Prep components, not identical meals.

Different job. Freezer batch cooking is about finished dishes stored for months — what freezes, how to pack it, how to reheat it. This is about the Sunday session itself: fitting it into three hours, cooking components rather than complete meals, and getting through the coming week from the fridge and freezer together. They work well side by side.

Because identical boxes are why most people quit by Wednesday. Prep a grain, two proteins, a tray of roasted vegetables, something crunchy and two sauces, and each night becomes a different bowl, wrap, salad or pasta. It takes the same time to cook and gives you variety — and more sauces create more variety than more proteins do.

Set the finish time before choosing recipes, then check the plan against the calculator. Eight components at 25 minutes each with nothing in the oven comes to about 290 minutes — nearly five hours against a three-hour plan. Start unattended items first, chop while they cook, and wash up in the gaps.

Cooked food kept chilled should be eaten within a few days — check the guidance where you live — so Friday's dinner shouldn't be sitting in the fridge from Sunday. Freeze the later portions on the day you cook them. Cool everything quickly, refrigerate within about two hours, and reheat until piping hot, once only.

Store components separately rather than pre-assembled, dress salads at the last moment, and add something fresh on the night — herbs, lemon, yoghurt, or something crunchy. That one minute of finishing is the difference between a proper dinner and reheated food.