10 Keys to Success in the Kitchen: Guidelines for Quickness & Accuracy

Remember that food is an art! Today I’d like to share with you some useful tips that will help you have great success in the kitchen and will enable you to enjoy the process of cooking. If you’re having a good time, everyone will enjoy the results no matter what.

1. Read the recipe thoroughly. Look up words and ingredients you are unfamiliar with, understand the process involved. Understand when multitasking is necessary rather than waiting for each step to be complete before moving on to the next step.

2. Before beginning any preparation, create a clean work area. Gather the ingredients in the recipe before you start. This ensures that you have everything you need, that you will know what you will be using as a substitute (if necessary), and eliminates time spent searching through cabinets. Gather your measuring spoons and cups, tools, and appliances. Preparing food in a clean and organized space is always easier. And it makes you more concentrated on the process, believe me!

3. Having the proper tools is essential to being able to whip food up quickly. It may increase your cooking time if you don’t have tools such as a garlic press, zester, citrus juicer, or blender. Work up step-by-step to a fully stocked kitchen.

4. Don’t worry too much about measuring everything with ultimate precision. With baking, however, measurements need to be precise, since leavening is involved, and in other cases you may slightly change the quantities.

5. Some herbs, such as parsley, cilantro, or fennel, don’t need to be plucked from the thin part of their stems before mincing or chopping. Just keep them bundled together and chop into the whole bunch at once. The thin parts of the stems generally have the same flavor and, once minced, basically taste the same.

6. Cut stacks of veggies rather than each individual piece. Don’t separate celery stalks when you can cut into the whole bunch at once. The same goes for heads of lettuce and cabbage. Stack tomato, potato, or onion slices and cut them simultaneously.

7. The easiest way to sift flour is with a fine-mesh strainer. For accuracy, always sift baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, and any spices that have lumps.

8. You don’t need to peel carrots, cucumbers, potatoes, zucchini, or beets unless specified; just wash them well. This is not only quicker but also helps preserve the nutritional content of the food.

9. Most blenders have a cup and fluid ounce measurements right on the pitcher; no need to dirty more measuring cups.

10. One of the most important tips to help cut down on preparation time is to set aside an hour or so on one of your least busy days for advance prepping. Having prepped ingredients on hand makes it easier to create meals on the go. Here you can cut vegetables and store them in a glass container in the fridge. You can also cook a squash, grain, or pot of beans. You can then use these foods over the next few days. Consider preparing a pot of rice in the morning and using it for the evening meal. By the way, please let me know if you are interested in meal prep topic, and I’ll share some tips on that as well.

Well, that’s it for today. I hope you find these suggestions useful and will be glad if you share with me some of your favorite as well.

Have an awesome day!