How to Spend Less Time on Cooking
According to studies, home-cooked food helps to adhere to a healthy diet and save money. But what should you do if you don’t have the time and energy to cook after a long, hard, working day?
5-Minute Crafts would like to share a few life hacks with you that can help you spend less time at the stove and, at the same time, pamper yourself and your family with delicious homemade dishes.
1. Study the recipe and make a plan.
The first thing you need to do is read the recipe all the way through. This way, you won’t be taken by surprise by unexpected ingredients or processes, like, for example, long pickling.
The second step is planning. Having all the necessary information, you will be able to keep in mind the scope of the upcoming work and prepare everything you need to easily switch between tasks.
2. Turn on the stove or oven in advance.
Most dishes require either boiling water or a preheated oven.
Before you start working with food, put a pot of water on the stove or turn on the oven. They will have time to heat up while you peel vegetables or chop meat.
3. Cook enough food to last a few days.
You don’t have to cook every day. But if you do start cooking, make plenty of food at once. For example, make a big pot of soup or chili con carne, which can be eaten as a side dish or added to sandwiches.
You can also make hard-boiled eggs to eat for breakfast, take to work, or add to salads.
Don’t be afraid to “reanimate” leftover food. For example, by frying boiled rice with eggs and vegetables, you will get a delicious and hearty dinner in just 10 minutes.
4. Use kitchen gadgets.
Small pieces of food get cooked much faster — it’s elementary physics. You can save some time on grinding the food too if you do the following:
- A food processor or blender can be loaded with several ingredients at once.
- A grater will speed up the preparation of vegetables for a pureed vegetable soup.
- It’s convenient to cut greens directly into a bowl or pot with kitchen scissors.
Another life hack: to boil water as quickly as possible, use an electric kettle.
5. Cook one-pot meals.
