Getting out of the restaurant (or out of line at your favorite fast food joint) can do a lot of good things for you. In particular, eating at home saves you tons of money and a lot of extra pounds around your midsection. One thing it usually doesn't save you, though, is time. For many, the time it takes to cook a meal is what keeps them from preparing food more often at home. Sound familiar?
Fortunately, there are ways to shorten the amount of time it takes you to cook up your average evening meal. Follow the tips below, and you may just see a drastic drop in the amount of time you spend in the kitchen... leaving you plenty of extra time to search for the man or woman of your dreams on internet dating sites. After all, you have your priorities, right?
10. Create a Meal Plan.
If you only begin to think about what to prepare on the day you prepare it, you're going to waste a lot of time both in the kitchen and in the grocery store. Preparing a weekly (or even bi-monthly) plan is a great way to streamline the whole preparation process.
9. Freeze Your Prep Work.
When you bring you veggies home from the grocery store, set aside some time to chop them and prepare them for future meals. Chop up pepper, celery, onion, garlic, or whatever, and pop them in the freezer until you're ready to cook. Then, whether you need a tablespoon of chopped onion or an entire one, you've got something ready to toss right on into the pan. Use the same method for hamburgers, meatballs, you name it.
8. Make Disposal Easy as You Go.
Having the garbage can far away from where you're working costs you time in a lot of different ways. First, there's the number of times you have to go back and forth. And then there's the time you spend cleaning up the spills you make along the way! Set up a disposable bag or even a washable container as a trash receptacle. Then empty or dump it when you're done with your prep.
7. Wash as You Go.
When you're tied up with cooking, it can seem like the best thing to leave all the washing up til the end. But it's not. Washing up as you go will take a little extra time, but save even more time later on in the evening. Plus, it's easier to be quick and efficient in the kitchen if everything is in its proper place.
6. Cook Ahead for the Week.
Have one day of the week when you're less busy than the others? Set part of it aside as a cooking day. Whether you just want to prepare sauces, vegetables, etc., for the weeks meals or the entire meal itself, get as much done as you can and pop your ingredients or prepared meals into the freezer. There's no better time saver than being able to just pull a homemade meal out of the freezer and get it cooking.
5. Pack it Up Ahead of Time.
Feel like you spend hours every morning packing up lunches and snacks for yourself or your kids? Take some time and get your snack packs done all at once. Slice carrots, bag up chips, mix nuts and raisins, and get them in baggies or containers and ready to go for the week.
4. Invest in Efficient Tools.
Having good tools in the kitchen will save you a lot of time-- even if they do cost a little extra money. Fighting with dull knives or slippery cutting boards is dangerous and costs you tons of time. The better your tools, the quicker you'll be in the kitchen.
3. Cook in Your Sleep.
Want to save a ton of time in the kitchen? I have two words for you: crock pot. Cooking in the crock pot can save you tons of time and effort, from cooking up beef for burritos or tacos to putting together a tender, tasty stew. Pop it all in, put it on low, and let it cook overnight or while you're at work. Hardly any time needed at all.
2. Get Helpers.
Sometimes it just seems easier to do things yourself. But it's generally not faster. Get your kids or your partner to help you in the kitchen. It may take a little extra time at first to teach them the best ways to help, but that time will pay off in spades when they all learn to be a whiz in the kitchen.
1. Cook a Little Extra.
This is an especially good tip if you live in a small household or have a small family. Normally cut recipes in half to serve just two or three? Don't. Instead, cook up the whole recipe and freeze the leftovers for future meals on the run. Cooking double takes almost no extra time, and will save you tons of time when you need it most.
