Sunday Batch Cook, Sorted for the Week with Q-Chef

Nobody wants to decide what's for lunch at 8am on a Tuesday, staring into a fridge that has nothing in it worth grabbing. Q-chef saves you time and effort by removing one more decision from a morning that already has too many things on. Cook a batch once, usually on a Sunday when there's a bit more patience going around, portion it out, and the week's mostly sorted before Monday's even started.

Each of the recipes below uses a preset already sitting on the Q-Chef, so there's no real guesswork, no converting times from a different machine, no wondering if the ratio's right. Just the usual chopping, locking the lid, and letting it get on with it while you do something more interesting with the next hour.

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1. Seasoned Shredded Chicken, One Batch, Three Flavours

Cook plain chicken and split it three ways once it's ready, so lunch doesn't taste identical five days running. Try different flavours over time and discover a new way to enjoy chicken.

Cook Time: High pressure, natural release

Ingredients

• 1kg boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
• 250ml chicken stock
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• Salt and pepper
  

For the three flavours (each enough for one portion of shredded chicken):

• BBQ: 3 tbsp BBQ sauce
  
• Lemon garlic: zest of 1 lemon, 1 clove garlic, crushed, 1 tbsp olive oil
  
• Buffalo: 3 tbsp hot sauce, 1 tbsp melted butter
  

Method

1. Put the chicken in the inner pot with the stock, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper.
   
2. Lock the lid and select the Poultry preset on High pressure.
   
3. Once it's done, let the pressure release naturally, it keeps the chicken more tender for shredding.
   
4. Shred the chicken straight in the pot with two forks, then split into three portions.
   
5. Stir each portion through one of the flavour mixes, keeping them apart so the week actually varies.
   

2. Vegetable Chilli

Vegetable chilli in a glass meal prep container, made in the Q-Chef pressure cooker

A meat-free chilli that gives you all the nutrients you need to stay full, plus a nice spicy kick for colder months. Holds up well over several days and usually tastes even better over time.

Cook Time: ~10 minutes, quick release

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
  
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
  
• 1 red pepper, diced
  
• 2 tsp ground cumin
  
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
  
• 1 tsp chilli powder
  
• 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
  
• 2 x 400g tins mixed beans (kidney, black beans, or a mix), drained
  
• 200ml vegetable stock
  
• Salt and pepper, to taste
  

Method

1. Select the Sauté preset and heat the oil in the inner pot.
2. Cook the onion until soft, then add the garlic, red pepper, cumin, paprika and chilli powder for a minute.
3. Tip in the tomatoes, beans and stock, and give it a good stir.
4. Lock the lid, select the Beans/Chilli preset on High pressure, and knock the time down to around 10 minutes, the beans are already cooked, so it doesn't need long.
5.  Quick release once done, taste, adjust the seasoning, then portion up.
   

3. Pulled Pork Lunch Bowls

This is proper pulled pork, shredded and dropped into bowls with whatever grain or veg you've got going.

Cook Time: ~70 minutes, natural release

Ingredients

• 1.2kg pork shoulder, cut into large chunks
  
• 1 onion, sliced
  
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  
• 250ml chicken or vegetable stock
  
• 3 tbsp BBQ sauce, plus extra to serve
  
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
  
• Salt and pepper
  

Method

1. Season the pork with salt, pepper and smoked paprika.
   
2. Put the onion and garlic in the bottom of the pot, then sit the pork on top.
   
3. Pour over the stock and BBQ sauce.
   
4. Lock the lid, select the Meat/Stew preset on High pressure, and stretch the time to around 70 minutes, a shoulder this size needs the extra time to properly break down.
   
5. Let the pressure release naturally once it's done, it keeps the meat tender rather than tough.
   
6. Shred it straight in the pot, stirring through the liquid. Portion into bowls with a grain and some veg.
   

4. Lentil And Vegetable Soup

Need something warm and cosy? This filling soup that freezes well and somehow tastes better on day two. Good for reheating straight at a desk.

Cook Time: High pressure, quick release

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
  
• 2 carrots, diced
  
• 2 celery sticks, diced
  
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
  
• 200g dried red lentils, rinsed
  
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  
• 1 litre vegetable stock
  
• 1 tsp ground cumin
  
• Salt and pepper, to taste
  

Method

1. Select the Sauté preset and heat the oil.
   
2. Cook the onion, carrots and celery until soft, then add the garlic for a minute.
   
3. Stir in the lentils, tomatoes, stock and cumin.
   
4. Lock the lid and select the Soup/Broth preset on High pressure.
   
5. Quick release once done, season to taste, and portion up once it's cooled.
   

5. Batch Quinoa, For Salads

A plain batch of quinoa that takes almost no time at all, just there as a base for whatever salad you're building that week. Feta in summer, butternut in autumn, walnuts in winter, asparagus in spring – and always a large serving of lettuce.

Cook Time: 1-3 minutes, natural release

Ingredients

• 300g quinoa, rinsed thoroughly
  
• 300ml water or vegetable stock (1:1 ratio with the quinoa)
  
• Pinch of salt
  

Method

1. Add the rinsed quinoa, water and salt to the pot.
   
2. Lock the lid and select Manual Pressure on High, 1 minute for white quinoa, 3 minutes if you're using red, black or tricolour.
   
3. Let the pressure release naturally for 7 to 8 minutes, then release anything left.
   
4. Fluff with a fork and portion once cool.
   

6. One-Pot Rice with Vegetables

A proper meal on its own, or a base you can build other lunches around. Root vegetables or  a serving of cooked meat works great with this one all year long.

Cook Time: Low pressure, natural release (default time)

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
  
• 1 onion, diced
  
• 2 carrots, diced
  
• 1 courgette, diced
  
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
  
• 300g basmati rice, rinsed
  
• 530ml vegetable stock
  
• 1 tsp mixed herbs
  
• Salt and pepper, to taste
  

Method

1. Select the Sauté preset and heat the oil.
   
2. Soften the onion, carrots and courgette, then add the garlic for a minute.
   
3. Stir in the rinsed rice, stock, herbs, salt and pepper.
   
4. Lock the lid and select the Rice/Grain preset on Low pressure, default time is fine.
   Natural release once done, fluff with a fork, then portion up.
   

7. Chickpea Curry

Chickpea curry in a metal container, served with naan bread, made in the Q-Chef

Warm spice, plant-based, and it reheats without turning to mush, unlike a lot of curries. Add more coconut milk for a soup consistency and you’ve got your winter covered.

Cook Time: ~8 minutes, quick release

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  
• 1 onion, diced
  
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
  
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
  
• 2 tsp curry powder
  
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
  
• 1 tsp ground cumin
  
• 2 x 400g tins chickpeas, drained
  
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  
• 200ml coconut milk
  
• Salt, to taste
  

Method

1. Select the Sauté preset and heat the oil.
   
2. Cook the onion until soft, then add the garlic, ginger, curry powder, turmeric and cumin for a minute.
   
3. Stir in the chickpeas, tomatoes and coconut milk.
   
4. Lock the lid, select the Beans/Chilli preset on High pressure, and cut the time to around 8 minutes, the chickpeas don't need long.
   
5. Quick release, season with salt, and portion up.
   

The Week, Sorted in One Sitting

None of this needs much watching once it's in the pot, which is really the whole point. Chop, season, lock the lid, and walk away, no standing over a hob, no stirring on a timer, no second-guessing whether it's ready. Batch cook one or two of these on a Sunday, whenever a couple of quiet hours turn up, and the rest of the week takes care of itself. No decisions on a Wednesday morning, no scrambling at lunchtime, just a container already sorted, waiting to be grabbed on the way out the door.

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