The term that gets thrown out a lot these days in every cooking channel is meal prep. You might wonder what meal prep is and how does it benefit you. Well, first of all, meal prep is not for everyone; it is not for people who don’t like to eat the same thing on two-three days in a row. Meal prep is not for people who look for variety at every mealtime and do not enjoy leftovers. However, meal prep can work wonders for people who want to manage their time better and spend less time cooking. It is also for those wishing to avoid the temptation to go out and eat. You can save a lot of money and time by prepping your meal beforehand. You can work at a stretch without worrying about the next meal because you already did that two days ago; all you have to do now is heat that food up, and you are good to go. Continue reading this article to find out the dos and don’ts of prepping a meal.

Type Of Food:

When one thinks of making food for two-three days, one would naturally like to make all of their favorite foods. But that is hardly the goal of meal prep. Certain foods stay good for two-three days while others don’t. Most people (non-vegans) like fried chicken, right? But making a large batch of fried chicken to store for later consumption will not work because the chicken will lose its crunch and become soggy. 

• Beans, cooked grains, pasta, roasted veggies are great for storing. Cooked meat, roasted meat, and meat in any other form are good for a couple of days. 

• Whole fruits, nuts, and seeds, homemade sauce, dips are good options to store without the risk of spoiling.
• However, softer fruits and vegetables such as lettuce, barriers, and cut fruits are not good options when it comes to storing them for a few days. An excellent solution to keeping your fruits longer than usual is to dehydrate them. Many people use food dehydrators for storing cut fruits and leftover foods for longer without the fear of wasting them. A dehydrator takes away the moisture from food items, helping them stay fresh for a longer period. 
• One should not include crunchy food items like fried chicken, chips, and crackers during meal prep. 

Duration:

You might wonder, how long will the food be safe to eat? And how would one know if the food has gone bad? Well, there’s no hard and fast rule. But as a rule of thumb, one usually makes meal prep for not more than four days. You need to keep the food in airtight containers and put them in the refrigerator. While making the food, be sure to count the number of people and the days for which you are making the food to avoid wastage. There’s no point in wasting a day’s worth of food if your goal is to save money and stay on top of a strict budget.