There's no getting around it: life gets really busy sometimes. And when you're juggling responsibilities — like kids or a full-time job — cooking dinner can often feel like the last priority on your list. But there are plenty of ways to save time and effort in the kitchen while still cooking satisfying, nourishing and delicious meals. So Redditor u/apple-white-red asked, "How do you manage cooking every day when you work five days a week?" Here's what people said.
1."When I'm already cooking pasta, I add vegetables into the boiling water during the last few minutes of cooking. The veggies soak up that starchy deliciousness and turn many of my recipes into one-pot meals."
2."Cook several things at once by dividing your sheet pan using foil. If, for example, you need to cook chickpeas and potatoes at the same time, just divide your pan with a thin wall made out of foil. That way, if one item cooks faster than the other, you can pop the entire section out of the tray and continue roasting the other half. (This trick is especially great if you don't like your foods touching.)"
3."I plan ahead and keep dinner simple. Most nights I like to cook one protein (often: chicken) and one veggie (like roasted broccoli) for dinner. it doesn't need to be anything more."
4."I make frozen veggies often. Don't be afraid of frozen veggies! They're just as 'healthy' as the fresh stuff, they last longer, and they taste great when prepared right. I usually blanch them before doing anything else to them."
5."I buy lots of garlic, peel it, and put it in the food processor or blender. Then I flatten out the garlic in plastic storage bags and store it in the freezer. Whenever I need garlic, I just break off however much I want from the sheet. It keeps forever, saves time down the line, and tastes much better than the stuff you get in the jar from the supermarket."
6."I pound chicken breasts to a uniform thickness before I cook them. It makes them cook more evenly and quickly."
7."For me, it’s been learning to mise en place. I can get so stressed out easily when cooking, but preparing and laying out my ingredients in advance really helps make it more manageable."
8."I've started keeping notes about the recipes I make. I jot down the quantities of ingredients I used, how many servings it made, and helpful pointers about the cooking process. I also rate recipes so I know which to make again. You can improve on them by changing a few variables at a time, and when you make it again in a month or in a year, you'll know exactly how to do it."
9."Investing in a food processor has made a huge difference. It might sound lazy, but since getting this appliance I can’t live without it. When I need to chop up an onion for spaghetti sauce, it takes 30 seconds (and doesn’t make me cry). If I need to shred a block of cheese for lasagna, my arms don’t get sore from the grating, and I can get every last bit of cheese without grating my fingers. When I need thin discs of eggplant for ratatouille, the food processor does it easily and perfectly uniform."
10."I use my slow cooker! This appliance is nice because you can just drop all the ingredients into the pot, set it to low, and by the time you come home your house smells delicious and dinner is basically ready. Slow cooker recipes also generally provide leftovers, so one day of cooking might cover two nights of food."
11."I clean up as I go. There's nothing worse than cooking a lovely meal and having a giant sink of dishes waiting for you. I always make sure I have an empty dishwasher before I start cooking, and then everything I use while cooking goes straight into the dishwasher as soon as I'm done with it."
12."I have an arsenal of Trader Joe's three-ingredient meals that I rely upon time and time again. These are life-savers for me when I either don't feel like cooking or simply don't have the time to make something time-consuming."
13."I get frozen chicken nuggets and one of those salad kit bags from the grocery store that already has all the ingredients and dressing included. Then I put the cooked chicken nuggets on top of the salad. It's tasty, plus there's protein, veggies, and fat in it. It's pretty effortless, practical, and delicious."
