Cooking is one of the things that can really take up a lot of our time. Just the very act of cooking can eat up hours of our week (pun intended), even without taking into account the requisite menu planning and shopping. Because of that, it's also where we can save a lot of time.
Let's face it... we're going to be performing this act for the rest of our lives. We may as well figure out the best-oh, and the easiest-way to deal with it.
This article is going to cover home time management and cooking and, specifically, how to save tons of time in the kitchen.
First, think ahead
Don't wait until the last minute-or even the last 2 hours-before you know your family will be sitting at the table with their forks and knives held vertically and their mouth's slobbering so much they need bibs. You should know... or at least not get caught off guard past the first time... that your family is going to be sitting there at a certain time wanting, needing, and expecting some form of nutrition.
Learning to think ahead is the first step in saving time in the kitchen but it's not the only one.
Second, plan ahead
Planning ahead involves thinking about what's going on during the coming week and actually working around it. I plan my meals for the week on the weekend before. So, when I wake each morning I already know what's for dinner and I can either:
- Take something out of the freezer
- Put something in the crockpot
- Know that I'm going to cook ABC this afternoon or
- Know we're having leftovers
Regardless of which of the above scenarios is playing out today, my mind is at ease knowing that particular responsibility is already taken care of. You wouldn't believe how that can free your mind to be able to focus on other things.
Completely plan the week's menus and be sure to include cooking ahead. For instance, Saturday's leftover spaghetti sauce could become Monday's lasagna and then Tuesday's beef-a-roni and then Friday's shepherd's pie (freeze the sauce after a couple of days and pull it out of the freezer to use in the later meals).
The point is that you're not caught off guard. Saving time in the kitchen will only be accomplished by careful and diligent planning.
Third, follow through with actual action
Thinking and planning are great but are only the first couple of steps. The third is the most important one of all.
ACTION.
You can have the best plan in the world (step 1) and figured out exactly how you're going to pull it off (step 2) but if you then don't actually do anything then it's all for naught. It's only fair since that's the way it is with everything in life.
By the way, all this gets easier the more you do it. As the old saying goes, "Practice makes perfect" and if you could just manage to get started and do the above steps week after week until they become habit, then you'll save tons of time in the kitchen through great home time management and cooking smartly.
Are you ready to get serious about your Home Time Management? If so, then download my info packed mp3 that clearly explains Key Concepts About Time Management. Not knowing even a single one of these may be why you're struggling. Also, check out my compact program on Time Management and Cooking and in less than an hour you'll know exactly what you can do to shrink this monumental overwhelming task down to the manageable one I know it can be. You can stop pulling your hair out because you'll finally have the steps you need to eradicate this "problem" area for good.
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