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- Always plan your meal ahead. That means getting all your ingredients (and utensils) together in order of how you need them. This really speeds up cooking!
- Minimize your dishes. Example: Mix dry ingredients separately from liquid ingredients, but instead of mixing them together in a different bowl just add the dry stuff to the liquid bowl.
- Clean as you cook. Do this at your own discretion it is not always easy with kids, but if you spill something clean it up right away. Dirty a spoon your not using again wash it right away! It takes mere seconds and makes clean-up after easier.
- Do not be afraid to spice things up! Just test your dish as you slowly add things in. If you just stick to the recipe it can be really bland. Experiment a little!
- Plan out your time accordingly. If you look up a recipe online it usually has an estimated time for cooking and prep; however, you can pretty much expect most meals will take anywhere from 30-60 minutes.
- Plan ahead! If you want to make that really awesome meal that takes a lot of time prepare some of the ingredients the day before and refrigerate or freeze them so that it takes less time to cook!
- Stay clean! Wash your hands before and after handling raw meats (that means try not to touch anything before you wash your hands or use gloves).
- Proper cooking utensils can make a huge difference in time it takes to cook a meal. If you use the right knife or spoon or spatula (metal for pan cooking people please!) it really helps!
- Leave your fear of cooking out of the kitchen. Just trust your instincts. If it smells like its done taste it! If it looks pink keep cooking! Anyone CAN cook!
- Don't be afraid to involve others. You have a lot going on have your kid, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, mom, roommate, whoever help out!
Posts
I think these ten tips are wonderful. Many people just run right to the oven without planning things out. That usually ends in a disastser of some sort. I am definitely guilty of that sometimes. You demonstrate how people can maximize their time when they are cooking which is greatly beneficial to not only parents of children, but people on a time crunch in general. I especially love the final tip about including others in helping you cook. Not only does it spread the work load out, but it can also add fun to cooking sometimes!
ReplyDeleteMatt Daniels
I love this list! It is so logical, but in everyone's busy life we forget that planning ahead is the best bet.
ReplyDeleteNumbers 1-3 are tips I live by. They save me so much time when it comes to making meals. With so few hours in the day, I try my best to minimize the amount of time spent making and eating food. And those tips save you a lot of time, as opposed to not planning ahead, using excessive plates and utensils, and cleaning after the fact.
ReplyDelete- Curtiss Thompson
Great tips! I especially like and use the "clean as you go" one. When I was younger I wouldn't bother and then had to face a mound of dishes after I'd had a nice dinner with a group of people and a few glasses of wine. That one thing really helped. I plan to use your plan ahead tip...something I've heard before but don't practice enough!
ReplyDeleteGreat list! I think this will be really helpful to a lot of people. Keep the great posts coming.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great tips! I will be the first to admit I am not the best cook, but I can follow a recipe. Your advise on planning ahead will ensure that even I can create a great meal, because I won't have to come up with something on my own.
ReplyDelete-Patricia
Wow. Your blog is awesome. I love how it is set up. So easy to see, grab information, well organized. I am increasingly impressed ever time I check back.
ReplyDeleteThese are freat tips for cooking. I love cooking and i totally agree with the clean as go tip. It really does make the clean after a breeze. A little cleaning here and a little cleaning there while your cooking goes a long way. Good idea's!!
ReplyDelete-Robert