Sparked by a comment I made on another blogger’s page, I realized that I use certain strategies to get dinner done quickly – some easy cooking tips and tricks that have become part of my daily routine.
In this day and age, most people don’t want to spend much time in the kitchen. Magazines tout headline after headline about how you can make your food in the shortest amount of time possible. Convenience foods, in my opinion, have spelled the demise of our health and culture. We trade our time for chemicals and food additives with no thought of consequences. The consequences become trading our money, earned by spending our time, for pharmaceuticals to fix the problems we’ve made by wanting to “save time” in the kitchen. It’s all intimately connected.
I like to cook and my happy place is in the kitchen. Anyone who knows me personally will tell you so. However, I am still a working mom. As a free-lancer my schedule is random and unpredictable. I strive to be different but I often don’t have any idea what I’m making for dinner at 3 pm. My time is at a premium, just like the rest of the world.
In light of that fact, and because I understand not everyone has the skill set or the desire to be in the kitchen like I do, I’d like to give you some things to make cooking easier, taste better and perhaps faster. Although, if your food tasted better and it felt easier, would you really be so quick to leave the kitchen?
First, some prep tips. Everything goes more smoothly if you’re prepared.
- Keep a supply of basic meats such as ground beef, chicken breasts and pork sausage. Bacon is always a good one to have too. We buy our meats in bulk from farmers. Buying that way allows us to purchase quality, pastured meats at a great price and it’s easy to keep a freezer full. We also raise some of our own poultry but if you can’t do that, look for bulk purchases from health food stores and farmers’ markets.
- Keep basic vegetables on hand. I always have fresh carrots, beets, cauliflower and broccoli in my refrigerator. Most of the time I have lettuce and/or kale too. Onions and garlic are a must and last a long time if bought in bulk. More perishable items need to be purchased weekly like tomatoes and fruits but in that case canned produce is a good alternative to have on hand.
- Quality broth will go a long way. If you don’t make your own, buy organic. It can be used for soups, sauces and roasting.
- Good fats such as butter, lard, coconut oil, olive oil and bacon fat help to make flavors more complex. Complexity adds to the eating experience and taste factor.
- Pastas, rice and ancient grains like quinoa and millet are simple to keep in a cupboard and are quick to prepare.
Now for the cooking tips:
- Get out the crock pot and throw something in it. There are a million crock pot cookbooks out there and billions of recipes online. Here’s a good place to start. Invest in a good crock pot with a timer and use it.
- Roast something. Meat and potatoes cooked together are simple and delicious. It takes all of ten minutes to throw something together. You can be doing something else while it’s cooking and a large roast or a turkey will feed a family of four several times over.
- Sautéing veggies and chicken makes a quick, 30 minute meal. Add pasta or rice if you’re not grain free.
- Always make extras for future lunches. It will take you ten minutes to cook a little more and save you an hour of looking for something to eat for lunch.
- Pack the leftovers in meal portions, ready to take for lunch.
- If you cook with real butter, it’s difficult to mess up a meal.
- Buy (and use) a rice cooker. It’s a life saver. You can cook quinoa and millet in it too.
- Cook your rice in chicken broth. It’s delicious and you’ll never use plain water again. (Same goes for cooking potatoes for mashed potatoes. Broth is the magic.)
- Breakfast for dinner is completely acceptable.
- Shop the back of your pantry. People rarely know what they have in there and that includes myself.
- Plan ahead. It’s the MOST important part of feeding yourself !
The most efficient way to cook is to plan ahead. Making a meal plan based on what you have in your house already is the most efficient use of time and money. I regularly challenge myself to see how long I can go without needing to run to the store. I’ve done 30 days already, only needing to purchase a few perishables such as milk and fresh veggies. It’s a great way to clean out the pantry and freezers.
I’m curious. Do you have any cooking tips or tricks that you’d like to share. I’d love to know. Leave a comment if you do!