Tips to Save Time in the Kitchen

One of the excuses people use for not eating healthy, home-cooked meals is that it takes too long to prepare them and clean them up. But if your goal is to make healthier eating choices, you may find these tips to save time in the kitchen to be helpful.

Since I am always late for something, or trying to cram as much activity into the day as possible, I have found some shortcuts that help me to shave off precious time while in the kitchen preparing meals. We eat home-made for all but maybe 3 meals a month, so I’m in the kitchen a lot… Ok, I can’t take all the credit. My husband does some of the cooking, too. He’s a keeper 🙂 Being that I am always late for something, or trying to cram as much activity into the day as possible, I have found some shortcuts that help me to shave off precious time while in the kitchen preparing meals. We eat home-made for all but maybe 3 meals a month, so I’m in the kitchen a lot… Ok, I can’t take all the credit. My husband does some of the cooking, too. He’s a keeper 🙂

Tips to Save Time in the Kitchen

1. Save veggie and fruit scraps for one big dump at the end. Ok, I said it would shave off time, I wasn’t specific about how much time. But really, this helps. As I’m cutting the ends off of carrots and strawberries for lunches and snacks, I set them aside or in a bowl to toss in the general direction of “Mondo-Bunny” when I’m done. It saves time, really! Instead of cutting, throwing in trash, cutting, throwing in trash, etc… 

2. Start with a clean work surface. You should have enough room to make the meal you are in the kitchen working on. If you have to clear the counter first, you should. Saying this, I feel like the assumption is that you have to clear a path through the filth in my kitchen to find the counter. That’s not the case, I promise! I just know that starting with a tidy work area makes a more productive environment, for any task.

3. Enlist little helpers (ahem, your kids). They could do #2 for you!

4. Read the recipe ahead of time. Prep as much as you can in the beginning.  Dinner-making goes so much quicker when I have all the ingredients out and ready to be added. When I just barge into a recipe without checking through it first, I usually find myself surprised at needing something. Oh, and these times are usually when I realize that I don’t even have some of the recipe ingredients on hand!

So do you have any great kitchen time-saver tips you’d like to share? I’d love to read your comments in the section below!

 Nikki