I used to order takeout three or four nights a week because I was too tired to cook after work. I did not think of it as a budget problem until I added it up one month and realized I had spent more on delivery than on groceries.

Batch cooking fixed it. One Sunday afternoon of cooking now feeds me for most of the week, and the savings are honestly a little embarrassing.

The one big cook

The idea is simple: instead of cooking seven separate dinners, you cook one big batch and freeze individual portions. The food costs the same per serving as a normal home cooked meal, which is a fraction of takeout.

1. Pick two or three recipes that freeze well, like chili, curry, soup, or a pasta bake.
2. Cook double or triple batches of each.
3. Portion them into single serve containers, label with the date, and freeze.

Now on a weeknight, dinner is a two minute microwave job instead of a twenty dollar delivery order.

What actually freezes well

Not everything survives the freezer. I learned this the hard way with a batch of pasta that came out mushy.

• Great for freezing: chili, stews, curries, soups, cooked beans, lasagna, meatballs.
• Skip or freeze carefully: creamy sauces can separate, and pasta or potatoes can turn to mush if overcooked.

My rule is to undercook anything starchy slightly before freezing, since it finishes cooking when you reheat it. And I write the date on everything, because a freezer full of unlabeled mystery containers is just a different kind of food waste.

I still get takeout sometimes, but it is a treat now instead of a habit, and my food budget dropped by more than I expected.