Tip 7: Batch cook to save

Waste less time and money in the long run

Batch cooking takes more time and money upfront, but it can save you big on both in the long run.

Compared to cooking daily, batch cooking then freezing the extra portions you’ve made will save you time, effort and money.

Not everyone can afford the upfront spend. But if you can, then buying ingredients in large amounts is almost always cheaper in the long run, as long as you actually use them up.

If you’re prone to pricey and unhealthy takeaways on nights when you’re too tired to cook, then batching meals in advance can really help. You can just grab something home cooked from the freezer, defrost and reheat it.

Tip 7

Batch cook some meals and freeze the extra portions you make.

Check out charity shops for items that can make batch cooking easier:

• big saucepans
• big frying pans
• slow cookers
• containers for freezing your batch meals

Tools

Check out these free batch cook recipes for inspiration:

• Love Food Hate Waste
• Budget batch-cooking recipes from BBC Good Food
• Budget family batch cook meal plan from BBC Food

Task

1. 1. Next time you plan your meals, choose 2 or 3 recipes that:
   • use some of the same ingredients like spaghetti bolognese, pasta bake and chilli
   • are simple one-pot meals like curries, soups, and pasta sauces
2. When you write your shopping list, plan to buy 2 to 3 times the amount of ingredients for your batch cook recipes than you’d buy for one meal’s.
3. Schedule an hour or two to batch cook your chosen recipes all in one go.
4. Remember to:
   • let your food cool before freezing or refrigerating
   • divide into meal-sized portions and label with the date and contents
   • use airtight containers or reusable freezer bags to prevent freezer burn
   • defrost in the fridge overnight or reheat from frozen - check it’s piping hot!
   • eat older batches first
   • keep a list of your batch cooked meals on your freezer door so you remember what’s inside.

Keep going!

You’ve made 7 out of 8 changes on your Food for thought journey.
Make all 8 changes to save up to £83 a month.

This report by Prep UK found that batch cooking can save you an average £1,100 a year on your food bill.

This survey by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board found that people who batch cook save about £60 per month.

But how?

Batch cooking saves you money because you are:

1. Planning your meals in advance so you’re only buying what you’ll need and that cuts out most of your avoidable food waste.
2. Buying ingredients in bulk, which is almost always cheaper in the long run, though the extra cost up front isn’t affordable for everyone.
3. More likely to resist the temptation of expensive and unhealthy takeaways on nights you’re too tired to cook. This is because there’s an easy home-cooked alternative in the freezer that just needs heating up.

That’s a big potential saving when you consider the Office for National Statistics data for 2025. This suggests UK households spend an average £1,401 on takeaway and restaurant food every year.