I’m one of those strange people who cooks and bakes to relax — but only when I have time. Weeknight dinners are an entirely different story. I’m tired from a long day of work and my kids are just on the edge of hangry. My goal is to get a healthy dinner on the table as quickly as possible without turning my kitchen sink into a dirty dishes war zone.
Most weeknights, I’d rather cook my family a healthy meal than order take-out. Here are some of my tips and tricks to make weeknight dinner prep easier. Check them out in the slideshow.
How do you make mealtime prep and cleanup easier?
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Make Dinner Prep Easier With These 14 Smart Shortcuts
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Keep a bowl next to your prep area for trash.
I learned this trick from Rachael Ray during her early Food Network days. As I chop or peel ingredients, I just throw all the carrot tops, onion skins, and eggshells into the bowl. I save time by not walking back and forth to my trash can. I just empty the trash bowl when it’s full.
Image: Getty / Glebchik
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Add a few one-pot meals to your recipe arsenal. Many of these recipes don’t require much hands-on cooking time. Even better is that I only have one pot to clean after dinner. My new favorite is one-pot spaghetti where I don’t have to boil the pasta first. It’s genius.
Image: Getty / Matthew Hart
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Build a freezer stash.
When a recipe calls for only half an onion, I dice the entire onion and save the rest for another meal. I freeze extra onions, celery, and bell peppers whenever I can. These vegetables make a flavorful base for any soup. I just measure the amount I need and dump the frozen pieces right into my pot.
Image: Getty / Howard Shooter
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Set up your mise en place before cooking.
Mise en place is a French phrase meaning “putting in place.” Before I even turn on the stove, I pull out all the ingredients for my meal. With everything close by, I’m not rummaging in my pantry or refrigerator instead of keeping an eye on my cooking.
Image: Getty / WIN-initiative
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Keep your knives sharp.
Dull knives are the mortal enemies of any cook. It’s more difficult to cut vegetables and meats with a dull knife. It’s also unsafe because you’ll add more force when cutting, so a slip can cause a bad cut. Sharp knives are simply more efficient. DIY with the help of Michael Ruhlman’s knife sharpening video tutorial, or take them to a professional at a kitchen supply store or local hardware store.
Image: Getty / Astronaut Images
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Peel garlic easily and quickly...
...by removing the cloves from the bulb and giving them a good whack with the side of a chef’s knife. The bottom of a skillet works too and provides some good stress release. Go ahead, give your garlic a whack.
Image: Getty / Lorenzo Vecchia
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Easily cut thin slices of meat for stir fries...
...by placing it in the freezer for twenty minutes before slicing. When I’m slicing raw steak for Vietnamese pho or a stir fry, a slightly frozen steak is easier to deal with. The meat is firm enough to cut (without being frozen), allowing me to safe cut thin slices.
Image: Getty / C8501089
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Grate fresh ginger with a microplane.
I love Asian food, and many recipes call for grated ginger. Peel the tough skin with a paring knife and then run the ginger back and forth over the mini grater. Give the microplane a good hit against the cutting board to remove any ginger stuck underneath. Microplanes are also great for mincing garlic, grating whole nutmeg, and zesting citrus fruits.
Image: Getty / Dorling Kindersley
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Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
I can bake two or three batches of cookies on one sheet of parchment paper before it tossing it. Parchment paper keeps baked goods from sticking (no more greased cookie sheets) and the bottoms from burning. For a good deal, pick up roll of parchment from a warehouse store.
Image: Getty / Nebari
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Roll out pizza dough on parchment paper.
My kids and I love making our own pizza at home (with store bought dough). I give each kid a sheet of parchment and dough to flatten and roll out. After we add the sauce and top it, I just slide the parchment with the pizza on top right onto a baking sheet without making a mess.
Image: Getty / Standret
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“Bake” potatoes in the microwave.
This is one of my biggest cheats. Baked potatoes are my fallback meal when I’m low on time. Wash those spuds and pop them in your microwave. Most newer models even have a baked potato button. Once they’re cooked, serve them a toppings bar of shredded cheese, butter, sour cream, and bacon bits.
Image: Getty / Medwether
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Print this out
Print this cooking substitutions chart and keep it next your fridge. I hate it when I’m in the middle of cooking and realize at the last minute I’m out of a crucial ingredient. No buttermilk for mom’s best pancakes ever? Just add lemon juice or vinegar to a cup of milk and let it sit for five minutes.
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Add a marinade to meats before freezing them.
To save money, I purchase meats in bulk and repackage them into smaller portions. Before I freeze them, I add a bottled marinade or spice rub and shake to evenly distribute. As the bag thaws in the fridge overnight, the meat absorbs all the flavorful marinade. I then roast or cook the meat as I normally do.
Image: Getty / L. Alfonse
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Buy frozen, steam-in-the-bag vegetables.
These are one of my biggest meal time savers. My kids’ favorite veg is broccoli, but it takes so much time to cut and clean fresh broccoli. I toss the entire bag in my microwave and nuke according to package instructions. Once it’s cooked, I dump it into a big bowl and season it. I purchase frozen veggies in bulk at my warehouse store to save money.
Image: Getty / Andrew Pini
