Some households may be looking for ways to save money in the kitchen as both energy bills and shopping prices rise.
One way to save is by cooking in batches rather than making a meal every night as it often reduces waste and uses less energy. Some may be hesitant to try this as certain foods do not freeze well and can become mushy when reheated.
However a celebrity chef has revealed that this is not always the case. Aldo Zilli shared some guidance for cooking up Italian food at home, and has said that batch cooking is the way to go.
Speaking to The Mirror, the experienced chef shared dishes you can freeze safely. Some may be pleased to hear that he recommends batch cooking pasta dishes such as lasagne and risotto.
This may help families who are looking to make their money stretch further save on food shopping as they can portion up their favourite meals to be enjoyed at a later date.
The Italian-born cook thinks many will turn to his native-cuisine when looking to save money during the cost of living crisis, and it is easy to see why, given Italian food can be made cheaply, without the need to compromise on taste. "It is accessible. It is inexpensive," but it is also "family food", as Aldo points out.
As such, he advises families to make the most of batch cooking, and whether you have a large family or not, you can freeze any delicious leftovers for another time.
"If you have a family, Italian batch cooking is very good, you can freeze your food," recommended Aldo. " Make a big lasagne then portion it up and put it in the freezer. Make a melanzane parmigiana or aubergine parmigiana then portion it and put it in the freezer.
"Make fresh pasta and put it in the freezer, make gnocchi and put it in the freezer. All these things can be frozen and used as and when you need them and cooked from frozen."
Yes, you read that right. In what is likely music to the ears of busy home chefs, you can cook lots of the dishes straight from frozen.
"Pasta can be cooked from frozen, gnocchi can be cooked from frozen, it takes three or four minutes and that’s it," said Aldo. And it is the same for arancini too. " You can make a big risotto, you can make arancini, you know the risotto bowls, you can freeze them as well, then you fry them from frozen," he added.
Lots of dishes have a long lifespan in the freezer too. For instance, fresh pasta can last for a couple of months in the freezer, according to the expert.
While his tips work for homemade or store-bought meals, it is home cooking he recommends.
Aldo said: "I would urge people to cook from scratch more, to make fresh pasta from scratch if they can. Get zero zero flour, strong flour, keep it in the cupboard and just make it when they can.
"Make it fun for the kids and enjoy cooking at home rather than getting takeaways and ready meals."
For those wanting to try the chef's food for themselves, Aldo Zilli has just announced his residence at Lucarelli's on the Fifth Floor of London's Harvey Nichols opening November 7th.
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