What size pan you need for batch cooking

At least 5 litres for 8 portions

Add up what goes into the pan for 8 portions of a family favourite and it comes to 3 or 4kg.

• Beef bolognese about 3kg in the pan
• Lentil bolognese about 4kg in the pan
• Chilli con carne about 4kg in the pan

A sauce weighs roughly a kilo a litre, so 4kg fills about 4 litres. The rest of a 5 litre pan is room to stir without it slopping over. That’s why our bolognese says to use your biggest pan.

How to tell what your pan holds

Many pans have their size stamped on the base, in litres. If yours doesn’t, measure it.

1. Fill a measuring jug with 1 litre of water.
2. Pour it into the pan, and keep going a litre at a time until the water is below the rim.
3. Count the litres: that’s what your pan holds.

A casserole dish you can put on the hob counts too.

If your pan is smaller

You don’t need to buy a new one for your first cook day.

• Brown the mince in goes About 500g at a time, tipped into a bowl, then back in once the onions are soft. Our chilli does it this way.
• Use two pans Split the sauce between them once the meat is browned.
• Cook fewer portions Plan 4 portions instead of 8, and the shopping list is for 4.

Dishes that need no big pan

Pies and bakes, such as cottage pie and fish pie, work best built in a small foil tray for each meal, so there’s no big dish to find. Pasta and rice are cooked on the night, so the cook day needs no pasta pan.

Packing the batch? Freeze sauce and soup flat so more fits in the freezer.

Cooling a big batch

Every rule for cooling, freezing and reheating is on the freezing and defrosting guide.