I have two favorite kitchen shortcuts. 1. Is to have ingredients prepped ahead of cooking, or compiling, a dish or meal. I used to be a purist about shredding my own cheese (cheaper and sometimes fresher), but since having children I’ve embraced some of the conveniences, like pre-shredded parmesan and mozzarella when making lasagna, or buying pre-cut fruit for salads and lunches. I try to do my own prep in advance of the week by roasting vegetables, making stock and soup, and chopping vegetables for future use. 2. My second shortcut is to double-batch (cook twice the recipe) whenever I can so that I have a stock of dishes in the freezer, ready for a defrost and reheat – dinner preparation doesn’t get shorter than that!
Right now my favorite shortcuts have to do with our vegetable consumption. I have been buying pre-cut vegetables more frequently. I never used to, but a few times a week it is great to have one less step to choreograph. We’ve also been using more frozen veggies, either steamed or added to dishes, like soups.