The time you spend in your kitchen is quite crucial. Cooking your meals is one of the best ways to keep your family healthy. You get a chance to shun processed foods that are unhealthy for your family. Home-cooked food is rich in nutrients and properly prepared.
Whether you want to prepare instant ramen noodles, vegetables with the best rice, short ribs or barbeque your favourite pork chops, you have to know where to start. Cooking is not an easy activity to embark on. Many homeowners spend a lot of time in the kitchen and end up failing to deliver quality meals.
There are cooking hacks that you should be well acquainted with to save time in your kitchen, and they include:
- Planning Early
There is nothing that disappoints many cooks than going to their kitchen to prepare a meal to find out that something crucial is missing. This means you will have to go to the nearby store to get what is missing. Therefore, plan things in advance. Have a shopping list, plan what to cook and put everything in the right place.
- Prepare Well
As you go on planning your kitchen and what you need, it is also crucial to prepare well and save more time. Prepare all the meals you want to cook during your least busy day. If you preparing meals with the same menu, why not prepare all at the same time?
- Stock Non-Perishable Produce
You don’t need to waste time running back to your grocery to get an urgent product. Stock up on non-perishable staples like rice, beans, sugar, salt, baking soda, cooking oil and so on.
- Have the Right Utensils and Kitchen Gadgets
Invest in the best kitchen gadgets and arrange them in an easy to access manner. Keep your set of knives sharp and pick the right tool for the job.
- Utilize the Available Gadgets
Don’t overwork yourself when there are right kitchen tools to do certain chores. For instance, make the most of your slow cooker, can opener, garlic presser, mandolin and small chopper among other kitchen appliances.
- Go for Simple Food to Cook
Choose to cook types of dishes that will not waste most of your time. For instance, you can boil eggs, roast vegetables, and make a frittata, pizza, or soup. Even if you are in a hurry, make sure the food tastes good.
- Cut and Prepare Vegetables in Batches
You don’t want to spend most of your cooking time having to put off the cooker to cut and prepare vegetables. Whether you are cooking stir-fry or salads, pre-cut all the ingredients you need and store them in a safe place.
- Season in Advance
If your recipe involves a lot of seasonings and spices, undertake this task in advance and start cooking right away.
- Prepare Your Dishes in Batches
Some meals take longer to cook. So, to shun any chances of wasting time while cooking, cook in bulk. You can freeze leftovers for easy dinners and prepare some dishes ahead of others.
- Clean Up Your Kitchen as you Cook
You don’t want to finish cooking up a lovely and savoury dish on time and then waste more time cleaning your kitchen and piled up utensils. To save more time, wash and clean as you cook.
- Delegate Duties
If you have a family, it is wise to delegate duties in the chicken and easily save more time. You can have someone prepare the recipe, especially if you are getting it on the internet. Let another loved one clean utensils or handle vegetables. Besides saving more time, you will also help loved ones learn how to cook and all that goes on in the kitchen.
- Involve Friends and Neighbours
If you are hosting a party or a special event, share the joy with friends and neighbours. Fortunately, you will not have to prepare the meals alone. You will also learn new techniques and save more time cooking large bulks of food as a team.
To Wrap Up
The same way you have time to groom yourself, your pets or undertake general household cleaning, you should have a robust time to cook at home. However, it is not an easy chore but you have to figure out how to save time while preparing and cooking the best meals. If stuck, it is wise to learn from experts in the catering world.
