Esential Tips for Preparing Quick Eats
Preparing Quick Eats is not rocket science. Not to say that rocket science is all that difficult. It's actually pretty easy, in fact, once you know the techniques. The same is true with fast meal preparation. It's all about technique. Throwing a TV dinner into the microwave makes for a quick meal, but how's it going to taste ? Especially with all of those preservatives and salt ? There's a better way. You can have home made, delicious food almost as quickly. I'm not talking about ordering out Chinese or pizza, either. When you have been a bachelor as long as I have, love to eat as much as I do, and have as little free time as I have, you had better learn to cook ! These are some of the techniques I have developed, by necessity, that I wanted to share with you.
- Plan ahead - One of the best ways, I have found, to make great meals when you are short on time is to prepare most of it when you do have time. For example, I love fried chicken. However, who wants to come home after a hard day at work and go through that nightmare. So, on a Saturday afternoon I will cut about 3 chickens into pieces, removing their skin to make it healthier. I will batter them up and fry them. After they cool, I divide the pieces into sets of two, or three, put them in zipper type plastic bags, and toss them in the freezer. Then, when I get home from work, I just pop one bag of pieces in the deep fryer, with some French fries for around ten minutes. (Note: Make sure you use canola oil in your fryer and keep it fresh.) While that's happening I break off a few sprigs of broccoli, heat a couple of dinner rolls in the microwave, and pour a glass of wine. Vua-la ! In fifteen minutes, I have a complete, balanced and tasty fried chicken dinner.
- Learn to Cheat - Like a great adventure game, you will finish it a whole lot faster if you have a cheat code. Using prepared food is cheating, but, applying them as an ingredient ? ..., Ok, it's still cheating. If you do it right, though, no one will know. For example: A pack of Lipton(TM) Pasta Sides-Beef is a great side dish. However, if you chop up a small onion, a carrot, and a little garlic. Then add them to the prepared dish with a half pound of diced beef, and a quarter teaspoon of ground ginger, makes a great meal. Top with chopped almonds and fresh parsley. Serve with French bread. Makes in about ten minutes.
- Pre-heat EVERYTHING - Well before dinner time get that deep fryer/oven heating up. No point in adding an additional fifteen to twenty minutes of cooking time to every meal. Yes, it does waste a little power, but, not as much as you might think. Once the appliance is hot, it really doesn't require a lot of power to keep it that way.
- Turn OFF your cell phone and be sober - These may seem obvious but it is a very common mistake. Since you are preparing a quick meal it is going to require your full attention. Avoid that first glass of wine before cooking. It will cause you to make mistakes. Trust me. In addition, avoid the phone ! I have screwed up lots of quick meals in the past. I can attribute the vast majority of them to that phone call from my girlfriend in the middle of preparation. Believe me, it makes a difference.
- Slow Down - That may seem to be an odd tip. Slow down while preparing a quick meal ? Yes ! The quickness in preparation should be in the technique and planning. Not you racing around the kitchen like a crazy person ! The fastest way I know of to totally destroy a great meal is to skip a step, or drop the thing, in your unbridled haste ! Besides, how quick will your meal be if it includes a trip to the hospital for stitches. That's right, folks, slow down !
- Have all ingredients handy - Another tip that seems obvious. It will save you a great deal of time if you make just one trip to the pantry and one to the fridge. I am amazed sometimes watching my friends cook. They will go to the pantry every single time they need an ingredient. One of them even goes back to the pantry and puts it away for each item as well. What a waste of time. Get everything together before you begin. Put everything away after you eat. In addition, there are those who pride themselves in a technique they call "Clean as you go". Well, that's actually a great idea, so long as you do it in those lull periods between steps. Don't stop what you are doing to rinse off that bowl and put in the dishwasher. Even if it doesn't cause you to burn the dish, it is a distraction and may cause a mistake.
- Adjust oven knob temperature grid in advance - I'm certain you have read on some food packages, "Oven temperatures vary". That is very true. If the recipe calls for you to cook something at 350 degrees for ten minutes, and your oven is actually heated to 357, in ten minutes, you've got great ashes for the garden. If it's actually 342, you'll have to wait longer, slowing you down. In addition, opening the over door causes a dramatic drop in temperature, delaying your meal even more. Here's the solution. When you have some free time, buy a cheapie oven thermometer. Set your oven for 350 degrees. Watch for it to cut off and check the temperature. Most oven knobs have a way to adjust the dial-grid. Adjust to proper setting. Re-check it at least once a month. If you can not adjust the dial-grid make a mark on the dial where 350 degrees is. Then do the math for the other settings. This will save you a lot of time.
{Written by Jim Whitney}
|
