Here in Spain, we’re surrounded by Anglicisms, and some of us have already naturally incorporated them into our everyday vocabulary. They’re words that have ended up on everyone’s lips and whose profile has been raised by social media. While a couple of months ago we talked to you about #RealFooding, today we’d like to introduce you (for those who aren’t already familiar with it) to “batch cooking.”
As you’ll see, it’s another food-related term, although this time it’s something we can use to identify a trend that’s becoming increasingly popular and that’s a great way to save time and money if you do it right. In fact, another way you could define batch cooking is how to spend less time cooking and manage to eat better at the same time. Seem doable? It definitely is! You just need to be pretty organized and have a clear idea of all of the meals you’re going to be making ahead of time. Let’s see how it’s done.
Salads in a jar and soups are the stars
The most important thing, as we mentioned, is planning. It’s important to have the menus in mind, as this makes the weekly shopping trip quicker and easier. One tip from batch cooking devotees is to have four weekly meal plans and alternate them. The experts note that the main foods in any shopping cart should be vegetables given that vegetable soups and purees make an ideal appetizer or light meal. Something else that works really well like this and that can be prepared days in advance are salads, especially ones you can keep in a glass jar or container since they have airtight closures and prevent leaks. Chop up the ingredients and store them in this order: on the bottom, the heavier foods (pulses, rice, pasta), then the vegetables and moist cheeses, and then the protein (meat and/or fish) and the softer foods such as egg, quinoa, or avocado, on top.
It’s all a matter of being organized, right? While this method may be slightly more complicated, sometimes it’s worth investing a little time in planning so that everything goes more smoothly and quickly later. In this sense, something else that’s big among batch cooking devotees is au gratin dishes, such as cannelloni, lasagna, or stuffed eggplant. Why? Because after cooking, you can easily divide them into portions for storing in the fridge or freezer, and then when it’s time to eat them you just need to heat them up.
What do you think? Will you be getting on board with this trend? You’re bound to appreciate it in time!
