Cook and freeze individual ingredients
Pre-cook ingredients like quinoa, lentils, or chickpeas, then freeze them in individual portions. This makes it easy to throw together a quick meal without waiting for these components to cook.
Make use of your slow cooker
Prepare ingredients the night before and store them in the fridge. In the morning, pop them into your slow cooker, set it, and come home to a delicious meal ready to be served.
Make and freeze flavoured butter
Mix softened butter with herbs, garlic, or spices, then roll into logs and freeze. Slice off a piece to instantly flavour steamed vegetables, meats, or warm bread.
Batch cook soups and stews
Soups and stews are great for batch cooking. Make large quantities and freeze in individual serving containers for quick meals that just need reheating.
Prep breakfast toppings
Chop nuts, slice fruits, or mix a dry cereal blend to top yoghurt, oatmeal, or smoothie bowls. Store each topping in separate containers for an easy, customisable breakfast.
Marinate meats and tofu
Prepare marinades and soak your protein choices for a few hours or overnight in the fridge. They’re then ready to cook for quick meals without waiting for the marinating process.
Grate or crumble cheese
Grate blocks of cheese like cheddar or crumble feta and store in containers in the fridge or freezer. This is so much cheaper than buying grated cheese in bags and makes it easy to add cheese to dishes without having to prep each time.
Hard boil eggs
According to australianeggs.org.au, unpeeled boiled eggs can be stored for up to 1 week in an air-tight container. So, to save time, hard boil a batch of eggs at the start of the week. They're perfect for a quick breakfast, as a protein-rich snack, or sliced in salads.
Toast and store nuts and seeds
Toast a variety of nuts and seeds in bulk. Once cooled, store them in an airtight container. They’re great for adding crunch to salads, yoghurts, or just for snacking.
Prep and freeze ginger and garlic paste
Blend fresh ginger and garlic into a paste and freeze in an ice cube tray. Once frozen, transfer the cubes to a freezer bag. Pop out a cube whenever you need it for cooking, saving time on peeling and mincing.
Assemble snack boxes
Create snack boxes with a mix of protein, carbs, and fats - like hummus, cut veggies, a few olives, nuts, and some cheese. These are great for grab-and-go options that can stave off unhealthy snacking!
Freeze lemon juice and zest
Freeze lemon juice in ice cube trays and zest in small bags. They can add a quick flavour boost to drinks, dressings, or meals without the need to zest or juice each time.
Blend and freeze sauce bases
Prepare common sauce bases like tomato, béchamel, or curry and freeze them in portions. This way, you just need to thaw and add a few ingredients for a quick and delicious sauce.
Prepare and freeze pancake batter
Mix your pancake batter and freeze it in portions using an ice cube tray or small freezer bags. Just defrost overnight or melt in the pan for easy morning pancakes.
Assemble and freeze brekky sandwiches
Make breakfast sandwiches with English muffins, cooked eggs, cheese, and ham or sausage (or whatever else you fancy). Wrap them individually and freeze. Reheat in the morning for a quick, satisfying breakfast.
Create spice mix kits
Measure out the spices for specific recipes and store them in small containers or bags. Label them for easy grab-and-go cooking without measuring each time.
Make and freeze cookie dough
Prepare cookie dough and freeze it in individual cookie portions on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag and bake a few whenever you want fresh cookies without the mess. You can also shape the cookie dough into a log and just slice off what you need to cook each time.
Faster than a takeaway
Freeze homemade pizza bases in the freezer – freeze them rolled out and flat – or freeze as dough balls to roll out when defrosted.
