Benefits of Bulk Cooking

I’ve spoken before about why I meal plan (there’s even a free Meal Planning 101 guide if you’re on my newsletter list!) but today I wanted to talk all about the benefits of bulk cooking! It’s something I’ve been doing for the last few years and it makes a huge difference in so many ways!

Benefits of Bulk Cooking | I Spy Plum Pie

Bulk cooking can be as simple as making a few meals in advance and as extreme as preparing a whole month of meals in one go, but whichever end of the spectrum you’re at there are benefits to be found! Personally, I have found that preparing 4-5 days of meals works best for me! You can also bulk cook all your meals, or choose just one or two meals of the day – whatever suits your needs!

So, what are the benefits of bulk cooking?

Save Time

Cooking in bulk saves you time in a multitude of ways, even if at first it can seem like quite the opposite! Firstly, it saves you time in the shopping front as you only need to do your grocery shopping once for the week (or month!).

Once you’re in the swing of things it can save you time in the cooking front as well, as you get used to batch preparing ingredients, cooking multiple things at once and using one ingredient in multiple dishes. Bulk cooking most definitely saves you time on a day-to-day basis as all the hard work has been done for you. When it comes time to eat it’s as simple as reheating your meal and away you go! This means that even the least confident chef in your household can get dinner on the table!

Save Money

Meal planning in general will help you save money as you’re less likely to buy unnecessary items if you have a shopping list, and you can plan meals around whatever is in season. Bulk cooking takes this another step as it allows you to buy ingredients in bulk, which is usually much cheaper on a unit price basis.

Bulk cooking also can save you money as you’re less likely to default to takeaway meals or ready-made options when time is short or inspiration is low. If you have a freezer packed with delicious meals that you can reheat in no time you’ll gravitate towards those, saving lots of cash!

Eat Healthier Meals

As cooking in bulk requires some pre-planning of your meals you are likely to choose healthier, nutritionally balanced options meaning that your day-to-day diet will improve. Having healthy meals on hand also means you’re less likely to eat less healthy takeaway options as well! You’re also likely to use lots of veggies and beans in your meals which is an excellent, healthy start!

Reduce Waste

Bulk cooking can help you reduce waste in two important ways. Firstly, by planning your meals in advance you’re only going to buy the food that you need, reducing your food waste. If you’re going to be making two or three different meals at once you can use a whole pumpkin, or an entire bunch of herbs and then you won’t have them sitting sad in the bottom of your fridge two weeks later!

You can also reduce packaging waste as you can choose the two-kilo bag instead of 4 of the 500g bags, or head to the bulk store and buy the exact amount you need of an ingredient using your own bags. Every little change adds up to a huge difference over time!

Less Cleaning

This might not feel true the first few times you cook in bulk but eventually it is, I promise! By cooking lots of meals at once you can save lots of cleaning time as you can use the same chopping board for multiple items (just not meat and veggies of course), cook a double or triple batch of grains in one saucepan and use one roasting pan for all your veggies. It also means you only have to wash your cooking utensils once a week (or even once a month!), and if you clean while you’re cooking it really isn’t all that overwhelming!

Just think how nice it would be to have zero cooking dishes to do during the week!

These are my top benefits of bulk cooking, I’d love to hear about yours too!

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4 Comments on Benefits of Bulk Cooking

  1. Di from Max The Unicorn
    February 11, 2017 at 11:44 am (7 years ago)

    I have been wanting to bulk cook for the longest time, and despite vowing to be extra organised this year, I still haven’t managed to get on it. I’d love to have more time each day instead of having to cook each night! Great tips 🙂
    #UltimateRabbitHole
    Di from Max The Unicorn recently posted…Review: Harvest Garden Coffee Goodness*!

    Reply
    • I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
      February 24, 2017 at 7:00 pm (7 years ago)

      Start small and you’ll get there! I’ve got more bulk cooking posts coming so hopefully you’ll find them helpful!

      Reply
  2. Paula, The Geeky Shopaholic
    February 15, 2017 at 10:45 am (7 years ago)

    I love the idea of this! Especially the less cleaning part! I just need to learn to cook more things first!

    Reply
    • I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
      February 24, 2017 at 7:02 pm (7 years ago)

      Just add to your repertoire little by little and you’ll get there!

      Reply

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