Sometimes there are days where you just don’t know when still to make food. These days when you come home late after rushing through the supermarket but six o’clock supper must be ready because there’s something on in the evening. Does that sound familiar? Well, there are ways to safe time when cooking. Always have a few quick meals as a back-up in mind just in case something comes up and you must make food in half an hour.
Tip no. 1: Some foods are just simply done quicker than others
Pasta and rice require less preparation than potatoes and therefore are done quicker. If you have very little time, couscous is a great solution. It is a bit expensive but it’s done really quickly. It only takes about 10 minutes, it’s very healthy and it tastes great with veggies.
Most fruits don’t take long to cook, and fruit prepared in a “veggie style” can be very tasty. If you use bigger fruits you don’t have to spend so much time peeling.
Mushrooms, marrows, tomatoes, cucumber, brinjal/ aubergines and avocados are veggies that require very little preparation and even if you cut big pieces they are still done in about 10 minutes.
Tip no. 2: How you can speed up the cooking process
Pasta: pre-boil the water with the kettle
Vegetables and meat: The smaller you cut them, the quicker they will be done. But be careful not to overcook veggies because they will lose important vitamins. Rather bake them covered in the oven or in a non-sticking pan with little fat and just a bit of water or chicken/ vegetable stock if necessary.
Tip no. 3: Foods that you don’t (or barely) need to cook
Green salads: a great meal for a hot summer day. Make a nice colorful salad. Mix a green salad with different ingredients like different types of fruit, or chopped cucumber, red and yellow pepper and feta cheese. Or add chopped boiled eggs, tomatoes and chopped mozzarella to your green salad.
You can also make a rice or noodle salad. Prepare the other ingredients while the rice or pasta is cooking. Be creative! Salad does not need to be boring. For the sauce you can mix plain yoghurt with your favourite spices, a little oil and good vinegar.
Tip no. 4: Fast boiled eggs
1. Put the eggs in a pot and add about a cm of cold water.
2. Close the lid and bring to boil.
3. From the moment the water starts boiling cook the eggs the same time like you used to. This is quicker because less water boils quicker, and it’s energy-saving, too.
Tip no. 5: Special desserts that make you dream
There are quicker ways to make a chocolate cream that really tastes like chocolate than the long egg-cream based chocolate cream. Simply mix cornflour, cocoa, dark chocolate and milk, heat it slowly until the chocolate has melted and then bring to boil (frequently stirring) until it thickens. When you still add some spices like cinnamon or your favourite liquor, you got a great dessert that only takes as long as milk takes to boil. And because it’s free of preservatives and sugar, it’s as healthy as a dessert can be.
