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Sue lives with her husband Ian and their 4-legged 'kids' Karly (German Shepherd), Lial (Manx cat) and Riley (Tabby cat) on the west coast of ...
I'm always looking for how I can prepare food with less fuss - easier, simpler - and still get great results.
Over the years I've rarely met a recipe I didn't like - or want to change. Of course, some recipes are complicated and changing them can dramatically alter the outcome. I leave these recipes for the great chefs - not the lazy chef! All day in the kitchen, even though I love to cook, is not how I like to spend my time.
Truth be told, I've rarely followed a recipe completely. The probable exceptions are things like pastry (lard or vegetable oil shortening) where I've followed to the letter the directions on the box - except for using half whole wheat and half unbleached flour instead of white or unbleached.
But one of the main time savers for me in preparing food is in 'how' a recipe is put together and cooked. Let me explain.
Some recipes ask us to do things that we just don't need to do!
From my experience, some recipes ask us to do things that we just don't need to do. For instance: sifting flour or icing sugar, or cooking things in a bunch of different stages. I find these extra steps are often not necessary. Yes, sometimes they are, but often they are not.
So, by paying close attention to what a recipe is asking me to do and then asking myself "is this really a necessary step?" or "why is this necessary?" I save myself a ton of time. After all, why spend time doing things that will have little or no impact on the dish you are creating?
Four ways to reduce the complexity
Here are four of the ways I look to reduce the complexity of my time in the kitchen:
No sifting - None of my recipes require sifting. If I'm trying someone else's recipe and it says 'sift the flour', I don't, unless I'm absolutely convinced sifting is necessary and that not doing so will have an obviously negative impact on the recipe (I can't remember the last time I sifted flour! That said some recipes DO require sifting.)Everything prepped before beginning - When putting together recipes I try to include as much about how to prepare each ingredient in the Ingredient List. For instance, "2 chicken breasts - thinly sliced". A recipe or meal comes together much easier if any meat, vegetables, herbs and seasonings are prepared by dicing, slicing or chopping them and setting them aside BEFORE starting to cook. I get confused easily! So, if the ingredients aren't rinsed, dried, prepped and ready to go before I turn on the stove then I may be cooking up trouble rather than dinner. One caveat, some herbs, like fresh basil, should not be chopped into pieces until just before they are used. They wither and brown quickly so this caveat mainly applies where they are being added fresh, not cooked.
Any ingredients needed at hand - Any special sauce mixtures, or ingredients for sauces you will be making, along with other seasonings should be easily at hand. This saves scrambling for something at the last minute while your precious concoction burns on the stove.
Staged cooking - I'll cook as much as I can together at one time rather than separately or adding things in stages. Usually this means the veggies and the meat are cooked separately but all the veggies are cooked together along with any garlic or ginger, rather than in stages. Examples of this are stir fries, turkey or chicken pies, chili, spaghetti, or any recipe that includes veggies.
Ultimately, each recipe should be considered in its own right. Just because a recipe is complicated doesn't make it good, just as being uncomplicated doesn't make it not as good. What counts for me is: taste, health quotient and simplicity. And I'm amazed how these three qualities can make fabulous tasting, healthier and surprisingly simple meals.
This article has been viewed 19 time(s).Article Submitted On: April 26, 2011
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