Batch Cooking for Baby Led Weaning
Here are some top tips Mums at Nibble and Rest use and have found makes batch cooking for baby led weaning just the smidge bit easier!
- Choose Recipes with Similar Ingredients
Decide on a few recipes that have similar flavours so you can make the most of your ingredients. Ever made recipes that only use half of something and now you’re left with one awkward piece of vegetable? Look for recipes that might use similar elements so you can batch cook them at the same time to then make the most of the ingredients. Less waste and it makes your supermarket shop easier! Maybe try making Bolognese and Shepard’s Pie – both freeze perfectly.
- Double Up
One of the best aspects of batch cooking is knowing you have ready-made meals ready to go for family lunches and dinners. Most recipes are easy to double so you end up extra portions with little to no extra effort.
- Let Them Cool Completely
Food safety guidelines suggest letting your food fully cool to room temperature prior to freezing. However, do not leave food for more than two hours at room temp because this could let bacteria grow. Our top tip for defrosting is taking it out 24 hours in advance and let it defrost in the fridge overnight.
- Get Good Containers
Make your life easier and invest in some good food storage containers that make it easier to divide your batch cooking into smaller portions. Having smaller portions makes it quicker to reheat and means you can get more meals out of your batches.
- Label Everything
When you have let your portions fully cool and it’s ready to go into the fridge or freezer label everything. Put as much detail as you can – what it is, what is in it, and most importantly when it was cooked. Aim to use your homemade meals within three months of freezing.
Hope you find these tips helpful for how to make the most of batch cooking, once you start you won’t look back!