After a busy day, the last thing you probably want to do is spend a lot of time in the kitchen.
You might want to spend more time relaxing on your own or with your family, so anything you can do to reduce kitchen time will undoubtedly be useful to you.
With this in mind, here are just a few things you can do to cut down the hours you spend in the kitchen.
#1: Prepare your veggies once or twice a week
Consider your weekly meal plan. If you are planning on making soups, salads, or any other kind of meal that requires a healthy quota of vegetables, prepare these in advance.
After chopping them up, store them in your fridge in an airtight container so they stay fresher for longer. Harder vegetables, such as carrots, broccoli, and peppers, will usually last for about a week.
Other vegetables, such as cucumbers and tomatoes, should last for around 3 or 4 days.
By taking this step, you won’t need to prepare your veggies on the day of your meal. You won’t have to wash your knives etc. either, so there will be less clean-up time.
#2: Invest in some good knives
If you have had your knives for a long time, they might be less effective than they used to be. As such, your food preparation time will take a lot longer.
Therefore, invest in the best knives for cutting vegetables or meat and do what you can to keep them sharp so you can speed up your time in the kitchen.
#3: Don’t cook at all
You don’t have to cook every night of the week! If you want a night off, you could order a takeout if your budget will allow, although it’s advisable to choose from the healthier options on the menu.
You could also eat out every so often so check out the restaurants near you. You could enjoy the equivalent to a homecooked chili bowl but have somebody else cook it instead of you!
Alternatively, prepare your meals in advance when you have more energy to spare and freeze them. This way, you won’t have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen at the end of the day, as you would only need to pop in and defrost them instead of slaving over a hot stove for an hour or more.
4: Organize your kitchen
If you are spending time preparing food, you will be able to knock off valuable time if you organize your kitchen.
Make sure everything is where you need it to be in advance and prioritize those utensils that you use most often when placing items on your shelves or within your kitchen cupboards.
By taking such steps you won’t have to waste time looking for the items you need. You might reduce your time in the kitchen by about 15-20 minutes if everything is in order and easily grabbable before you start cooking.
If the kitchen is your favorite room in the home, you probably want to prolong the amount of time you spend in there rather than reduce it. But if you would rather spend your time elsewhere, consider these suggestions.
Leave us a comment if you have any other ideas on how our readers might reduce their time in the kitchen.