Batch cooking, leftovers and meal prep on a budget

Cooking once and eating twice saves money, time and food waste, especially at university. Do it safely by planning ahead, cooling food fast and knowing exactly how long things keep.

Plan 3 to 4 meals

• Choose 3 or 4 meals for the week that share ingredients. For example: a chickpea curry, a lentil soup, a tray bake and a pasta, which all use onions, garlic, tinned tomatoes and spinach.
• Pick at least one dish that freezes well (curries, dal, soups, tomato sauce) and make a double batch.
• Plan to use the most perishable ingredients (fresh herbs, leaves, chicken) early in the week.
• Check your fridge, freezer and cupboards before writing the shopping list, and only buy what the plan needs.
• Use portion guides so you do not overcook: about 75 g dried rice or pasta per person for a main meal, half that for a side.

Cool and store leftovers safely

• Cool cooked food and get it into the fridge or freezer within 1 to 2 hours of cooking. Rice should be cooled faster, ideally within 1 hour.
• Divide big pots into smaller, shallow containers so they cool quickly. Do not leave a large pot of curry on the hob overnight.
• Eat leftovers within 2 days (48 hours), or freeze them. Rice and rice dishes: within 1 day.
• Label containers with what is inside and the date it was cooked.
• Keep the fridge at 0 to 5C and do not overfill it, so cold air can circulate.

Freezing and defrosting

• Your freezer should be around minus 18C (0F). Freeze leftovers as soon as possible once cooled; you can freeze food right up to its use-by date.
• Food stays safe in the freezer indefinitely, but quality drops over time. Soups and stews are best within 2 to 3 months, cooked meat dishes within 2 to 6 months.
• Defrost in the fridge, ideally overnight. If you cannot, use the microwave defrost setting just before cooking or reheating. Do not defrost on the worktop.
• Eat defrosted food within 24 hours.
• You can freeze raw meat, defrost it, cook it into a new dish and freeze that dish. After that, reheat it only once.

Reheating

• Reheat leftovers until steaming hot all the way through, not just warm. US guidance gives 74C (165F) at the centre.
• Bring soups, sauces and curries back to a rolling boil, and stir during reheating.
• In a microwave, stir halfway through: food can be hot at the edges and cold in the middle. Reheat smaller portions for more even heating.
• Reheat leftovers only once. Take out just the portion you will eat.
• Never reheat rice more than once.

Saving money

• Base meals on cheap proteins: dried red lentils, tinned chickpeas and beans, eggs and chicken thighs, which cost less than breasts and stay juicier.
• Frozen vegetables are already prepared, do not go off and work well in curries, soups and stir-fries.
• Use the frameworks in this module to use up odd vegetables: almost anything can go into a soup, curry, tray bake or shakshuka.
• Cook a double batch of a sauce or curry and freeze single portions for busy days instead of buying takeaway.
• Turn leftovers into new meals: leftover roast vegetables into a pasta or salad, chicken into a stir-fry, rice into fried rice the next day.