Thread 21662845

Is meal prep a psyop? Have any of your family members fallen for this psychosis?

I'll cook 5 lbs of chicken breast for lunches throughout the week. Like 5 or 6 breasts shoved into some containers in my fridge.

>>21662845 (OP)
>psyop
Buzzword alert!

Cooking for a single meal is a waste of time but that packaging is silly.

>>21662845 (OP)
It's just a fancy term for "left overs."

>>21662845 (OP)
Id meal prep for like 3 days max. 5 is just too long to eat the same thing every day. But I am single with no kids, so everything is simple for me. Meal prepping is probably more for big familys.

>>21662845 (OP)
I only cook for myself, but I do meal prep. I save a shit ton of time. The point is not to do everything in one day, but to do something almost every day meant for the next week. Actually cooking a meal one day might be 40-90min, which includes eating and cleanup. Most of the other days are more ingredient prep, like the stuff a restaurant will do before the place opens.

>>21662845 (OP)
no because it's trash by day four

>>21662861
it doesnt get funky after 4 days?

>>21662845 (OP)
Some foods like stews freeze quite well, so i cook big portions to also freeze.

>>21662996
>>21663004
>>21663027

>>21662845 (OP)
It's retarded. The only meal prep I do is eating leftovers the next day if I happen to cook too much. Going out of your way to make leftovers is crazy person behavior.

>>21662904
>The point is not to do everything in one day, but to do something almost every day meant for the next week.
That's retarded. Why not just cook fresh meals every other day?

>>21662996
>>21663004
>>21663027
>>21663061
on day 5 I like to eat instant ramen and/or eat out

>>21662845 (OP)
Cooking large amounts to eat over several days is completely normal. Portioning it into precisely measured containers might be autistic (at worst), but even then it's 1000% better than ordering McDonald's via Doordash for 5 meals/day like you, zoom zoom.

>>21663120
the point is to cook everything in a few hours so that you dont have to cook anymore or do dishes for the rest of the week.

>>21663138
Some food is made in large quantities with the expectation of having leftovers for a day or two but no one is making lasgana or stew to eat for a week straight. Leftovers are trash after two days. A lot of these meal preps are really simple meals that you can make in 30 minutes or less. The formula is carb, protein, veg. That isn't a hard meal to make at all and I'd rather spend a little time cooking than eating four day old rice, chicken, and broccoli.
>but I don't have the time!
>I need to relax after work!
>I'm tired!
Bullshit. Turn the screens off and you'll find yourself with plenty of time.

>>21662845 (OP)
I don't get the appeal. I cook 3 meals a day made from scratch and it takes me an hour in total. Nobody is busy enough to need to try and reduce that, that's a huge cope. I also don't want to microwave my now stale food in plastic and eat microplastic for dinner.

I'm not prepping or portion sizing anything. I just cook a big batch of something that I eat for 3 days. Like a pork shoulder or pork shanks, or lamb, or chicken.

I simply can't eat the same meal 5 times in a row

>>21663225
It's not that bad if youre actually hungry and the meal is tasty.

>>21663252
If you make it fresh five days in a row then maybe, but eating leftovers after day three is nasty.

>>21662845 (OP)
Some shit freezes well and is easier to make in large batches. It does save time and money if you cook yourself. Short term meal prep is still called leftovers

>>21663264
Some things are better the day after.

I prepare tomato ingredients, like marinara, roast tomatoes and stewed tomatoes. I also prepare individual dishes like up to 10 quarts of soup at a time, fish cakes, fried chicken, falafel, et al. I freeze them.

Meal prep dangers
Bacterial growth – Certain psychrotrophic (cold-loving) bacteria can multiply even at refrigerator temperatures.
Mold formation – Moist, carb‑rich dishes can develop visible mold if stored too long.
Yeast fermentation – High‑sugar foods may ferment, producing off‑flavors and gas.
Cross‑contamination – Raw meat juices contacting ready‑to‑eat items spread microbes.
Improper cooling – Not chilling food to ≤40°F (4°C) within two hours extends the danger period.
Insufficient reheating – Failing to bring leftovers to ≥165°F (74°C) leaves surviving bacteria.

Oxidation‑related dangers
VitaminC degradation – Oxidizes quickly once exposed to air, cutting antioxidant capacity by up to 30‑50% during cooking and another 10‑20% per day in the fridge.
Loss of polyphenols & flavonoids – Oxidative reactions diminish antioxidant levels by 10‑25% during heat and continue to erode them during storage.
Rancidity of fats – Unsaturated lipids oxidize, producing off‑flavors, unpleasant odors, and potentially harmful aldehydes; especially problematic for oils, nuts, and fatty fish kept for several days.
Color and flavor changes – Oxidation of pigments (e.g., chlorophyll in greens, carotenoids in carrots) leads to browning and bitter tastes, signaling nutrient loss.
Protein oxidation – Can alter texture (making meat tougher) and generate compounds that may affect digestibility.

B‑vitamin depletion – Heat and water leaching remove 15‑30% of thiamine, riboflavin, folate during cooking.
Fat‑soluble vitamin decay – Light exposure degrades vitaminsA/D/E/K by ~10% over a week.
Mineral leaching – Minimal loss (<5%) unless cooking water is discarded.

Storing in clear containers increased light‑driven oxidation.
Using loosely sealed lids greater oxygen ingress, accelerating both microbial growth and oxidative spoilage.

>>21663322
thank you chatgpt

I don't like eating the same thing multiple times a week so i can't do it
Understandable for people who don't wanna cook everyday or don't work a 9-5 low effort job like me

>>21663327
Don't thank Skynet. Don't engage with Skynet at all.

>>21663352
ok then thanks faggot

>>21663322
checked but really the answer is shit dries out and tastes nasty

>>21663004
Nta, I probably don't cook as much chicken as that dude, but mine doesn't go funky after 4 days. I don't have a good time to give you, but I think 7 days would be pushing it. I tend to leave them in the freezer if I think I won't finish it in time.

>>21663225
Don't need to. Anything meal prep-able can be put in the freezer. Stews, curries, soups, pastas, certain meats, etc etc. Do a couple meat preps and you got like 1-2 months worth of food with huge variety. Make dried out pastes or seasoning in bulk as ingredients for those foods. Can a shit ton of stuff if you want (I've never done this). I really isn't that hard.

>>21663408
Really? To me cooked chicken always tastes off after the second day in the fridge. I think there's an actual scientific explanation about cooked chicken fat in the fridge breaking down and developing unpleasant flavors after a few days.

>>21662845 (OP)
No. Because "meal prep" used to be a trad thing women used to do for large families. Rather it's been co-opted by fitfags for meal planning purposes and it got kinda stupid as a result.

>>21663004
Depends on what it is. The pot of curry I made lasted 8 days no problem. Smoked stuff lasts for weeks.

>>21663120
Because if I am gonna fire up the smoker for hours on end, I'm gonna cook a fuckton of meat. It's an efficiency thing. Especially with stews and shit - that results in a stock pot full of stew that lasts for 6-8 meals just from an onion and few carrots plus meat pack from the store. Doing it smaller just isn't possible, you have to save raw veg and FUCK THAT. Cook it all at once and have dinner set for the week.

>>21663152
>stew to eat for a week straight
Speak for yourself, if I make a stew it's for a week. The only exception is cream of crab because I can make 2-3 servings instead of a stock pot's worth of lobster bisque. They make crab in small cans. Meanwhile I have to get whole ass lobsters to make bisque, so stock pot it is! (tails don't have enough shell for the stock)

>>21663187
That's glass in OP's pic. I store most of my shit in glass too. Only plastic is in the lid, and it won't shed bits if you don't cut it.

>>21663138
>Portioning it into precisely measured containers
All containers sold have oz measurements for how much it contains. It's not autistic to put shit in containers for leftovers. It's autistic to WEIGH it all out and ensure it has X calories per container.

>>21663459
>The pot of curry I made lasted 8 days no problem.
>if I make a stew it's for a week.
Good Morning

>>21662845 (OP)
For people who don't care much about cooking or eating, I get it... it does probably save some time every week. But for me, my favorite part of the day is coming home and cooking dinner for my wife while listening to podcasts. It helps me separate my work and home life.

>>21663443
The guy mentioned chicken breasts. Maybe that's why, very interesting. I keep my chicken fat skimmed and separated, so I don't have this issue of fatty chicken either.

>>21663488
perpetual stew

>>21663068
Yeah I just consider making a meal for four as a single guy my meal prep, home cooking is good enough fresh to eat for lunch and dinner, and lunc and dinner the next day

>>21662845 (OP)
>psyop

I hate this schizo website anymore. It's all a CONSPIRACY, man!!!

>>21663611
>>21663611
look how demoralized this """prepper""" is. they want to strip you of your self-reliance, creativity, and joy of food variety. meal prep isnt preparing meals ahead of time, its prepping YOU to eat the same gruel they plan to shovel out every day like bug based protein or carbon friendly breakfast packages under the guise of convenience