The Batch Cook

How to complete The Batch Cook

This means cooking once and eating from it all week: every lunch and dinner for seven days planned, prepped, and stored ahead. Done right, it kills the daily 'what's for dinner' decision and the takeout spending that rides along with it.

1. Plan all 14 meals first, then build one shopping list so you buy exactly what you need.
2. Choose recipes that share ingredients and reheat well (stews, grain bowls, roasted vegetables, braises) and skip anything that goes soggy.
3. Cook in components: batch a protein, a grain or starch, and a couple of vegetables, then mix and match into different meals.
4. Portion into labeled containers; refrigerate three or four days' worth and freeze the rest.
5. Move frozen portions to the fridge the night before you plan to eat them.

Tips

• Run the oven, stovetop, and slow cooker at once to compress everything into a single cooking session.
• Slightly undercook pasta and vegetables since they finish cooking when reheated.
• Keep sauces and dressings separate until serving so nothing turns to mush.

What counts as done

Your fridge and freezer hold labeled, portioned containers covering every lunch and dinner for the next seven days.