10 ways to start cooking twice as fast

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Many of us spend more time in the kitchen than we would like, but even if we don't, proper organization can significantly reduce the time it takes to prepare food. Perhaps, after reading these tips, you will not learn how to cook a three-course dinner in five minutes – but the fact that it will take less time is a fact.

Tip one: Prepare everything in advance

Products, dishes, knives, etc. – everything should be at your fingertips. If you are going to cook according to a recipe, think about what you will need and check where it is. This advice, however, is relevant in every sense. Imagine – your kitchen is gurgling here, hissing there, and you are rushing around the kitchen in search of a spice that has disappeared somewhere. Such a situation threatens not only with a loss of time and nerves, but also with the fact that, being distracted by unplanned searches, you can ruin dinner in two seconds!

Tip from a friend: Get helpers involved

Someone is standing at the stove, and someone is lying on the couch. It's unfair, isn't it? Correct this situation! If you are objected to (and they will be!), don't believe the words about the low efficiency of slave labor – even a child can handle peeling potatoes, washing greens, grating cheese, and other simple tasks. But with two, three, or four of you, you will cope much faster – which is quite logical.

Tip Three: Maintain Order and Cleanliness

Cooking in a dirty and untidy kitchen is not only unpleasant and not entirely beneficial from a hygiene point of view. It also lengthens the cooking time, because you need free space to act accurately and quickly, and wondering where everything is, you will waste time in vain. Do not neglect regular cleaning, especially if you can delegate it to someone else (see above).

Tip four: Equip yourself properly

In order to prepare a full meal, you need a minimum of dishes and utensils, but additional equipment will make your life much easier. Sharp knives, oven thermometers, a blender – all these devices, as well as hundreds of others, will not only help you expand your culinary arsenal, but also save you time. If you feel that something will significantly help you, and you can afford it, you should not refuse.

Tip Five: Think about the simultaneity of actions

If you physically can’t do something faster, you need to figure out a way to fit as many useful actions as possible into one minute. If you really want to have time for everything, combine what you can do at the same time. For example, chop what you’re going to fry first, and chop everything else while frying. The same goes for cooking soups and other processes that involve gradually adding ingredients, not to mention cooking the main dish and side dish at the same time. The main thing here is to calculate your strength correctly: it’s not enough for everything to burn because you didn’t have enough time in a few minutes.

Tip Six: What you can do – prepare in advance

Actually, I'm not talking about making borscht a week in advance, although that also saves a lot of time and effort. I'm talking about semi-finished products – not those chemical-filled substitutes sold in stores, but about everything that can be prepared in advance and then used when necessary. Frozen broth, all kinds of sauces, marinades and preparations – these are just a few of the things that don't have to (and sometimes can't) be prepared anew every time. The main thing here is not to overdo it: basically, food prepared and eaten immediately is much tastier and healthier.

Tip seven: Accustom yourself to waste-free production

It would seem that this advice is exclusively in the field of saving money, and has nothing to do with saving time. However, one is closely related to the other, and it is not for nothing that Jamie Oliver constantly gives advice on where to use products, and Gordon Ramsay makes all his chefs pass a test on how to prepare an excellent dish from what is left after cooking. If you use your brains well, it is quite possible to compose a menu in such a way as to squeeze the maximum out of all the products. Throwing away something that can still be used, you throw away not only your money, but also time – after all, cleaning, cutting and other preparations take up invaluable minutes.

Tip eight: Don't neglect small tricks

There are various little things that can make your life a lot easier. For example, by throwing flour and chopped meat, pieces of fish or liver into a bag and shaking it well several times, you will quickly bread all the pieces, and by cutting a tomato and scalding it with boiling water, you will be able to easily peel it. The main thing is not to succumb to the desire to escape from the kitchen as quickly as possible and use bouillon cubes, etc. A kitchen samurai knows the line between what is permitted and what is prohibited.

Tip nine: Prepare quick meals

Have you read all the above tips, but still could not save time on cooking? Well, especially for you there are many recipes for delicious and healthy dishes that you can prepare in 10-15 minutes. Sometimes you really shouldn't complicate things, but take the simplest path, especially if you've got the freshest produce.

Tip Ten: Live for a lifetime, learn for a lifetime

That's right. With experience comes the skill of quickly handling a knife and other utensils, and culinary secrets learned from famous chefs or gleaned from books will help you solve the most difficult tasks in a matter of minutes. Don't be disdainful of other people's experience, and remember – perfection comes with practice.