Cook once, eat twice: a guide to batch cooking and safe leftovers

Cooking a double portion of a stew costs almost the same as cooking a single portion. The second portion is a meal sorted. For this to work, it’s best to choose your dishes carefully and store them properly.

Dishes that taste even better the next day

Stews, pulses, vegetable soups, curries, tomato sauces and braised meats usually keep well and develop more flavour. On Cocinoa, recipes that specify how many days they keep can be planned with leftovers in mind: by selecting Cook extra, the plan doubles the portions and schedules the second meal for another day, without adding anything to the shopping list.

There are some dishes that are best not left for later: fish and seafood, cooked rice and dressed salads lose their quality quickly, and rice, in particular, requires special care.

Cool quickly and store straight away

• Divide the food into shallow containers so it cools down faster.
• Put it in the fridge as soon as it stops steaming, and always within two hours.
• The fridge should be set to 4 degrees or below.

How long it keeps

As a general rule, cooked leftovers should be eaten within 3 to 4 days. If you’re not going to eat them within that time, freeze them on the same day. Label each container with the name and date.

Reheating properly

Reheat the leftovers until they are steaming all over, stirring halfway through if using the microwave. Reheat only the portion you are going to eat and do not reheat it more than once.

Freezing without surprises

Freeze in single portions, leave a little space in the container and defrost in the fridge, not on the worktop.

If in doubt, don’t eat it: the smell or appearance doesn’t always indicate that food has gone off.