Have you ever picked a recipe because it promised dinner in 30 minutes, and then somehow you ended up eating an hour later? It happens to so many of us, and it's easy to walk away thinking we are just slow in the kitchen.
Most of the time, the recipe isn't wrong. It just starts the clock later than we do.
That 30 minutes usually begin with everything chopped and with the pan on the stove ready to go. But real life starts few steps earlier. When you open the fridge, look around, decide what to make, check if you have everything, and realize the onion still needs chopping and the rice still needs to cook... By the time the clock starts, a good chunk of the evening is already gone.
So the greatest time saver has nothing to do with cooking faster, but taking the thinking out of the moment.
Decide before you are hungry
Choosing dinner when you are tired and hungry is the slowest part of the whole process. If you know what you are making before the evening even starts, you walk into the kitchen ready and chill. No need to stare, no searching, no second-guessing.
Start the slow thing first
Before you chop anything, put the water on to boil or the oven on to heat. Those minutes run in the background while you prepare, instead of adding on at the end. It's a small habit, and it secretly saves more time than any fancy shortcut.
One more little thing
Stick with one pan and one cutting board whenever you can. Less to juggle while you cook, and less dishes waiting to be washed when you're done.
A quick dinner gets quick when the deciding is already done and the slow parts get a head start. The cooking itself is rarely the problem.
If you want to try it tonight, here is one of my favourite 30-minute dinners. β
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And tell me, what's the step that always slows you down? Hit reply. I am all ears.
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