Cooking can feel overwhelming, especially on busy weeknights. Between meal planning, prep work, following recipes, and cleaning up, it’s easy to get stressed in the kitchen. However, with some clever shortcuts and efficiency hacks, you can simplify cooking so it feels less hectic. These 10 ingenious kitchen tricks will help streamline mealtime.
Prep Ahead
Getting a jumpstart on some prep work makes cooking go smoother. Take 15 minutes on the weekend to chop vegetables and store them in containers in the fridge. Measure out oats, grains, or nuts into jars for quick breakfasts and salads. Mix up a big batch of spice rubs or marinades to have on hand. Pre-cook chicken or hard-boil eggs for easy protein all week.
Use the Right Tools
Having the proper kitchen tools for the task helps increase efficiency. Invest in good knives for fast chopping. Use microplanes for easy garlic and ginger grating. Try an herb stripper for fast leaf stripping. Opt for sturdy containers with lids for easy storage. Quality pots and pans distribute heat evenly, reducing cooking time.
Make Double Batches
When making dishes like grains, beans, soups, or casseroles, double the recipe and freeze half for later. This allows you to get multiple meals with one upfront effort. Let the extras cool completely before transferring to containers or bags. Add freezer dates and cooking instructions for easy future reference.
Stick to Simple Ingredients
Complex recipes with hard-to-find ingredients often require extra shopping trips and prep work. Opt for dishes with short ingredient lists you can make with pantry staples on hand, like beans, eggs, pasta, or simple roasted veggies and proteins. Let the quality ingredients shine through using basic preparations.
Learn Shortcut Ingredients
Certain convenience products help shorten cooking time without sacrificing flavor. Canned beans, pre-cooked lentils, jarred sauces, and frozen vegetables and fruits are real time-savers. Greek yogurt, cartoned egg whites, pre-cut veggies, and precooked grains are handy for quick breakfasts or sides.
Master the Microwave
A microwave can cook or reheat many foods in minutes. Poach eggs, steam veggies, cook fish, melt chocolate, and more using a microwave-safe dish and water. Reheating leftovers in the microwave is much faster than oven baking. Get to know your appliance’s wattage and internal sensors.
Clean as You Go
Don’t leave a huge mess for after dinner! Wash, rinse, peel, wipe, and load the dishwasher as you go through steps of a recipe. Soak pots while eating dinner. Wipe down counters and take out trash immediately to prevent pile-ups. You’ll finish faster and dread cleanup less.
Designate Storage Spots
Clutter slows you down when cooking. Give Everything – utensils, pans, jars, cans – its own storage spot. Use drawer organizers, hanging pots racks, turntables, and clear containers. Group like items together for fast access. Always return items to their designated homes after using.
Learn Shortcut Cooking Methods
Look into faster, simpler cooking techniques like sheet pan meals, instant pot or slow cooker dishes, stir fries, skillet meals, and foil packet grilling. Each streamlines dinner with minimal hands-on time for busy nights. Play around with these methods using foods already in your pantry.
Conclusion
With some strategic organization, tools, and techniques, you can minimize time spent cooking and cleaning. Small hacks like prepping ingredients, sticking to simple recipes, multitasking, and designating storage spots really simplify meal prep. Use these kitchen hacks to reduce dinner stress so cooking stays enjoyable.
FAQs
What are some good basic kitchen tools?
Invest in a good chef’s knife, cutting board, pots and pans, tongs, mixing bowls, sheet pans, wooden spoons, and storage containers.
How long do prepped ingredients last in the fridge?
Most chopped veggies and proteins are good for 3-5 days when stored properly in airtight containers.
What foods can be cooked easily in a microwave?
Eggs, vegetables, fish, leftover meals, soups, stews, oatmeal, and baked potatoes are some good options.
What are easy shortcut cooking methods?
Browning meat in a skillet then baking in the oven, stir fries, sheet pan meals, slow cooker dishes, and foil packet grilling.
What are good habits for cleaning as you cook?
Washing produce immediately, loading dishes in the dishwasher, wiping counters often, and taking out trash right away.