5 Tips for Smarter Not Harder Cooking
A couple of years ago I was at my friend Amanda’s house helping make Friendsgiving dinner. (In this scenario, “helping” means standing near her and drinking Malbec.) We’re chatting while she’s dicing veggies, shredding cheese, stuffing mushrooms, and browning elk sausage. And it dawns on me- she’s not running to the trash can every 30 seconds to toss scraps as she cooks, yet there are no piles. Where is everything going? I know I saw her crack some eggs. Answer: the scrap bowl.
Amanda tosses butter wrappers, empty cans, veggie ends and eggshells into a bowl as she cooks, greatly reducing the number of steps she has to take per meal (why the number of steps matters I don’t know- maybe it’s because when I walk away from the pan I was stirring I lose my train of thought?) Anyway, ever since she introduced me to the scrap bowl, I’ve lost fewer trains. Smarter not harder folks.
In the spirit of scrap bowls, I’ve compiled a list of kitchen tricks that have revolutionized my domain in small but effective ways.
Make the fridge your information command center.
Keep relevant information on your fridge so you have at a glance the details you need. Here’s what’s on my fridge at all times:
Running grocery list– when I’m almost out of something, it goes on the list. When I’m meal planning, I compare the recipe to the list as I go. Voila- no more return visits to the store over forgotten soy sauce.
The Meal Plan– knowing what meals I have all the ingredients for offhand makes the “what’s for dinner” issue a non-issue. No angst for me. Unless of course I’ve decided that everything on the plan is stupid. How did past me not know that future me wouldn’t want chicken?
Frozen meal options– we freeze a lot of leftovers in this house. We just can’t eat a whole batch of chili in 4 days. It can’t be done. Without a list, it’s very easy to forget what’s available in a pinch. So, we (I) keep a running list of the frozen meals on the fridge for easy reference. That way, present me doesn’t have to eat the chicken that past me planned- I can just defrost enchiladas and call it a day.
Photo magnets from Shutterfly– this has nothing to do with efficiency, and everything to do with how cute my baby is. I mean, look at her.
Use a large cutting board
Question: would you rather wash one cutting board, or seven? We don’t have a dishwasher, so yours truly is all about conserving dishes. One large cutting board reduces work, but also makes food prep that much faster. Dicing all your veggies at one time in one place also makes your meal look extremely virtuous- see all the colors and fresh foods with which I nourish our bodies? You may call me Earth Mother.
Scrap bowl
The aforementioned scraps bowl is a game changer. I use an old ice cream bucket (if you’re not buying ice cream by the gallon, what are you doing?), because using a plastic container feels less pretentious than a glass bowl.
Garlic jar
This trick is new to me. I love fresh garlic, but I hate how the cloves make my fingers sticky when I peel them. Solution: throw the cloves in a glass jar and shake the bejesus out of it for a minute or two. (Bonus: this is awesome for kids who want to “help”- the real help, not the drinking wine help). The peels come right off. It’s fantastic.
Grease jar
I wish there was a less gross name for this, but literally it’s a jar for grease. Mama taught me that draining off grease from browned meat or bacon down the sink is a recipe for clogs. Her solution was straining the grease into a leftover salsa or spaghetti sauce jar that’s kept under the sink (we hide our grease jars, it’s no one’s business). It’s brilliant- the drains are spared, no hot grease in the trash can, and nothing congeals in the dishes. When the jar is full, screw on the lid and toss it. No harm, no foul.
What little tweaks have you made in your kitchen (or other areas) that make life that much easier? We’re all about smarter not harder over here, so share the love!
