My Bulk Cooking Experiment
Here’s a fun little assignment for you: visit Pinterest and search for “bulk cooking” or “freezer meals.” How many hits did you get? Thousands? Yeah, that’s what I thought.
Cooking in bulk is more than just a trend in the Pinterest world, however. It can also be a tool for leading a healthy lifestyle in that it eliminates or reduces cooking time for those nights when take-out sounds a lot more appealing than firing up the oven.
Until today, I had never tried this way of cooking. I like to cook, and I actually look forward to cooking dinner every night. That being said, sometimes I am too hungry to wait for a pot of rice to simmer away on the stove for 45+ minutes. So I decided that for my first go at bulk cooking, I would try making large batches of ingredients rather than recipes. If I like the way this experiment goes, then maybe I’ll take a look at all those ideas on Pinterest and make a few recipes too.
I chose a few items at random to make in bulk: brown rice, black-eyed peas, and whole wheat rotini. I did a little research online to make sure that these items could stand up to the freezing process (and they can).
Then I measured out the proper amount of water for each ingredient…a step that took quite a while when you consider that the rice alone required eleven (yes, eleven) cups of water. I need a bigger measuring cup!
- 5 1/2 cups rice + 11 cups water
- 1 lb. or 2 cups black-eyed peas + 8 cups for quick-soak, then 6 cups for cooking
- 8 ounces or 2 cups rotini + enough water to cover
Then it was just a matter of simmering and boiling.
Meanwhile, I prepared some plastic bags for the freezer.
Depending on the item, I labeled them by weight or by number of servings + Calories.
Once each item was cooked, I allowed them to cool for at least an hour or so before placing them in its bag. Flatten and freeze!
This first attempt was certainly not perfect—my black-eyed peas were mushy, and I think there’s too much condensation in that bag with the rotini. But hopefully they’ll taste alright and make healthy meal preparation a little easier.
Have you ever tried cooking in bulk? Do you have any freezer-friendly recipes you’d like to share? As always, links are welcome!
Filed under: How To
Caroline Cohen, MS
I always have good intentions to cook in bulk.. but then don’t end up using everything and toss it out, so it’s a bust!
BroccoliHut Reply:
January 24th, 2013 at 9:42 pm
Yes, I was afraid that might happen with me too, which is why I chose cheap items–at least that way it’s not so terrible if it doesn’t work out.
I have had bad luck with freezing beans. They were totally mushy. Maybe it’s just a matter of watching them better during the cooking process so that you switch off the heat the moment they are tender, before they begin to fall apart? That said, I don’t understand the appeal of freezing something like plain pasta, since it only takes about 10 minutes to boil fresh. I never like the taste of reheated whole wheat pasta anyway, so even if I make a bunch of sauce one night, I always boil the pasta each night.
BroccoliHut Reply:
January 24th, 2013 at 9:48 pm
I’m afraid I might have the mushy beans problem too–the black eye peas were pretty soft when I put them in the freezer. As for the pasta, I agree that pasta is quick cooking enough that making it in bulk isn’t reply much of a time saver. However, I included it in the experiment 1) because Seth loves pasta but often doesn’t even like waiting ten minutes for it to cook and 2) it’s cheap, so it’s no biggie if the texture doesn’t turn out right!
I love the idea of cooking in bulk, but I rarely do it. I’ve had limited success with homemade chickpea burgers (they had a bit too much moisture and crumbled a bit). I’ve also frozen brown rice (which, interestingly enough, I’ve only used IN the chickpea burgers). I do like the idea of freezing beans/peas, however.
I’m envious of the pinterest posts I see where people freeze entire meals (often for the crockpot). Crazy! I don’t think I could make it work.
For some reason, I’m not a fan of freezer food and will never use it. So I abandoned the idea long ago and now my freezer contains several flavors of vodka and a selection of cocktail glasses.
I do, however, cook enough on the weekend to keep in the fridge for most of the week. I found that helps the most to be able to put a healthy meal on the table in 30 minutes.
I looove the idea of cooking in bulk but never find the food appetizing days/weeks down the road. I had a freezer bag full of lentils for months, which was my last attempt before realizing it just doesn’t cut it for me. I guess I will just have to keep on cooking and budget in other ways!
Hey Caroline, I cook in bulk quite often! I only cook for one (myself), so often times I left over with a lot of food. I have long work hours, so convenience is also very nice. I freeze just about any left overs from a recipe! I find that chickpeas are the best bean to freeze. They hold up really well in the freezer. Brown rice and, quinoa, buckwheat, and most grains, actually, hold up well too. As for storage in the freezer, I find it easier to package servings individually for most things. I use tupperware (glass or plastic), plastic baggies, or aluminum foil for this. Chickpeas, however, are fine to store in one big baggie. Although, before putting them all in a bag, immediately after cooking them I would lay them out on a cookie sheet and put them in the freezer until they freeze. Then move them into a bag. This prevents them all from freezing together. If you don’t have time, it’s not that hard to separate the big chunks though. Hitting the bag against the kitchen counter works just fine
I really like that they hold up so well because I can make mass batches (think nearly 30 servings worth!) on a day I’m off work and then have chickpeas to last me for a really long time! Good luck with your bulk cooking endeavors!