{"id":572514,"date":"2026-08-18T08:14:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T08:14:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/572514\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T08:14:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T08:14:14","slug":"how-batch-cooking-can-save-you-time-and-money","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/572514\/","title":{"rendered":"How batch cooking can save you time and money"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you want to skip the eternal \u201cwhat’s for dinner?\u201d question, prepping multiple meals in advance saves money and time, a batch cook expert says.<\/p>\n

Natalie Wski, manager of SuperGrans SuperSkills Otautahi (a community network that aims to pass down life skills through the generations) says \u201ccook once, then we want to eat three times\u201d.<\/p>\n

Successful big batch cooking requires pantry staples, Wski told RNZ\u2019s Thrift podcast, and you\u2019ll need some basic kitchen kit.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would be suggesting a rice cooker to save time, an air fryer<\/a> to save power and time.<\/p>\n

\u201cBusy households need a crock pot<\/a>, absolutely. Chuck everything in, all your ingredients in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

After work \u201cyou’ve got a beautiful, healthy, nutritious, hot meal\u201d.<\/p>\n

Some things are better suited to batch cooking than others, she says. Winter vegetables like pumpkin and carrots do pretty well in the freezer, as do dairy products.<\/p>\n

\u201cI freeze my butter when it’s on special<\/a>. I’ve frozen milk and I’ve frozen cream.\u201d<\/p>\n

She bulk buys vegetables like carrots and potatoes do some prep for easy cooking later on.<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead of leaving your carrots to go soggy in the bottom of your fridge, pre-chop them, put them in a container.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Natalie<\/p>\n

Natalie Wiki, Manager, SuperGrans SuperSkills Otautahi. (Source: rnz.co.nz)<\/p>\n

The same with random one-off purchases that aren’t part of your regular diet.<\/p>\n

\u201cAubergines were cheap, but I’m not going to make an aubergine meal every night. So, I’ve just chopped it up and put it in a bag.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026 The neighbour’s got apples, I will batch cook that, chuck them in the freezer for later.\u201d<\/p>\n

Date what you can and if freezer space is at a premium, put food in plastic bags that you can stack or containers.<\/p>\n

To avoid wasting defrosted food, freeze it in portion sizes you know you’ll eat, she says. Once defrosted have a plan for the next few days.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re defrosting a whole chicken, then the next day, you’ve got some chicken left over. Make a stir-fry with frozen veg. The third night, keep the bones and you can make a soup with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Batch cooking tips<\/p>\n

– Think about the gear you\u2019ll need: some appliances can save power, and a crockpot is a good option for stews, soups and curries.<\/p>\n

– Start small by cooking one meal that you can eat three times, then work up to bigger batches.<\/p>\n

– Prepare fridge and freezer space first, and plan when meals will be eaten.<\/p>\n

– Use well-sealed, labelled containers or bags, and freeze food in portions so you only defrost what you need.<\/p>\n

– Block out prep time: a bit of organisation now can free up time later for work, wh\u0101nau, friends or whatever you choose.<\/p>\n

rnz.co.nz<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you want to skip the eternal \u201cwhat’s for dinner?\u201d question, prepping multiple meals in advance saves money…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":572515,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[144,42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-572514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-food-drink","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=572514"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572514\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/572515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=572514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=572514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=572514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}