Making Meals in Minutes (2810)

Effective management is the key to saving time during food preparation. The first step in being able to prepare meals in minutes is organization. Examine your kitchen equipment. Arrange your food, utensils and equipment conveniently for fast-paced work. Keep your food cabinets, refrigerator and freezer stocked with quick-to-fix ingredients that you can use in many ways. An assortment of canned and frozen vegetables, ground beef, fish fillets, and chicken are versatile foods to have on hand.

Try to plan at least some meals in advance. This can be as simple as making a mental note of what you'll have for dinner tomorrow, or defrosting meat so it'll be ready to prepare.

Develop a shopping list during the week. Keep a piece of paper near the refrigerator to jot down items as you need them. Read recipes ahead to be sure you have all ingredients on hand. Make a "game plan"-- a logical order for tasks in preparing the meal.

When you make pancakes, waffles, or French toast for breakfast, make a double or triple batch and freeze extras. Anytime you make foods such as soups, stews, chili or spaghetti sauce, make extra and freeze in meal-sized portions.

Double your meatloaf recipe and freeze half the uncooked meat mixture as patties or meatballs to use later. Or freeze some in muffin tins to make mini-loaves.

The approach you take to saving time depends on what kind of time you want to save—active or total. Active time includes preparation steps that require your full or partial attention—the time you're actively involved in food preparation. Total time refers to how long it takes to get a meal ready, from start to finish. For example, preparing a roast for dinner takes very little active time. However, a roast is not a good choice if you're short on total time, because it takes a long time to cook.

To save time in meal preparation efforts, plan to focus on just one elaborate dish for the meal. For example, if the main dish needs lots of attention, fix a simple vegetable or salad. If the main dish is a simply prepared meat, dress up the vegetables or add an interesting side dish.

Do some preparation steps ahead. Thaw frozen meat, fish or poultry in the microwave oven or overnight in the refrigerator. Assemble equipment, cooking utensils, and ingredients before you start cooking.

Use time-saving cooking methods and equipment. To save total preparation time, try quick microwave or stovetop versions of dishes you usually cook in the oven—skillet lasagna or microwave cornbread perhaps.

To save time, have your children or other household members help with simple food preparation steps, setting and clearing the table, or washing dishes. Use this as a time to catch up on the events of the day.

Leftovers also make a quick meal. To keep them interesting, use leftovers in a different way from the original meal. For example, try leftover beef roast in a sandwich spread, a stir-fry dish, fried rice, or a pasta salad. Watch for new recipes that use foods you often have left over.

Use planned leftovers to make good use of large meat cuts and other foods that come in large packages. Roast a chicken, turkey, beef cut, or ham. Cool the leftovers quickly and cut into meal-sized portions you can use later in casseroles, stir-fry dishes, sandwiches, soups, stews, and salads. Freeze portions you won't use within a day or two.

Remember, leftovers don't have to be boring. It only takes a little thinking ahead to make them a well-planned meal and one that saves you time, energy, and money.

For more information on this subject, Please visit the College of Agricultural Sciences Publications Web site.

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