Do you cook every single meal or do you cook in bulk and...
By kiran8
@kiran8 (15348)
Mangalore, India
April 11, 2011 11:16am CST
My mother used to cook breakfast,lunch and dinner every day, fresh dishes each time.I too used to do the same when the children were growing but later with other activities it became really difficult to cook all the meals.I began cooking 2 or 3 dishes in bulk whenever I found free time and freeze it and now it has become a practice . I cook rice or chapatis every day and take out whatever is there in the fridge...I find this much more practical and economical too...
A few things to bear in mind
1, Do not cook in very large quantities
2, Try to finish all the dishes within a week or so if you have stored it in the freezer or within 2 days if it is kept in the fridge compartment.
3, Do not store salads as they turn stale faster than other dishes
4, Fish and meat dishes should be left in the refrigerator and eaten within 2-3 days
Please share your own views and experiences here...
4 people like this
18 responses
@Jotomy (6322)
• India
11 Apr 11
Hi kiran, me too kiran, everyday fresh items three times, but sambar or rasam only one time in a day morning i will make it at the time of breakfast we will have for dinner also. We don't have an habit of having the same dishes for next day, will give it off to our servant. I don't have keep anything in the fridge and carry to next day. Only milk or curd will keep in the fridge. I don't like keep salads or any food items in the fridge. My mother nor my mother in law has that habit.
I feel to make our health good we have to give fresh food and eat fresh food. As you know we take lot of precautions while preparing food, hygienic etc., still we get some or the other problems.
Have a nice day. 
I am better these days... and yes, hope to visit your city soon... maybe this month end or next month start
@kalav56 (11464)
• India
11 Apr 11
Like your mother , mine also used to cook fresh meals three times a day.She used to cook at 9oclock everyday, keeping the dishes hot for my father when she was young. Later, after she was more than 50 it became twice a day with the night dinner virtually non existent..Father had become ill and he used to stop with his evening snack.
In my case, I cook thrice a day. But , Ihave a cook who makes chapathis for the night and I get one vegetable made for the morning too [in the previous night itself]and store it in the fridge. Otherwise I get fresh food all three times, however simple the menu is.Kitchen work therefore occupies my time quite a bit. At times, I make sambar or rasam for two days too.
@Jotomy (6322)
• India
11 Apr 11
Hi kala, i feel south Indian people are like this, they will be going on cooking break fast, lunch evening snakes and dinner, if relatives comes then again cooking for them, friends and one comes then again snakes or coffee or tea. Most of the time house makers will be in kitchen.
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
11 Apr 11
Hi kala, I agree with you...Inspite of me trying to make things a bit easier at times by cooking a couple of dishes and freezing I seem to be in the kitchen most of the time.Rice has to be made and so also chapatis and salad.I too make Saamabar in large quantity as I use it with Idli and dosas for breakfast too. Rasam can be kept for 3-4 days, it tastes good.I make upma too and keep in the fridge so that I can use for 2 days. Dosa batter can anyway be kept for almost a week...
@dpk262006 (58675)
• Delhi, India
13 Apr 11
Hi Kiran!
I am not the in charge of Kitchen, it is my better half who does cooking and she believes in preparing everything fresh be it breakfast or dinner. As we both are working, on working days, she prepares Lunch in the morning and we both carry home cooked lunch to our respective offices. Thanks for your useful suggestions.
@jaiho2009 (39142)
• Philippines
11 Apr 11
I always cook every meal.
My kids don't like cold food,or pre-heated meal/dishes.
So,i cook food every meal.
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
12 Apr 11
Hi jaiho, you need not have cold meals. I feel that in every household there is always something left over and instead of throwing it away or giving it away, one can use it for the next day.I have a mix of a couple of fresh items and then heat up what is in the fridge...
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
11 Apr 11
Hi Kiran
Well, you are quite right. Given the busy schedules, it is not always possible to go for fresh cooked food each and every time. But here with me and my wife, either because of my ailments or anything else, we take turns to prepare the food. Though she does the cooking before going out to the office, I do the cooking mostly for the dinner. I think when we are sharing our lives, we should also share some of the responsibilities and arrange things for our better... if not good.
Well, you are quite right. Given the busy schedules, it is not always possible to go for fresh cooked food each and every time. But here with me and my wife, either because of my ailments or anything else, we take turns to prepare the food. Though she does the cooking before going out to the office, I do the cooking mostly for the dinner. I think when we are sharing our lives, we should also share some of the responsibilities and arrange things for our better... if not good.@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
11 Apr 11
Hi sid, Thats very true !sharing is a very important part of life, it binds people together.I too finsh most of my cooking in the morning before I leave on my work and then store it when I am back, so I am cooking every day...Only that at times I make a meal out of all the left overs and I really enjoy it because of the wide variety I get..thanks a lot for sharing your views
@Professor2010 (20162)
• India
20 Apr 11
Hi kiran
In my home cooking is done by wife and daughter in law, some times, if i am in mood, i enter there, there is also a round the clock maid servant to help them.
I always eat hot food, just cooked, not warmed cooked food, if it is rice, must be steaming, if roti or paratha, it is always from the tawa.
so food is cooked at 10am and 7pm always
if some guests come, even if we have food, it is not served, cooked again and served hot, this i have seen in my home since my birth..
Thanks for sharing the tips and this discussion
Enjoy life to fullest. Cheers.
BE HAPPY ALWAYS.
Professor ‘Bhuwan’. .
@sunny5u (2069)
• India
12 Apr 11
My mom cooks every single meal , though its tough n time taking for her but still she got used to that , she infact don't like to preserve her dishes for a long time, she believes that they become toxic slowly by preserving and freezing them.
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
12 Apr 11
Hi cher, same here ! I even make different dishes using left overs. Like yesterday I made some cutlets with the left over potato and capsicum curry by adding some bread crumbs, egg and shallow frying them.I like experimenting with food and as long as we take good care to cook food in a hygienic manner and also store it properly in the freezer or refrigerator if it is only for a day or so, there is no need to worry...thanks a lot and all the best
@jazel_juan (15747)
• Philippines
12 Apr 11
I cook every meal, for the whole family. me, huby and 3 kids. It is how we want it, since the food will be hot and the taste will be great
@anil02 (24688)
• India
12 Apr 11
Kiran ji, in my house meals are cooked by the my wife or by my doughters. So I never cook meal although I helped in chopping vegetables when I have spare time. But what I want about the meal, I think it should cooked every time fresh. Because taste of fresh meal is better than old cooked meal. My wife is also working lady but we prefer to cook fresh. Although some vegetable which cook in the morning if not consumed we use that in evening.
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
12 Apr 11
Hi anil, It is nice to know that you too give a hand in cooking. My son incidentally is very interested in cooking and makes it a point to cook when ever he is home for a holiday.No doubt that fresh meals are always preferable, but one has to compromise sometimes. It is best to take a lot of care when you plan to refrigerate some food so that there is no chance of it going bad or losing its freshness , all the best
@johnpillai (2082)
• Germany
12 Apr 11
Dear kiran,
some times I keep the remained curry in the freezer. Most of the time in the upper part of the fridge. Keeping in the freezer is not at all bad. But some people think so. It is better than buying ready made plastic packed food. Here we don't cook breakfast. we buy bread for breakfast. Still I remember my mother cook breakfast though she was a busy working lady. Whenever we take out a food item from freezer, we should immediately keep in in the microwave or on the cooker. We should not let in come to its normal position on its own time.
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
12 Apr 11
Hi john,Thanks a lot for sharing your details. I agree that one should heat the food thoroughly once it is taken out of the fridge....I too prepare different breakfast items each day and take other meals easy. Lunch nowadays is mostly salad,rice,fish curry and lots of yogurt. One simply cannot eat anything much in the heat...I hardly eat anything at night, may be soup and a slice of toast...
@titchy1231 (732)
•
12 Apr 11
no, i rarely cook in bulk. what i tend to do is if i buy meat from the meat van at the market, i will cook it all and bag it up and freeze as its less room in the freezer. that way i can just take out what i need and it doesnt take as long to defrost.
@cream97 (29087)
• United States
11 Apr 11
Hi. kiran8. I don't cook in bulk, not unless it is for a special occasion or holiday. I just cook as I go, or cook the day before. If I do cook in bulk it may just be only for two meals, like breakfast and lunch. I don't want to have all of the food pile up in my refrigerator to eat. I like to have some time to eat my food bit by bit.
@mermaidivy (15395)
• United States
11 Apr 11
I like to cook meals everyday. I don't like leftovers verymuch. When I have extra, I would save it for leftovers though, I won't waste it even though I don't like it.
@kawalnarang (1095)
• Trinidad And Tobago
12 Apr 11
WOW,, first choice ,, freshly prepared meals,as this is one thing we work hard for,,One small belly we have,, lets treat our belly fully well,second choice ,,IF we have to put some leftovers,,let us not store the non-veg,beans,lentils , (including chick peas,or Chana)for too long as these spoil faster than other dishes.Personally I will leave the uncooked non-veg in a freezer sometimes.as we know some of comes from far and the importers keep it in the ice .Enjoy ur fresh meals.
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
12 Apr 11
Yes I agree about storing food for too long.Ideally one should not keep anything beyond 4 days. I have noticed that Fish curry stays well for a longer time like 3-4 days whereas vegetables need to be consumed within 2 days since they lose their freshness...
@OpinionatedLady (5966)
• United States
11 Apr 11
I like to cook every meal as I can make fresh food for each and I usually make breakfast each morning. Lunch we do a lot of leftovers. Dinners I try to cook each day but our schedule doesn't make that easy so like yesterday I prepared a sauerbraten to go in crock pot later in the week, made meatballs to have ready for subs or pasta on one of the four dance class nights and prepped chicken to go on the grill tonight which will have enough left to do a green salad with grilled chicken on it another night. The weekends I do a big brunch fresh and then a dinner fresh as well as the prep for the rest of the week. During the summer I cook fresh from the garden just about everyday.
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
11 Apr 11
Mine is something similar to yours.In spite of having a couple of dishes in the fridge I seem to be perpetually doing something or the other in the kitchen. Like for example, today I made rice,dhal and salad which is almost like cooking a full meal and then brought out yesterday's fish curry and some vegetable from the fridge and dinner is always chapatis which I have to make fresh anyway....So whether I cook in bulk or not I seem to be in thge kitchen most of the time ...
