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IrelandMike G freezes the prep, not the whole dinner
Five vegetable bases become soups, curry and stew in LifebyMikeG's batch-cooking tutorial, which promises hours saved at the stove.
LifebyMikeG
Story of Why this story? 1,678,913 views so far, and here is what is inside it.
These 5 Cubes Will Save You 20+ Hours of Cooking
Things we can learn from the video
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- 0:39Cook down carrot, celery, onion and garlic, then freeze the mixture as a base for chicken minestrone.
- 4:46Roasted honeynut and butternut squash become a smooth puree to freeze and later turn into soup.
- 7:40Aromatics reduced in coconut milk form a shared base for chickpea curry, beef rendang and dal.
- 12:44Cook processed mushrooms until dry, then add butter and miso for a concentrated soup and stew booster.
- 15:55Grill peppers and corn, combine them and freeze portions for chili.
- 18:09Mike combines several prepared cubes into a quick tortilla soup and tastes it with Carly.
The same aromatic curry cube goes into chickpea coconut curry, beef rendang and dal. That's the useful distinction in Mike G's freezer tutorial: he isn't stocking up on identical dinners. He's doing the slow preparation once, then taking the finished bases in different directions.
In "These 5 Cubes Will Save You 20+ Hours of Cooking", the LifebyMikeG host starts some of that work in the garden, harvesting carrots, celery, turmeric, ginger and other ingredients. His estimate of the time saved is the title's promise; the practical lesson is how to cook, concentrate and freeze flavor before dinner needs making.
The first base combines carrots, celery, onion and garlic, cooked down before freezing and later used for chicken minestrone. Roasted squash becomes another cube, ready to turn into soup. For the curry base, Mike blends aromatics and reduces them in coconut milk.
The mushroom version gets a particularly useful treatment: processed cremini and shiitake mushrooms cook until dry before he adds butter and homemade miso. Culinary producer Carly puts the effect neatly: "I feel like the miso just makes it taste more like mushroom." That batch supplies both cream of mushroom soup and beef stew. Grilled peppers and corn make the final base, which he uses for chili.
Viewers are extending the idea rather than just requesting another recipe. Several describe freezing sofrito, garlic or ginger; one suggests blended white beans and garlic, while another says cocktail ice trays have gradually become holders for cooking bases. Cooking for one is another recurring practical concern.
Near the end, Mike combines multiple cubes into tortilla soup and tastes it with Carly. The separate batches become ingredients for the same dinner, rather than five recipes that must stay separate.
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What viewers say
Bought large silicone ice cube trays for cocktails last summer and they've slowly just turned into pure garlic, curry paste, and concentrated mirepoix holders. No going back now.
@sowtastySee it on YouTubeOne of my favorite cubes is blended white beans and garlic. Thickens up any soup or stew and boosts the vegetable protein level.
@jeannamcgregor9967See it on YouTubeThis is going to help solve the challenge of cooking for one when stores usually batch for 4 people or more.
@Quasi42See it on YouTube
6 more comments
For roasting the squash I de-seed before roasting and fill the seed holes with olive oil and garlic. The garlic flavor permeates the squash and I get confit garlic out of it as well and it can either be blended with the squash or stored separately to add to other dishes.
@SheSellsSeashells6754See it on YouTubeI did this system once a week when I worked as a personal chef for an elderly couple that required very specific dietary restrictions, low or no sodium, etc. It worked great then. Thanks for Reminding me that one day a week prep time really does make a huge difference on weekdays when one has no time or energy left. I loved all the varieties, also.
@kelliesvatora2471See it on YouTubeAs a Puerto Rican, we tend to make freeze sofrito into cubes. Cilantro, culantro, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, aji dulce, garlic, onion, and olive oil.
@Chugga1FanSee it on YouTubeI would recommend processing a lot of garlic and ginger, putting them in a ziplock bag, and using a utensil like a chopstick to draw dividing lines. This would make little bricks that you can break off for whenever you need garlic or ginger
@BigBossMan538See it on YouTubeThose corn cobs have a lot of flavor left in them. Throw them in the instant pot with water and a bit of chicken bouillon for a great foundation broth for chowder or Mexican soups and stews.
@JonJaedenSee it on YouTubesquash peel (if not too thick) shouldn't go to waste, even after roasting! pop it in the air frier for like 10 minutes and they become crispy and delicious
@gabrielesalvatori6804See it on YouTube
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- Channel
- LifebyMikeG
- Subscribers
- 5,410,000 ▲ 10,000 this week
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 8,434,415
- Channel views, pace per day
- 826,325 (on a normal day: 888,170)
- Video published
- October 19, 2026
- Video views so far
- 1,678,913 (6 days online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 247,076 (on a normal day: 369,121)
The numbers
The tutorial has reached about 1.7 million views in six days. Its story is the cooking system rather than an unusually fast start.
💡 Test your knowledge
Which vegetables traditionally make up French mirepoix?
Traditional French mirepoix combines onion, carrot and celery as an aromatic cooking base.