{
  "id": 16041358,
  "title": "For years, I paid someone $150 a month to batch-cook meals for my busy family of 4",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/for-years-i-paid-someone-150-a-month-to-batch-cook-meals-for-my-busy",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-22T12:02:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Insider",
    "slug": "business-insider",
    "url": "https://www.businessinsider.com/pay-someone-to-cook-meals-for-family-monthly-worth-it-2026-10"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "After their second child, the husband and wife found it challenging to balance work and household duties. They decided to outsource some cooking by hiring a local chef named Evelyn to batch-cook meals for their family of four. With Evelyn's help, they could have delicious meals ready to reheat on their busiest days. Evelyn, an experienced pastry chef on furlough during the COVID-19 pandemic, visited once a month for about four to six hours. She cooked Malaysian Nyonya or Chinese-Malaysian dishes like ayam tempra, chai boey, and baby pongteh, which the family would then freeze and reheat on weekdays. The arrangement not only saved time but also taught the couple more about their culture and helped them learn new cooking techniques. Evelyn continued to visit for four years, until they moved out of London, and she is remembered fondly for her assistance during the challenging early years of parenthood.",
  "summary": "Each month, I paid a local chef that I found in a Facebook group to cook meals for my family that I could freeze and reheat throughout the month.",
  "key_points": [
    "Couple hired Evelyn to batch-cook meals for their family of four.",
    "Evelyn, a pastry chef on furlough, visited monthly for 4-6 hours.",
    "Arrangement lasted four years until the family moved out of London."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Outsourcing specialized meal preparation to local professionals offers busy parents a practical way to reclaim time while maintaining cultural connections through authentic, home-cooked cuisine.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}