Contents
- Tip one: Prepare everything in advance
- Tip two: get helpers
- Tip three: keep order and cleanliness
- Tip four: equip yourself well
- Fifth tip: think about simultaneity of actions
- Tip six: what you can – prepare in advance
- Seventh tip: accustom yourself to waste-free production
- Tip eight: don’t shy away from little tricks
- Tip nine: cook quick meals
- Council ten: live, learn
Many of us spend more time in the kitchen than we would like, but even if we do not, the right organization can significantly reduce the time it takes to cook. In this article, I decided to combine tips to help save time in the kitchen, on the same principle as in the more relevant, more than ever, ways to save on food, not health. After reading these tips, you may not learn how to cook a three-course dinner in five minutes – but the fact that it will take less time is a fact.
Tip one: Prepare everything in advance
Food, dishes, knives and so on – everything should be at your fingertips. If you are going to cook with a recipe, think about what you might need and check where it lies. This advice, however, is relevant in every sense. Imagine – it gurgles here, it hisses here, and you rush through the kitchen in search of a spice that has disappeared somewhere. This situation is fraught not only with the loss of time and nerves, but also with the fact that, distracted by unplanned searches, you can ruin your dinner in no time!
Tip two: get helpers
Someone is standing at the stove, and someone is lying on the couch. It’s not fair, is it? Correct this situation! If people object to you (and they will!), Do not believe the words about the low efficiency of slave labor – even a child can cope with peeling potatoes, washing greens, grating cheese and other simple tasks. But together, three, four you will cope much faster – which is quite logical.
Tip three: keep order and cleanliness
Cooking in a messy and untidy kitchen is not only unpleasant and not entirely healthy from a hygiene point of view. This also lengthens the cooking time, because you need free space for accurate and quick actions, and thinking about where what is, you will only waste time. Do not shy away from regular cleaning, especially if it can be passed on to someone else (see above).
Tip four: equip yourself well
In order to prepare a full meal, you need a minimum of dishes and utensils, but additional equipment will make your life much easier. Sharply sharpened knives, oven thermometers, blender – all of these tools, like hundreds of others, will not only help you expand your culinary arsenal, but also save you time. If you feel that something will significantly help you, and you can afford it, you should not deny yourself.
Fifth tip: think about simultaneity of actions
If you physically cannot do something faster, you need to figure out a way to fit as many useful actions as possible in one minute. If you really want to do everything, combine what you can do at the same time. For example, slice what you fry first and slice the rest while frying. The same applies to cooking soups and other processes that involve the gradual laying of ingredients, not to mention the simultaneous preparation of the main course and side dish. The main thing here is to correctly calculate your strength: it was not enough for everything to burn due to the fact that you did not meet the allotted few minutes.
Tip six: what you can – prepare in advance
Actually, I’m not talking about making borscht for a week in advance, although this also saves a lot of time and effort. We are talking about semi-finished products – not about those surrogates stuffed with chemistry that are sold in stores, but about everything that can be prepared in advance and then used as needed. Frozen broth, all kinds of sauces, marinades and preparations – these are just a few of the things that it is not necessary (and sometimes impossible) to cook anew every time. The main thing here is not to overdo it: in general, food cooked and eaten immediately is much tastier and healthier.
Seventh tip: accustom yourself to waste-free production
It would seem that this advice is exclusively from the field of saving money, and has nothing to do with saving time. However, one thing is closely related to the other, and it’s not for nothing that Jamie Oliver constantly gives advice on where to use the leftover food, and Gordon Ramsay makes all his chefs take the test to make a great dish from what is left after cooking. If you move your brains properly, it is quite possible to arrange the menu in such a way as to squeeze the maximum out of all the products. Throwing away something that can still be used, you are throwing away not only your money, but also time – after all, cleaning, slicing and other preparations take invaluable minutes.
Tip eight: don’t shy away from little tricks
There are various little things that can be great to make your life easier. For example, throwing flour and chopped meat into a bag and shaking well several times will quickly pan all the pieces, and by cutting a tomato and scalding it with boiling water, you can easily peel it. The main thing is not to sink in an effort to quickly escape from the kitchen to the use of bouillon cubes and the like. The kitchen samurai knows the line between what is permitted and what is forbidden.
Tip nine: cook quick meals
Have you read all the tips above, but still couldn’t save time on cooking? Well, especially for you, there are countless recipes for delicious and healthy dishes, which you can cook in 10-15 minutes. Sometimes you really shouldn’t complicate anything, but take the simplest path, especially if you got the freshest food.
Council ten: live, learn
Exactly. With experience, the skill of quickly handling a knife and other utensils appears, and culinary secrets peeped from famous chefs or gleaned from books will help you solve the most difficult problems in a matter of minutes. Do not shy away from other people’s experience, and remember – perfection comes with practice. Well, in order for them, this very experience, to share – set out in the comments some of your advice on how to save time on cooking!