Tips for Getting Dinner on the Table Faster

Cooking is a wonderful way to care for your family. The benefits of sharing this time with them make it well worth the few minutes it takes. And if you can get there in less time, even better for you!

Here are some simple ideas that can help you spend less time in the kitchen and give it back to family time.

• Keep a pantry of staples to make even spur-of-the-moment meal planning easier. Rice, beans and different pasta shapes, for example, are staples for good reason: The ingredients you add to them will let you make instant one-dish meals in almost infinite variety.
• Keep beef, vegetable and chicken stock and an array of salad dressings on hand to use as marinades and sauces for grilled foods or to add flavor to stir-frys.
• Stock canned or jarred tomatoes in every form: whole, stewed, paste, salsa, pasta sauce, juice, pizza sauce.
• Think of your freezer as an extension of your pantry. Stock it with boneless chicken breasts, frozen spinach, chopped broccoli, soups and filled pastas, such as tortellini and ravioli.
• Try stir-frying, broiling, microwaving, grilling and pressure-cooking. Or start meats in the morning in a crockpot slow-cooker, so dinner is ready when you get home. Consider about one-pot main courses to save cooking and clean-up time.
• Let someone else chop it, slice it, dice it. Prechopped frozen onions may cost more, but the time they save you may be worth it. Buy cleaned and sliced veggies, cleaned salad greens, jars of prechopped garlic, shredded or grated cheese. Chop and slice extra portions yourself, put them in recloseable bags and they'll be ready whenever you need them.
• Triple a favorite main-course recipe — it’s as easy as making a single batch. You’ll have one meal for now and two more for later. For example, the spaghetti sauce can be used for chicken parmesan or noodle casserole. Even chili.

Post a Tip or Comment