There are multiple methods which will save your time when cooking. If the preparation before cooking is more ordered and cursive, the final result will be above expectations. Below you’ll find some techniques we use to reduce cooking time.
For a quick start
When you have to peel, slice or chop the ingredients, it’s better to form a line, much like an assembly line. Prepare a strainer for washing the ingredients and use paper towels. If there are ingredients that need to be added during cooking, put them separately each one in its own bowl, and arrange the bowls in the order you’ll use the ingredients. Using this method will shorten the time needed because you’ll just grab the bowl next in line, instead of looking after it (where did I put the salt?, where did I put the pepper?… sounds familiar? ).
Cutting ingredients
Sometimes, it’s quicker to use a scissor instead of a knife, for example when removing fat from bacon or ham, to cut vegetables or sun-dried tomatoes, olives without seeds or green onion.
For a green salad, you can use your own hands to rip it off instead of using a knife and you’ll also gain a bonus from this: vitamins and minerals are kept better when you are ripping of salad using your own hands instead of a knife (remember though to wash your hands before this). Sometimes, a pair of clean hands is the fastest tool to prepare the ingredients. Keep this in mind next time you’ll cook.
Covering meat or fish in flour
This is an easy trick. Take the meat or the entire fish you want to cook, put it in a plastic bag, add the flour and the spices, close the bag and shake it really well. Voila, you’ll have your meat prepared in no time. Another method is to arrange the slices of meat on a plate, hold above them a strainer and start pouring carefully the flour and the spices.
Boiling
Root vegetables will be cooked faster in a big pot, arranged in a thin layer instead of using a smaller pot and a thick layer. Add water just enough to cover them and make sure to use a sealed pot, to keep the steam inside.
Frying and grilling
If you cut the meat or fish in slices, try to cut them equally, so when you cook them, all of them will be ready at the same time. If this doesn’t work for you, try to cut small slices, so it will take less time to prepare them. To cook using a fiery fire, the trick here is to heat the pan, then add the fat or the oil and add the ingredients only after it starts to sizzle. Make sure, and this is really important, to always move the ingredients, so you won’t burn the meat or the ingredients or to not stick them to the bottom of the pan.
Steam boiling
The choice here is obvious. The steam boiling will always be preferred in detriment of classic boiling using water or cooking in oil. If you have 2 or more steamers, use them so you can cook more types of vegetables in the same time.