Whether you have a busy week coming up or you are preoccupied with some personal commitments, bulk cooking always comes to the rescue. Cooking food once or twice a week, in large batches, helps you get your lunch and dinner on the table whenever you want. And the bonus benefit is: you can totally concentrate on your work, without worrying about the daily kitchen chores. But cooking in bulk also comes with its own share of adversities. If not handled properly, the complete meal gets damaged in no time, leaving you in a huge mess. But you don't need to worry at all, as we are here to help you as always. Bring out your notepads as we are sharing some essential pointers that you must keep in mind while cooking food in large batches. Read on.
Also Read: How To Store Rice And Keep It Fresh For Long - 5 Effective Ways
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Here are 6 Points To Remember When Cooking In Bulk:
1. Plan your meal according to its shelf-life:
Some food gets spoilt quite soon, while some can be kept for a long time. So, plan and store the dishes keeping their shelf-life in mind. Eat the easy-to-rot ones first and gradually proceed to the ones that can be kept fresh for a long time.
2. Keep clean, airtight containers handy:
How well you store your food defines its shelf-life. Always keep some airtight containers handy to store the food in the refrigerator.
3. Separate a dish into small portions:
Make sure you never reheat food more than once to avoid contamination. So, don't store the complete meal together. The best practice is to keep it in smaller portions to have it all in one go.
4. Bring food to room temperature before storing:
This is one of the most important steps you must follow while storing cooked meals - never store them hot! The sudden change in temperature will directly affect the food, making it a favourable breeding ground for germs and pests.
5. Label your meals:
Taking your storage game a step ahead, you can label each meal with its name and the day you plan to eat it. This way, you won't get confused and can spot your meal in the refrigerator easily.
6. Don't cook and store rice and roti:
While you can always prepare the sabzi beforehand and store it for later use, we suggest having rice and roti fresh. Rice gets easily contaminated, further affecting our overall health, and roti/paratha turns extremely hard and unappetizing if eaten after a day.
Trust us and learn these tips by heart to up your meal game effectively!