep food fresh for batch cooking.
  • Be sure to label and date your containers, so you know when you froze them and what is inside each dish.
  • As is true with any make-ahead meals, food should be refrigerated promptly and reheated thoroughly to avoid any food safety issues.

Tips for Batch Cooking

Avoid foods that wilt or turn slimy quickly
When planning for a few meals ahead of time, you want to aim for fresh foods that are easy to heat up. So, avoid foods that wilt quickly or don't do well with moisture. Salads and greens usually don't thrive in batch cooking — but sometimes a salad-in-a-jar situation is ok if it's for the next day and the dressing isn't already on it.

Mix things up
Batch cooking gives you the freedom to mix up your meals. Choose a few recipes that yield large servings or cook components of a meal that provide you with flexibility for various types of recipes. For example, by batch cooking multiple servings of chicken and rice, you'll already have the base for different meals like a veggie-filled power bowl, Tex-Mex classics, or tasty Asian-inspired dishes.

Pick a day to bulk-cook your ingredients
Knock out your batch cooking in one night while all the pots, pans, cutting boards, knives, etc., are out. Set aside time on the weekend or a slow weeknight to do all the cooking. It saves you kitchen time in the long run and frees up your weeknights.

Cook extra and freeze
Once you find a few recipes your family loves, double or triple the recipe so you can freeze it for when you need it. Don't forget to press the air out of the freezer bags to prevent freezer burn.

Choose your storing containers
When stocking your fridge and freezer with batch cooking items, you want containers that can keep your food fresh for months. Invest in quality containers and freezer-friendly bags that you can feel confident about not breaking.

Let’s Get to Cookin’ and Preppin’

These delicious recipes are a great place to start if you're ready to give batch cooking a shot. We've gathered some of our favorite simple slow-cooker meals and make-ahead recipes that can feed your family when you're in a pinch. Don’t forget to share your batch cooking tips, tricks and photos with us @BettyCrocker.