Bulk Cooking Tips: Make Big Batches, Save Big
Proven bulk cooking strategies. Learn how to save money without cutting corners on nutrition or taste.
Why Bulk Cooking Works
Bulk cooking saves money in three ways: you can buy the large, cheaper package of whatever is on sale, you use the oven and stove once instead of five times, and you have a ready meal on the nights you'd otherwise order takeout. That last one is usually the biggest saving.
Best Foods to Bulk Cook
The best foods to cook in bulk are the ones that freeze and reheat well: chili, soups, stews, meat sauce, curries, shredded chicken, meatballs, rice and beans, lasagna and other casseroles. Avoid bulk-cooking anything that's best fresh, like salads, fried foods or delicate fish.
The Bulk Cooking Process
Pick two or three recipes that share ingredients, for example ground beef in both a chili and a meat sauce. Shop the sale, then cook everything in one session: start the longest-cooking dish first, prep vegetables while it simmers, and wash up as you go. Two to three hours on a weekend can cover most of the week's dinners and lunches.
Sample Bulk Cooking Menu
A sample bulk session from one sale on ground beef and chicken thighs: a big pot of chili, a tray of meatballs, a pan of baked chicken thighs and a large pot of rice. That gives you chili twice, meatball subs, chicken and rice bowls, and chicken wraps, with extra chili to freeze.
Storage and Reheating Tips
Cool food quickly before it goes in the fridge or freezer, and label every container with what it is and the date. Most cooked dishes keep three to four days in the fridge and two to three months in the freezer. Reheat soups and stews until they're steaming hot all the way through.
Assembling Meals from Prepped Components
Cooked components give you more variety than finished meals. Shredded chicken can become tacos, soup or a pasta bake. Cooked rice becomes fried rice or burrito bowls. Roasted vegetables become a frittata or a grain bowl. Cooking the parts in bulk and assembling different meals during the week keeps you from eating the same thing five nights in a row.
Featured Cities
Bulk cooking works best when the main ingredient is on sale. Check this week's deals in your city for family packs of meat and large bags of produce.
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