For many people, making dinner is a pleasure and something to look forward to. They enjoy creating meals not only for themselves and their families. However, for others dinner time is a real headache, as not only the preparation is laborious but also coming up with ideas.
It can feel very overwhelming in many cases, which is why we’re here to help. By planning a bit ahead and organizing in advance you can not only make dinner time enjoyable, but even a breeze. Here are some tips for making dinner preparation go much smoother.
Prep and Plan Meals Ahead
One of the easiest ways to simplify meal preparation is by planning ahead. Set aside a time next week when you plan and prepare your ingredients in advance. Whether it’s grocery shopping, chopping up vegetables, or batch cooking meat, having everything on hand and in your cabinets helps when it’s time to make food.
The more you can cut down your cooking time every night the less of a chore it will feel. Not to mention, planning your meals ahead will avoid having to rush to the grocery store for last minute ingredients you don’t have.
When choosing recipes, consider choosing ones that share many of the same ingredients. For example, look for two chicken recipes in a week so that you can batch cook the chicken ahead of time and have it ready to go for both nights.
Additionally, consider keeping a list of recipes in your phone so that you can alternate between them. Choosing between a list of recipe favorites is an easy way to have meals that you’re comfortable and fast at making.
Invest in Time Saving Tools
There are many time saving kitchen tools available out there that can dramatically cut down on your cooking and preparation time. From rice cookers to pressure cookers, a few gadgets can transform the way you make dinner.
A slow cooker, for example, can actually cook your dinner for you while you’re at work. It’s as simple as putting all the ingredients in the pot before you leave and when you get home you have a hot meal waiting for you ready to go. On the other hand, a pressure cooker allows you to cook meals much faster than traditional cooking methods making it simple to create meals in a shortened amount of time.
Freeze Food
Batch cooking ahead of time and freezing it is a great way to have plenty of meals not only prepared ahead of time but ready to go. It’s as simple as reheating them and you have a delicious piping hot meal ready to go for your family that only took a few minutes to reheat. Unlike microwave or grocery store frozen meals, these meals are something you’ve cooked yourself with high-quality ingredients that aren’t full of chemicals and preservatives.