Bulk cooking is becoming quite a trend in my community. Little shops are opening up around town that offer the opportunity for individuals and groups of friends to come in and prepare meals for several days, all at once. All the preparation is done in one session and people walk out with 8-12 freezer meals. The idea sounds wonderful, but there are some flaws to doing it this way.

First, the cost actually ends up being fairly high. While bulk cooking is generally a great money-saver, when you are using a business for it they get the savings and you pay their overhead and profit! Also, you have very little say in the menus. There is some flexibility, but it isn’t like you are walking out with meals you know your family will enjoy. For some it is worth it to leave the mess in someone else’s kitchen, but I think there is a better way.

You can do the same thing at home and you can even include your friends. This way you get all the benefits of bulk cooking and have a blast doing it.

You and each of your friends choose three to four recipes that can be frozen. You can buy the ingredients individually, or for even greater savings make a list all together and head out on a shopping trip to get it all and split the cost. Then get together one afternoon and cook your little hearts out and enjoy your efforts all month! You get the financial savings, you get the time savings, you get a fun afternoon with friends or family, and most importantly, you get a freezer full of meals that you love.


Here is how it works. I recently saw a variation on this idea in an online community. Every month twelve women sign up, each commits to making twelve pans of one meal. Then they get together and swap. So you come with twelve pans of chicken enchiladas and after all the swapping is done you leave with twelve different meals. Not as exciting maybe, but a variation that still fills your freezer with only one day of hard labor in the kitchen.

However you choose to fill you freezer, add some fun to the task by including friends. There really isn’t a better combination out there than friends and food! So, invite some friends, cook your little hearts out for one long afternoon, and enjoy a month of meals with little effort! Think of all the time you will have for movies, shopping, poker games, or whatever else you enjoy doing with those same friends once all your meals are packed in the freezer just waiting to make your life easier!