Here's the thing about thin patties: they cook in minutes, stack neatly in containers, and reheat without turning to rubber. The catch is getting them thin and getting them seared, which is two tools' worth of work — unless you own both in one set. a cast iron griddle pairs the griddle with the press, so you smash, sear, and move on while it stays ripping hot for the next batch. These 11 sunday batch-cooking sessions are designed for beginners, with an emphasis on proteins that hold up in the fridge and reheat well. Let the cast iron griddle handle the high-heat work and the rest of the session feels easy.
Sunday Batch Cooking: Cook Big, Eat All Week
The preppers who make it look easy all cook in volume — and volume needs surface area. Four burgers at a time in a skillet is a hobby; a full griddle of them is a system. With it, the system runs hot and fast: smash, sear, flip, repeat, with the press keeping every patty uniform so they all cook at the same rate. For beginners, uniformity is the quiet win — sunday batch-cooking sessions where every container matches means no sad portions and no guessing. Cook big on this tool, portion evenly, done.
High-Heat Prep Essentials
Sear a week's protein in one fast session — the hot-surface upgrade:
- a collapsible popcorn popper — turns a recurring minor frustration into a non-issue, which is the highest praise for kitchen gear.
- an air fryer crisper grill pan — pairs naturally with a weekly routine; once you use it, the old way feels needlessly fiddly.
- a stovetop splatter screen — keeps your workflow smooth on the days when you're prepping on low energy.
- an automatic pan stirrer — a sensible companion to your main prep tools, covering jobs they'd handle awkwardly.
- a mini waffle maker — a practical addition for anyone whose prep sessions keep hitting the same snag.
1. Wash and Chop Produce
The single highest-leverage prep job: wash the greens, chop the vegetables, slice the fruit. Prepped produce gets eaten; whole produce wilts in the drawer. It takes thirty minutes and transforms your fridge from a storage unit into a salad bar. Store greens with a paper towel to absorb moisture.
2. Label and Freeze Portions
The unglamorous job that makes everything else work: portion surplus into freezer bags or containers, label with contents and date, freeze flat for easy stacking. Future-you will not remember what's in the mystery bag — label now, thank yourself later. This ten-minute habit builds a freezer that actually gets used.
3. Roast a Whole Chicken
One roasted chicken is secretly three meals: sliced breast for bowls, shredded thigh meat for tacos, and a carcass for stock. It's the most economical protein in the prep world and the most flavorful. Roast Sunday, portion immediately, and the week is set. A cast iron griddle turns the protein portion of prep day from an hour into about twenty minutes. Searing in volume on your cast iron griddle compresses the protein portion of prep day dramatically. Beginners: this is more forgiving than it looks — the steps are simple and mistakes still taste fine.
Scale roast a whole chicken up for the household or the freezer and this tool keeps pace. The wide surface takes batch after batch without cooling down, so doubling the recipe doesn't double the cooking time. Big-batch prep needs big-surface cooking.
4. Portion Nuts and Trail Mix
Nuts are the perfect prep snack — protein, healthy fats, zero preparation — but the bag is a portion-control disaster. Divide into small bags or containers: a week's worth of sensible portions in ten minutes. Add dried fruit and dark chocolate chips for trail mix.New cooks love this one because there's no precise technique to master, just straightforward steps.
5. Hard-Boil a Dozen Eggs
Twelve eggs, boiling water, eleven minutes, ice bath — and you have the most versatile protein in the prep game. Snacks, salads, breakfasts, grain bowls: hard-boiled eggs improve all of them. They keep a full week refrigerated in their shells. While grains simmer and vegetables roast, a cast iron griddle can be searing the entire week's protein. High heat is the whole point, and your cast iron griddle delivers it consistently across the full surface.
6. Marinate for the Week
Proteins marinate while you do everything else. Bag chicken in yogurt-herb marinade, tofu in soy-ginger, pork in citrus-chili — refrigerate, and cook fresh through the week or freeze for later. Marinating is passive flavor that costs you two minutes. Uniform patties from the press cook evenly on a cast iron griddle, so every container gets the same result. The hard sear from the cast iron griddle is what keeps prepped protein tasting good days later.
Double-batch marinate for the week whenever motivation strikes; it barely notices the extra volume. Cast iron holds its heat through long sessions, so batch eight sears like batch one. Cook once, eat twice as long.
7. Cook a Big Pot of Grains
Grains are the backbone of a prep week: rice, quinoa, farro, or barley cooked in bulk on Sunday become the base for countless meals. Cook more than you think you need — grains are cheap and endlessly versatile. Cool quickly, portion, and refrigerate; most keep five days.
The real test of cook a big pot of grains is Thursday: does it still taste good? Protein seared hard on this tool passes that test — the crust holds up, the flavor survives the fridge, and a quick reheat brings it back. Good sear, good leftovers. That's the deal.
8. Set Up a Use-First Bin
Designate one fridge bin for foods that need eating soon — the half onion, the wilting herbs, the yogurt nearing its date. When it's time to cook, shop the bin first. This simple system cuts food waste dramatically with zero extra effort. Review it midweek and plan around what you find. Smash patties thin with the press, then let a cast iron griddle give them the crispy edges that survive reheating. Uniform pieces cook at the same rate on it, so nothing overcooks while the rest catches up. Don't overthink it — this is designed to work even if your knife skills are a work in progress.
9. Portion Smoothie Bags
Freezer bags of smoothie ingredients — fruit, spinach, protein powder portions — ready to dump and blend. Mornings become a sixty-second operation instead of a produce-chopping session. A month of bags takes twenty minutes to assemble.
What surprises people about portion smoothie bags is how much better it tastes than the skillet version — and the cast iron griddle is the reason. Harder sear, deeper browning, crispier edges. The same ingredients, upgraded by heat.
10. Make a Big-Batch Soup
A stockpot of soup on Sunday is lunches and dinners for days. Lentil, minestrone, chicken noodle, butternut squash — soups are forgiving, freezable, and reheat perfectly. Make more than fits the week and freeze the surplus for a future rescue meal. A cast iron griddle sears a week's worth of protein in a fraction of the time a skillet would take. Leftovers reheat better when the original sear was serious, which is it's specialty.
11. Portion Snack Bags
Pre-portioned snacks are the difference between eating well and eating whatever's closest. Divide nuts, trail mix, cut vegetables with hummus, and fruit into grab-and-go portions. The psychology is real: when the healthy option is the easy option, it wins. The hard sear from a cast iron griddle is what keeps prepped meat tasting good on Thursday. Protein cooks fast and evenly when this tool stays ripping hot through the whole batch.
New to prepping? portion snack bags is forgiving — and your cast iron griddle makes the protein part nearly foolproof. Thin, uniform pieces cook through fast with no guesswork about doneness. Focus on seasoning; the heat does the rest.
10% Off Your First Order
Building a meal-prep setup doesn't have to happen all at once — but if you're starting, code WELCOME10 takes 10% off your first order. It's our way of making the first step of a good habit a little easier on the wallet.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the return policy?
Orders come with a 30-day return window. If something arrives damaged, defective, or simply isn't right for your kitchen, contact support within 30 days of delivery to arrange a return or replacement. Items should be unused and in their original packaging where possible.
How long does shipping take?
Estimated delivery times are 5–12 business days within Canada, 7–15 business days to the US, and 10–25 business days for international orders. These are estimates rather than guarantees — carriers and customs can add time, especially around holidays. You'll receive tracking information once your order ships so you can follow its progress.
What can you cook on a cast iron griddle during prep day?
Smashed burger patties with crispy edges are the signature move, but the surface handles much more: chicken pieces, sausages, bacon for breakfast prep, sliced vegetables, even grilled sandwiches. Anything that benefits from high, even heat and a hard sear works. Thin, uniform pieces cook fastest and reheat best, which is exactly what the press helps you make.
How do I reheat meal prep without ruining it?
Add a splash of water before microwaving grains and proteins — it creates steam that prevents drying out. Cover loosely rather than sealing tight, and heat in shorter bursts, stirring between them. For the oven, 350°F (175°C) covered with foil revives most dishes beautifully. Sauces and dressings should be added after reheating, not before, to keep flavors bright.