Summer days, though longer, never seem long enough with all the summer temptations calling your name. Incorporate some or all of these 10 tips to cut your cooking time. Get started with examples showing you how to implement the tips, and regain up to 10 hours or more each week for leisure activities. Wouldn’t you rather have fun this summer?
Reclaim Your Summer Leisure Time
As temperatures soar, heavy winter meals lose their luster, and the kitchen loses its appeal for all but the diehards. The days, though longer, never seem long enough with all the summer temptations calling your name. Endless meetings, hours of staring at a computer keyboard, and carting the children hither and yon, further reduce your desire to labor over a hot stove during the summer. These factors present not only a challenge, but an opportunity to alter your cooking habits for the summer and to provide a lighter, varied menu for the nightly family dinner.
Additional Benefits
The unintended consequences of following these tips will delight you, as well:
Your kitchen will stay cool and comfortable.
You’ll have fewer unrecognizable leftovers cluttering the recesses of your refrigerator.
You’ll eliminate the need for fast-food dinners.
Proven Tips and Tricks to Quick & Easy Summer Cooking
Incorporate some or all of the 10 tips below, complete with examples for how to implement each tip, to help you regain up to 10 hours or more each week for leisure activities. Wouldn’t you rather have fun this summer? Let’s get started!
1. Deep-freeze Mondays. The summers are full of three-day weekends, both scheduled and impromptu. Get back into the work routine on Mondays by raiding your freezer for a pre-prepared entrée for Monday night dinners. Transfer the entrée to the refrigerator on Sunday afternoon when you begin to prepare dinner. It’ll be fully defrosted by the time you’re ready for it on Monday. (Time savings: at least 1 hour per week.)
2. Shake it up, baby! Instead of reaching for the same spices each time you use a spice mix, prepare a batch of your favorite blends ahead of time. Use time on the telephone to mix spice combinations. Store them in a glass bottle in the pantry to preserve flavor and freshness. For example, lemon pepper, garlic powder, hickory salt, paprika and dried mustard makes a quickie rub for steaks. Do the same with herbs and spices for pizzas, spaghetti, vegetables and dipping sauces for bread. (Time savings: hours, depending on your normal spice use.)