How to plan a day of batch cooking
BEFORE D DAY
- Determine your needs and ask yourself which recipes would be most fun to cook as a group. Pro tip: It’s better to make a small number of recipes rather than too many. Remember, you want this to be a fun activity, not a tedious one.
- Read the recipes beforehand and read them thoroughly. This way, you’ll avoid making only dishes that go in the oven!
- Think of how to make everything run smoothly and prepare a schedule. By anticipating cooking, freezing, cooling and rest (for pie dough or cookies, for example) times, it’ll be much easier to plan the day and ensure you’re able to make everything you have on your list.
- Make a list of materials you’ll need throughout the day. Missing a pot or a few knives? Ask the others to bring them.
- Have some coolers handy in order to free up the fridge, as well as a few airtight containers and freezer bags for the commute home.
ON D DAY
- Dissect the steps in each recipe, as well as the ingredients required. You can therefore start more than one recipe at a time by cooking multiple steps in advance rather than one at a time.
- Organize your kitchen so that you have different stations: one on the counter for shaping meatballs or rolling out dough; one on the kitchen island for chopping veggies; and one by the oven for cooking.
- Gather all your materials for easy access. Have multiple bowls in different sizes, as well as knives and cutting boards. Be sure to have a bowl for composting at each station, too.
- Assign tasks and take turns doing them. For example, one person can be in charge of chopping vegetables for all the recipes, another can sear the meat, and don’t forget, someone needs to be in charge of washing dishes, which needs to happen regularly. This way, you can avoid unnecessary back-and-forth in the kitchen, as well as keep dishes from piling up.
- As a good team leader, all that’s left is to get things started and have some fun!
1. White Pasta Sauce with Fennel and Celeriac
It’s impossible to skip making spaghetti sauce when cooking in a group. This recipe has been given a “white” twist with the addition of celeriac and fennel. Bypass all that vegetable chopping by using your food processor; you can even use it for the mortadella, giving it a nice, homogeneous texture. The veggies release their flavour, resulting in a mild sauce that coats the ground pork nicely. It’s everything you love about a Bolognese sauce, minus the tomatoes!
2. Curried Split Pea and Squash Soup
Inspired by mulligatawny soup, a very fragrant Indian dish, this soup ticks all the right boxes of an efficient, comforting fall recipe. Make a large batch and freeze it in multiple servings. To obtain the desired result, we recommend using butternut squash and carrots. Add a generous amount of the spice blend and split peas to the veggies and broth, and don’t forget to finish off with coconut milk. It’s a hearty vegetarian recipe to make in batches so that you can always have some on hand to warm you up on chilly nights. Soup’s on!
batch cooking
Curried Split Pea and Squash Soup
“Batch cooking with friends is fun, because what could seem like a huge chore actually turns into an enjoyable few hours spent with friends. And best of all, at the end of the day, we can all sit around the table together and enjoy the fruits of our labour.”
— Gaëlle Mahouin, Digital Content Project Manager
3. Korean-Style Braised Beef
There are certain classics that are just made to be cooked in advance, like braised beef. For this recipe, the Korean-inspired flavours give the meat a more pronounced taste. Rather than chop them by hand, blend the ginger and Korean chili pepper together to create an aromatic paste. Add this mixture to the pot before cooking and it will wonderfully enhance all the other ingredients. Let the meat simmer in the all-purpose sauce (tip: it’s a great base for soup!), and all that’s left to do is shred the meat to add to ramen or sandwiches.
4. Korean-Style Braised Beef Sandwiches
Among the many options for serving Korean braised beef, these sandwiches rank high on our list. They’re inspired by bo ssäm, a Korean dish consisting of lettuce wraps filled with thinly sliced braised meat. To pair with your beef, make a vegetable salad with cucumber and radishes that have been quick-pickled in rice vinegar and sugar, and don’t forget the sesame oil mayonnaise. Serve in a brioche hot dog bun, and you’ve got an extremely fresh and crunchy meal on your hands!
Sandwiches
Korean-Style Braised Beef Sandwiches
“In my opinion, time spent cooking should be just as fun as eating at the table. As a group, you can pop open a bottle of wine, turn on some music and without realizing it, you quickly have a week’s worth of dinners on your hands.”
— Alexandre Perras, Digital Content and Social Media Strategist
5. Chicken and Dill Meatballs
Shaping meatballs as a group makes for a fun weekend activity. This version with chicken is tender, generous and absolutely flavourful, thanks to the inclusion of dill, lemon and horseradish. They’re also very convenient on busy weeknights because you can put them directly into the oven from the freezer. Versatile, they can be served as hors d’oeuvres, or as a main dish in a pita pocket or tossed with pasta. Get the meatball production line ready!
Meatballs
Chicken and Dill Meatballs
6. Rigatoni with Chicken and Dill Meatballs
Our chicken meatballs with dill are real saviours come mealtime. Whether you add them to soups or to pasta, like in this recipe, they complement a meal beautifully, especially given that you just need to cook them in the oven with onions. That’s the best part: no complicated prep is involved–just enjoy them with a simple sauce that’s ready in a few steps and that the meatballs flavour quite nicely. Dinner’s going to be on the table quickly tonight!
COMFORT FOOD
Rigatoni with Chicken and Dill Meatballs
7. Pork, Ginger and Cilantro Dumplings
Given that making a large number of dumplings can take an entire day, be sure to have people to help you in the kitchen. These Chinese-style dumplings are stuffed with chopped Napa cabbage and ginger for a binding texture, and then ground pork and a mixture of soy sauce are added. Call your friends to help assemble them and once done, you can freeze (in order to cook them later) or steam and then brown them in a bit of oil. Above all, be sure to congratulate everyone on a job well done!
Asian-Inspired Recipes
Pork, Ginger and Cilantro Dumplings
“I love dumplings! They’re absolutely delicious, especially when made from scratch. There’s something relaxing about making them at home. It’s a time-consuming task, of course, but with friends by your side, it becomes a much more pleasant experience!”
— Isabelle Mrvica, Production Services Senior Advisor
For more batch cooking ideas, be sure to consult our selection of recipes: