How to prepare eggplant for batch cooking

 

 

These are some tips on how to get your kitchen ready for a big batch cook. At first, you might think that this is overkill, but these little tips are the result of 2 years of trial and error. You will be faster with this bit of preparation.

 

 

 

While you might think there is not a lot going on in this picture it is actually a system that helps me to be fast and clean. Admittedly I have the advantage of having a kitchen island. If you have space, make a trip to IKEA. The kitchen island in the picture was 400 Euro and my expectations around a kitchen island were more towards €1000. Of course, if you live in Malibu or New York this is beneath you, but then you won’t cook yourself anyway. A kitchen island is worth it especially when you cook a lot. Otherwise, these principles apply to any surface in your kitchen.  

 

Get all of your bowls to the left of your surface. Make sure they are empty and clean. This is where all of your prepared ingredients will go. Leave the ingredients in storage. When we started batch cooking we got it all out on the surfaces which clogged up the kitchen. Avoid that. Get the ingredients out per step, put them on the chopping board and place them in a bowl to the top of the surface. 

 

Set your chopping board up in the middle. Just like the TomTom of a drummer, this is your central workspace. Have a bowl to the right of the board ready to dispose of anything that will not go in your food. These can be kernels, vegetable skins, and potato peel depending on what you are making. 

 

Put a fresh cleaning cloth to the right of your setup. Fold it up and make it flush with the corners of the kitchen island or surface you are using. Be disciplined about this. You will use this cloth after each preparation step to clean the surface. This will save time. Believe me clean as you go is faster than cleaning up the mess at the end. I got this little trick from Fred’s visit to the Mugaritz in San Sebastián on BBC two. 

 

The last item is a chef's knife. It is worth investing ina good one as this is the only knife you will need for batch cooking. My wife does not really like it when I use the big knife for peeling, but it less washing up to do and less hassle. Just keep the knife clean during the process of batch cooking.

 

 

The sink can turn into a problem during cooking. To keep everything clean I wash the knife and the chopping board after each step of preparation. To avoid flooding around the sink I put a tea towel right beside the sink to dry both down and also soak up any excess water. 

 

Not in the picture to the right is a little bin for biodegradables. This is where I drop the leftovers from the chopping when the bowl on the kitchen island filled up. Repeat these steps during the batch cook to keep the area clean. 

 

The last important item is the hand wash beside the sink. Wash your hands after each step of preparation, especially when you have handed meat. This will keep the food clean and healthy. When you are cooking for the entire family for an entire week this aspect becomes even more important than just for yourself. 

Get a tea towel with a little loop like shown above. This way you can attach it to your apron when you are working. With this setup, you always have a towel ready to lift a hot pot, wipe away something you have spilled or dry your hands between steps. All of this preparation will pay off at the later stages of the batch cook. 

 

You can also wear old clothes. Cooking in your good clothes with a nice apron will put you in the right mindset. This way you will be focused and ready for the task. It also makes you feel a little more like a chef and a little less like someone who just has to finish a mundane task for the week. 

Whatever cooking station you have, get the recipes to the wall on top of it. Use a bit of tape or blu tac to put them on the wall. Avoid leaving them on a surface as you will put something on them or spill something. This way you can recycle them more often. Cooking with your phone or tablet might work, but puts your precious gadget at peril. I usually keep my phone in my apron as a timer and emergency backup in case anything goes wrong. It also helps with music. 

The batch cooks I do usually take about 3 - 4 hours each. The yield is food for 1 - 2 weeks depending on how it goes. For this time I like to listen to music. The earphones from bose I use have been with me for several years and never let me down. Personally, I do not listen to the radio as we have dogs and people go in and out of the kitchen to do their own thing. This is the best solution for me.