One of the main things chefs have going for them is that they’re efficient and you can be too. There’s no need to dread cooking t the end of the day. If you know you can whip something delicious and nutritious up for your family quickly and easily then you’d be more likely to cook more meals from scratch and that’s what nutritionists like me are calling for. I hope that makes sense to you. Read on for some easy tips on how to be more efficient, avoid common home cook errors and fix mistakes in the kitchen.
- Get equipped – this may seem too basic but having the right tool or pot for the job means less worry and quicker and better results. For example trying to chop on a board that’s too small results in inefficiency, food on the counter or floor and a greater chance of cutting yourself.
- Sharpen your knives – this is another part of getting equipped. It’ll ensure your chopping is quicker and safer. Just using a steel or home sharpener every few days is great for maintenance but really dull knives will need a professional job. Another tip is to never put your good knives in the dishwasher, it damages the blades.
- Shop smart – we all have staples we know we need but if you have no plan for what you’ll cook in the week it often means additional trips to the shops. Try doing a basic weekly plan this will save time and money in the end.
- Keep a well-stocked pantry – making sure you have a good selection of oils, vinegars, spices, grains and cans in a dark, well ventilated and not too hot cupboards means that when you do what to cook or improvise a quick meal you’ll be ready to go.
- Store smart – it’s part of food safety to read the label on how to store items especially after they’re open but no one tells how best to store fresh fruit and veg. Root veg are best in a well ventilated dark place, some fruits including tomatoes don’t like to get too cold. Leafy veg and herbs should not be damp or compacted. Refrigerators dull the taste of most produce, so if you bought something that doesn’t need to go in there leave it out. Most fruits including apples, oranges, pears and bananas don’t belong in the refrigerator unless you’re not planning on eating them soon. Very hot climates are an exception, then you may need to put fruit, flours, nuts, seeds and more in hte fridge when ambient kitchen temp is above 25deg and humid..
- Do mise-en-place - This means to put in place and it may seem obvious, but it's a step that's often overlooked. Chopping ingredients and measuring spices ahead of time will result in less-stressful cooking experience and better overall results just like you see in the cooking shows.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan – you may think you’re saving time by tossing everything in together but often what ends up happening is that the food stew instead of frying or browning. Taking the extra time to cook in batches will give you that desired caramel crust on fish, chicken or meat.
- And another tip when it comes to browning meat - Make sure pan is hot enough before you add meat – this is why many non-stick pans not suitable as can’t get hot enough better to use cast iron.
- Which brings us to - Make sure pan and oil is hot before you add ingredients otherwise they end up soaking up oil or sticking.
- If a meal is too spicy, sugar or butter should help the situation. Too sweet? Add lemon juice. Too sour? Add a touch of salt. And too salty, try potato or potato flour.
- Here’s one that’s a topic all its own. How to avoid stodgy pasta – Use a large pot and ensure that the water stays at rolling boil. Add salt just after you add the pasta to help it get quickly back to the boil and don’t stir too often. To make your pasta dish extra flavorful, boil pasta until it's about 90 percent cooked and remove it from the pot, reserving a cup of the water it was cooked in. Then add your pasta to a separate pan with your sauce and pour in a little of the reserved water. This is much better solution than tossing in oil. If you aren’t serving immediately run under cold water to remove excess starch. I could go on and on and I’m not even an Italian mama;)
- And finally, but yourself some silicon tongs. They are used for cooking, stirring, turning and more... no more wooden spoons;)
So there they are just a few ways to help you feel confident enough to break free from the recipe. Consider taking a class if you still aren’t comfortable as nothing beats hands on experience. But most of all try to make your cooking fun instead of a trial.