You’ve got an oven, a **slow cooker**, and not much headspace. The goal: feed a week, spend less, waste nothing. Sounds lofty until you build a rhythm around two heat sources and a handful of trays. This is a plan for real kitchens, not perfect ones. It leans on slow heat, smart timing, and flavours that deepen in the fridge. No fancy kit. No hob. No stress.
The oven door whuffs warmth each time it opens. The slow cooker ticks away, a low purr under the kitchen noise. A tray of carrots glows like copper, tomatoes collapse into gloss, a chicken settles with a sigh. On a notepad: Monday bowls, Tuesday stuffed potatoes, Wednesday pie, Thursday baked rice, Friday wraps. There’s a bag for peelings by the board. The freezer hums softly for once, fuller than last week but not chaotic. Your shoulders lower. *The plan is doing the heavy lifting.* A quiet thought appears. Everything fits.
The two-appliance weekly blueprint
You don’t need a dozen pans to batch-cook well. You need a system that loves repeats and leftovers. The oven handles colour and crunch; the slow cooker builds body and broth. Together they give you layers of flavour without hovering over a hob. Think roast, roast, roast. Then soak everything in something silky and slow. One gives edges, the other gives comfort.
Here’s a real week built this way. Roast two trays of mixed veg, a tray of tomatoes and onions, and a chicken or a tray of marinated mushrooms. In the slow cooker, do stock and beans on rotation. Out of that set, you get loaded potatoes, a baked rice casserole, roast veg wraps, tray “lasagne” with polenta, and a pie topped with mash. WRAP’s estimate says UK households throw away millions of tonnes of food each year, much of it edible. A plan like this clips that waste at the source and at the bin.
The maths works because heat overlaps. While the slow cooker handles beans overnight, the oven knocks out two or three trays in one preheat. Residual heat finishes nuts, croutons, or a quick fruit crumble. Stagger start times so the hottest shelf takes roots, the middle takes tomatoes, the bottom shelters a gentle bake. Label as you go. Stack on a tray so containers cool fast, then slide them into the fridge like puzzle pieces.
Plan, shop, cook, rotate
Start on Friday night with an audit. What’s in the fridge, freezer, cupboard? Pick five building blocks: one protein or bean, one roast veg mix, one sauce, one starch, one wildcard (like roasted fruit or a baked frittata). Write four meals that remix those blocks without getting boring. Then shop to the list, favouring “wonky” produce and multi-use packs. On Sunday, set the **batch-cook** clock: slow cooker on first, oven on as soon as you wake.
We’ve all had that moment when the veg drawer stares back accusingly. Go gentle on yourself and trim the scale before you trim your ambitions. The biggest mistake is cooking too much of one thing. The second is not cooling or labelling. Let’s be honest: no one does this every day. Two trays beat five. A single sauce beats three. If you only manage stock and roast tomatoes, you still win your week.
Think in “flows”, not recipes. Roast veg become bowls on Monday, pie filler on Wednesday, wrap stuffing on Friday. Beans take a turn as chilli, then a mash for shepherd’s pie. Tomato sauce dresses baked gnocchi one night and gets thinned into soup the next. A chef friend puts it plainly:
“Cook components, not just meals. You’re stocking a shop, not serving a one-night pop-up.”
- Friday: audit, plan five building blocks, shop the gaps.
- Saturday night: bag peelings and herb stems for stock.
- Sunday 8am: slow cooker on (stock or beans). Preheat oven.
- Sunday 9–11am: roast roots, tomatoes, a protein; bake potatoes on the spare rack.
- Sunday noon: blend sauce, portion veg, shred protein, cool fast, label.
Zero waste that tastes better
Scraps are flavour, not failure. Peelings and onion ends become golden stock in the slow cooker with a splash of cider vinegar. Herb stems blitz into oil with salt and lemon; drizzle over Tuesday’s traybake. Stale bread becomes crunchy croutons in the final 10 minutes of the oven’s warmth. Citrus peels dry on a cooling rack and perfume a jar of sugar. You’re not saving scraps out of guilt. You’re mining them for more dinner.
Batch-cooking is also an energy story. A slow cooker sips watts for hours while you get on with life. The oven, used in short bursts with full shelves, becomes an investment, not a drain. Give each tray a second job with residual heat: nuts, granola, spiced chickpeas, oat bars. Store in clear containers so you actually see what to eat next. Put the oldest to the front and nudge yourself to finish what you started.
Transformations keep meals fresh without new shopping. Roast tomatoes become a thick sheet-pan sauce; half stays chunky for wraps, half gets blended for soup. Beans start as a garlicky stew, then get mashed with lemon for a pie topping. Baked potatoes are supper on day one, skins crisped into snacks on day two, middles folded into fishcakes by Thursday. **Zero waste** stops being a rule and starts being a habit you can taste.
| Point clé | Détail | Intérêt pour le lecteur |
|---|---|---|
| Cook components, not isolated meals | Roast veg, slow-cook beans, make one sauce; remix all week | Less effort, more variety, fewer limp leftovers |
| Overlap heat and tasks | Slow cooker overnight; oven runs once with stacked trays | Saves energy, time, and washing up |
| Turn scraps into flavour | Peelings for stock, stale bread to croutons, herb stems to oil | Cuts waste and boosts taste without extra spend |
FAQ :
- How do I leave a slow cooker on overnight safely?Use a modern unit on a low setting, with enough liquid to cover ingredients. Keep it on a heat-safe surface, away from walls, and don’t drape towels over it.
- What can I batch-cook if I don’t eat meat?Beans, lentils, and mushrooms love slow heat. Try smoky bean stew, roasted mushroom trays, baked polenta, and tomato-garlic sauces for sturdy, satisfying meals.
- How do I stop roasted veg going soggy in the fridge?Cool fast on trays, store in shallow containers without crowding, and reheat on a hot tray in the oven, not the microwave, to bring back edges.
- Can I reheat rice without a hob?Yes. Spread cooked rice in a shallow dish, sprinkle with a little water, cover, and bake at 180°C until steaming hot throughout. Cool and chill rice promptly after cooking.
- What labels actually help?Date, contents, and an arrow for “use first”. Add heating notes like “oven 10 min” or “mix with sauce” so future-you doesn’t need to think.
