In our hectic lives, finding time to cook fresh, balanced meals can be a real challenge. Between work, family and daily chores, it can be tempting to give in to convenience and turn to frozen ready meals.
However, these choices are not only expensive, they're also often unhealthy and nutritionally poor. That's where batch cooking comes in. This method involves preparing several meals in advance for the week, then combining these preparations to create different dishes each day. Advertising specialist Caroline Pessin goes one step further, proposing a method for cooking the whole week in just two hours.
Save time and enjoy a balanced diet with batch cooking
Caroline Pessin explains that since discovering the batch cooking method, she has been able to save money, improve her diet and free herself from the stress of cooking every day. Every weekend, she spends around two hours peeling and chopping vegetables, marinating and cooking various dishes. During the week, all she has to do is reheat, blend or cook something quick. In just fifteen minutes, she has dinner or lunch ready for the next day. Her book, “Cocina en 2H para toda la semana” (Planeta, 2019), contains 16 weekly menus divided by season, with ingredients readily available in any supermarket and based on the produce of each season. She also recommends always having certain staples in stock, such as rice, pasta, flour and olive oil. The author also stresses the importance of having the right kitchen equipment, such as a stockpot, frying pan, saucepans, baking sheets and mixing bowls, as well as storage containers to keep food fresh throughout the week. Food can be stored in the refrigerator for use in the first few days of the week, while some dishes intended for later consumption can be kept in the freezer.
Seven steps to successful batch cooking
To apply her method, Caroline Pessin suggests seven simple steps to follow. First, choose the menu you want to make for the week. Then shop over the weekend for all the ingredients you need. Plan a day of cooking, preferably on Sunday, so that the food is fresh. Before you start, place all the ingredients on the work surface or table to save time. Also take out all the kitchen utensils you'll need to cook. Respect the cooking times for each food to ensure optimal results. Finally, store dishes and ingredients according to the author's recommendations. Dishes for the beginning of the week should be kept in the refrigerator, while those for the weekend can be put in the freezer. Thanks to these steps, Caroline Pessin claims that it takes less than a quarter of an hour each day to cook or reheat prepared dishes.
A sample summer menu for the whole week
Each menu proposed by Caroline Pessin is designed to feed a family of four. Here's an example of a summer menu with the necessary ingredients: eggplant, zucchini, potatoes, green beans, mushrooms, peas, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, spring onions, salad mezclum, mint, dill, lemon, garlic, red onions, breadcrumbs, nutmeg, wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper, minced beef, salmon fillets, cod loins, butter, liquid cream, feta, ricotta, parmesan, eggs, green lentils, white or semi-complete rice, crushed tomatoes and natural tomato sauce, cinnamon. With these ingredients, meals for the week would be: potato salad with salmon, Greek-style lentils and stuffed zucchini, moussaka, dill stew with rice, pea soup with feta and mint, and lentil dumplings with tomato sauce and green beans.
By following Caroline Pessin's batch cooking steps, you can save time in the kitchen and still have healthy, balanced meals for the whole week. Thanks to this method, the stress of wondering “What's for dinner tonight?” is a thing of the past. By investing a little time and organization at the weekend, you can enjoy delicious meals throughout the week, without sacrificing your health or your budget. So why not try batch cooking now and free up your time to do something other than spend hours in the kitchen?
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I'm Thomas, passionate editor at services-conseils.fr. My area of expertise is technology and the web, where I devote my time and energy to unearthing the latest news and trends. My aim is to share my knowledge and discoveries with our readers, who are eager to learn more about these constantly evolving fields.
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I was an intern at the editorial office. When I saw their ad for a freelancer, I decided to come back. I'm a fan of series and movies, I spend my weekends at the cinema and my nights in front of Netflix
