Batch Cooking Planner

Who this is for

One cooking session, planned from start to freezer. List the recipes and batches, set the cook order and write the freezer labels before the first pan goes on.

Households that cook several meals in one go, people filling the freezer before a busy spell, a new baby or an operation, and friends who batch cook together.

What this helps you track

• Which recipes you are making, how many batches and in what order
• How many portions and containers the session will produce
• Which appliance each recipe needs, so the oven and hob are not double-booked
• A label for every container with contents, dates and reheating notes
• The stages from shopping to freezing, ticked off as you go

How to use it

1. Fill the header: the cook date, who is cooking, how much time you have and how much freezer space is free.
2. List each recipe with the number of batches, portions per batch and containers needed; the total portions are worked out in the browser and the workbook.
3. Number the cook order and choose oven, hob or slow cooker for each, so long jobs start first and appliances are shared out.
4. Write the label rows before you start, using the use-by date and reheating notes you decide on.
5. Tick the stages as the day goes, then add the containers to your freezer inventory.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

How do I work out how many portions I need?

Start from how many meals you want to cover and how many people eat each one. The people field turns the session's total into portions per person, so you can see whether it covers the stretch you had in mind.

What use-by date should I put on the labels?

One you decide on for each dish, from the recipe, the packet or guidance where you are. The planner supplies no storage times; it gives you a place to write the date so it is on the container and not in your head.

Why plan the cook order?

Because a session usually runs short of hob rings or oven space before it runs short of time. Numbering the order and noting the appliance for each recipe shows the clash before you are standing at the cooker.

Can I use it for a joint session with friends?

Yes. Put everyone in the cooks field and a name in the recipe column, then split the containers when the label rows are done. The browser version saves in your own browser, so one person keeps the master.