Greetings to you all, my amazing friends.
Growing up, I wouldn't really say that cooking and kitchen tasks were my favourite activities to do, but I just had to do it because I'm the youngest at home, and what kept my energy pumped up was the love I have for my people, and as much as cooking and kitchen task can be really stressful, I have been able to develop some strategies to make life easy for myself.
The first thing I always do is make sure the kitchen is decluttered and organized. This really makes me function swiftly and effectively. When a space is well organised, kitchen equipment will be easy to locate, and everything is set to use, and this really saves my time. After I'm done in the kitchen, I always wash and clean for the next time that I will be using the kitchen.
I make cooking easy for myself by prepping my ingredients before cooking. This is a technique that I always use in conserving my time in the kitchen, and this has been working for me since I started doing it. Most of us can agree with me that cutting, slicing, and dicing really consume a lot time, but I conserve my time by doing this ahead of time. For example, I wash and dice vegetables such as carrots and runner beans, keep them in an airtight container or ziplock bag, then I store them in the freezer, and when I need them, I scoop out the ones that I need at the moment and then return the remaining ones back so they won't defrost and become soggy. Sometimes, if I'm in a place where the freezer is not available and I'm in a hurry, I can buy pre-cut vegetables that are preserved, but I prefer the fresh ones over the preserved ones.
During harmattan seasons like we currently are in Nigeria, vegetables are not as fresh as the ones in rainy seasons so I buy or pluck some vegetable leaves in large quantities, that can be air-dried, and then after a while, when they are fully dried, I squeeze them into coarse powder and use them to cook each time I need it.
Additionally, I make my life easy in the kitchen by cooking in batches and storing in the freezer. This has really saved me a lot of time. Also I make quick and easy recipes, especially in the early hours of the day.
Grocery shopping can really be stressful also, but I make it easy by making a shopping list. I also buy foodstuffs in bulk (this is really a time and money saver), and then I go to the market where I can get stuff cheaper lol, also, I make sure that I buy fresh ingredients, especially vegetables; even if I'm in a place that there's no cooling system, and I'm not using them immediately, it won't spoil on time.
Kitchen accidents sometimes are totally unavoidable, but one can reduce the rate at which it occurs. One of the ways I ensure this is to work in an organised space, and I handle harmful objects such as knives carefully and also store them in a safe way.
Dealing with hot liquids in the kitchen also requires extreme carefulness. I can't forget the day I was trying to prepare semovita. I just poured the powder into the hot water, and as I was about to start stirring it, a chunk of it literally poured on my hand. I immediately dipped it in cold water; thankfully, it didn't form blisters, but it took a while before the pain finally stopped.
Cooking and kitchen tasks have its own stress, but I have found my way of making it easy for myself. I'm always learning because it's a process that can't be covered in a short time; it's a continuous process.
I deeply appreciate you for taking your time to read and engage with my post. See you all in the next one.
Image used is mine.