The scenario is classic: you come home from work at 7:30 pm, tired, and the fateful question arises: "What are we going to eat?" .
Batch cooking (or the art of cooking in bulk on the weekend for the week ahead) is the answer many have adopted. But there's a limit: preservation. A dish cooked on Sunday often starts to lose flavor or oxidize by Wednesday.
This is where the chefs' secret comes in: vacuum sealing . By depriving your dishes of oxygen, you stop oxidation and lock in freshness. The result? Your Friday meal tastes exactly as if it had just been cooked.
Why is sous-vide the ultimate ally for batch cooking?
Combining these two methods offers three major advantages:
- Extended Shelf Life (5x shelf life): Where a Tupperware container keeps a dish fresh for 3 days, a vacuum-sealed bag keeps it fresh for 10 to 15 days in the refrigerator. You no longer have to eat everything at the beginning of the week or freeze it all.
- Space Saving (Fridge Tetris): Plastic containers are bulky and full of air. Vacuum bags are flat, stackable, and optimize every square inch of your shelves.
- Portion-Based Organization: Prepare individual bags for office lunches, or family-sized bags for dinners.
The Ideal Process: Cook, Cool, Seal
Be careful, vacuum sealing isn't done haphazardly. Here are the steps to follow for food safety:
- Cook your recipes normally (Bolognese, Blanquette, Ratatouille...).
- Cool down QUICKLY: This is crucial. Never vacuum-seal a hot dish (this will create steam and prevent the seal). Let your dishes cool completely before bagging them.
- Bag and Seal: Distribute into your embossed bags and vacuum seal.
- Store: In a cool place (3°C) for the week, or in the freezer for the next month (with no risk of frost damage!).
Maxima 31cm Vacuum Sealer
- ✓ Dual Pump (Speed & Reliability)
- ✓ Pulse function (Ideal for delicate dishes)
- ✓ Bar 31cm (Standard Format)
Which dishes are best suited to sous vide batch cooking?
All dishes with sauce are ideal candidates. Sous-vide cooking will even accelerate the "maturation" of the aromas (like a stew that tastes better the next day).
Top 3 recipes:
1. Stews (Beef Bourguignon, Curry, Chili).
2. Blanched vegetables (Beans, Broccoli, Carrots): Ready to be pan-fried in a minute.
3. Marinated raw meats: You vacuum-seal them with the marinade on Sunday, they will be tender and ready to cook on Wednesday.
Conclusion
Investing in a vacuum sealer for batch cooking is buying peace of mind. It guarantees that you'll open your fridge on Thursday evening and find a fresh, healthy, homemade meal, ready to be reheated (in a bain-marie directly in the bag, for those in a hurry!).