Cooking healthy meals for you and your family is fun and rewarding. However, it may get hectic as traditional cooking methods require more time than store-bought pre-prepared ingredients. However, the process will be seamless and quick if you cook food with some preplanning. Follow the tips in this blog post to save time when cooking from scratch.
1. Cut Your Vegetables in Advance
You require vegetables in almost all dishes and cutting them before preparing can be a hassle. Therefore, we recommend preparing and storing them as soon as you bring them home from the store or kitchen garden.
You can cut them in different shapes and sizes, according to your requirements, and store them in the refrigerator for up to three days. Wrap a cling film around the bowl to ensure they stay fresh. You can also store vegetables in glass jars.
If you want to store your vegetables for over three days, you can freeze them. However, vegetables tend to get soggy when you defrost them, so it’s best to refrigerate them.
2. Defrost the Meat or Soak Your Beans the Night Before
Another tip that helps save time is to soak the beans or place the meat in the refrigerator to defrost. While this step takes only a couple of minutes, it will save you the trouble of waiting in the morning for the beans to soak properly or the meat to defrost.
If you plan to slow-cook the food, aim to start the cooker before 10 am. If you have to use a Dutch oven on a regular or wooden stove top, we recommend starting it around 2 pm. After boiling it, allow it to simmer for some time. Then, you can add your potatoes or rice. Lastly, add the vegetables right before dinner as they require little time to cook.
If you have done all the major preparation in advance, you can prepare dinner in no time.
3. Freeze Chicken Roast or Chicken Broth
Making chicken broth or chicken roast takes a considerable amount of effort and time. So, why not make an effort once, and enjoy several meals? Instead of roasting one chicken, you can prepare two. Take the second roast and make two or three serving portions. Doing so will allow you to have pre-prepared chicken you can eat on its own to add to sandwiches, loaded fries, and more.
You can do the same with chicken stock. Pour the extra chicken broth into a freezer bag using a funnel. Then, seal it carefully to prevent spillage. Then lay the freezer bags flat in the freezer and give them two to three hours to freeze. Remember to allow let the broth to cool down before freezing. This tip will make your life much easier when making soup or other dishes requiring chicken broth.
Final Word
Add these simple yet effective tips to your regular cooking routine. Rest assured, you’ll be able to prepare your meals effortlessly and save time when cooking from scratch. Happy Cooking!
