16 Kitchen Hacks to Save time Cooking

If you have ever said to yourself that cooking takes so much time and wish that you could save time in the kitchen, this post is for you! Let’s talk about some cooking hacks. (These will work for your desi-fusion or Indian kitchen too!)

How to spend less time in the kitchen?

We all want to reduce time in the kitchen. Whether it is by buying time saving gadgets like a faster food processor or an InstaPot; or even considering buying ready to eat foods, at some point I am sure you have felt desperate to learn new cooking hacks to manage your time better.

Years ago, when I first became a mother, I seriously struggled with getting food on the table. How do moms cook with a little baby or toddler, I used to wonder.

I eventually taught myself some kitchen hacks to save time that have helped me in not just cooking faster, but also how I simplify meal preparation to reduce time in the kitchen.

 How to Save Time in the Kitchen – 16 Simple Kitchen Hacks 

Saving time in the kitchen is easy when you are clear about what the problem is, and know what you need to do to fix it. I am addressing some of the most common pain points I have felt in my own kitchen, and how I solved them.

I am from India but we eat the World! You may get some tips for how I save time cooking Indian food.

Here are my tips:

1. Minimize how many time you cook

I made a mistake in my early days thinking that I had to cook whenever it was meal time. If lunch was at 2pm, I’d start cooking close to that time. Also, I felt that I had to cook three times a day.

I am now smarter so I start lunch and dinner at 11am. Sometimes I even start preparing while I am making breakfast so that I am done by noon. It is life changing I tell you! Think about it, I don’t have to enter the kitchen again through the day to cook food.

You don’t HAVE to cook three times a day. You can just make lunch and dinner together! I wish someone had told me earlier on that I had the freedom to choose when to cook!

Sometimes, when you have little babies, you may find that it is very hard to cook through the day. Make use of after bedtime. When you have babies, you have to improvise like that…

May be you are free to make dinner at 10am… Perfect! Do it. Don’t wait till the last minute. Quickly whip a one pot dish to steam in the rice cooker or bake in the oven while you do the dishes or may be even take a shower while the little on is sleeping.

8pm is when you are free to make lunch..? So be it. Make the next days lunch the night before, when your hubby is home to watch the kids. I have made breakfast and lunch for next day at 10 pm every night for years. It was just what worked for our family.

Related:  Sample daily routine for moms

Examples of simple recipes and snacks: See this post which has many recipes that are simple enough for even children to cook by themselves. 

Have a baby who is starting out on solids, read this.

2. Invest in time saving gadgets and appliances.

Appliances make our life easier and save time. Period. There is no arguing that.

Rice cooker, InstaPot, Slow Cooker, Roti maker, sandwich grill, pressure cooker, a food processor, a good blender, microwave oven and juicer. They don’t save just time, but are real life savers for moms with little children, you know.

When I was postpartum with 4th child, my eldest was in 1st grade. It was very difficult to get up at 5am in the morning and make his school lunch or breakfast. I would make pancake or waffle batter the night before and place in the fridge. The next morning, my husband just had to pour it on the appliance while I got our son ready.

On weekends, I start the rice cooker for a Khichdi (lentil rice) or a porridge the night before, so that I can sleep in the next day.

Slow cookers and crock pots are my favorite appliances. They have saved us from eating out numerous times just because I had so thoughtfully started a casserole just before leaving home! It is a great help when you have guests over too. You can even make desserts in slow cookers.

A Roti Maker prevents me from rolling out not just chapati but also in pressing the dough for making puris. I press the dough on the roti maker and quickly drop it in hot oil to fry my puris.

See this Kaddu Ki Kheer recipe that I made in my Slow Cooker 

3. Make a master list of your family’s favorite meals

Write a list of all the dishes that you can cook. This is genius! Trust me. With our mom brains, we forget what all we can cook with the limited ingredients at hand. So one of the best way to counteract that is have a running list of all the stuff that you can cook.

Include you daily favorites, recipe lists by ingredient or theme. You don’t have to write the recipes, just a list of name of dishes will do. You can either write it in a document on your phone or make a list on paper or even print it out and stick in your kitchen.

The general idea is to have a list (make a book even!) of you staple diet.

For example, think chicken. What are the different things you can cook with chicken? Like chicken casserole, chicken pulao, chicken with vegetables, chicken curry, potato chicken pasta, chicken corn soup… anything and everything chicken. Make a list of it.

You don’t have to write the recipes. Just having that list will help you decide when you are pressed for time. I call it my ‘mind dump technique’ to meal plan.

4. Take inventory of your kitchen from time to time.

I know you are busy and this tip may sound like I am asking you to waste time because you may already know what you have in your kitchen. But no, please download my free Fridge and pantry printable and read this post that can give you more ideas on why I am recommending you do this at least once a month if not more.

Taking inventory of your fridge, freezer, pantry and snack drawer if you have one) can help you prevent wastage and also by giving you ideas on the kitchen. No more opening the fridge and staring inside wondering what to cook. The list (that I recommend you stick somewhere in your kitchen) will give you instant ideas when it is time towels plan.

 

Recipe 8/100 -Sindhi Biryani . Years ago, when I was newly married, I thought I should be a good wife and learn to cook desi food. ? So I asked all my friends and family for recipes and then wrote them all out in Microsoft OneNote. . Now… a recipe book like that is treasure you know… I didn’t want to lose it. So I printed a copy and then just so that nobody delete the file, I password protected it. . Only to forget the password! ? The papers that I had printed I put them in a folder and so conveniently misplaced them too… . Almost 10 years later… I found them again while decluttering last week. Yay! ? . I made this recipe today… first time making Sindhi Biryani. It is different than our Hyderabadi biryani as in it has potatoes, tomatoes and prunes. Also it is sweet with the sugar and Kewra essence added. . —> slide for recipe. Enjoy! . I’d love for you to send me your family’s favorite recipes to try. ❤❤ ? #jeddahmom #100recipesin2018

5. Create a basic meal plan theme that will work week after week.

Meal planning is not hard. I know we all think that to save time in the kitchen it requires hours of meal planning and is complicated but… it is not.

I have a very basic one that saves me time and energy. You can copy mine from this post about meal planning for busy moms. Then couple it with the list that you made above and you are all set to decide what the menu is for the day within seconds!

The simple idea is to set a theme for each day of the week – Saturday Pasta, Sunday One Pot, Monday Chicken and so on…

6. Use ready to use stuff.

Use canned corn, peas, mushrooms, beans, etc. It saves time and you have stuff ready. Of course, be sure to look at the ingredients and search for healthier options.

7. Meal Prep before hand

Like taking out the chicken for thawing for next day. It takes just 5-10 minutes to start a rice cooker in the morning for lunch or dinner. Do it when you remember because trust me, You Will Forget!

8. Use stick up notes so you DON’T forget.

We moms, we have so many tabs open in our brain. We are constantly thinking and solving problems mentally. How do you remember that great idea?

I stick a note as soon as I remember. My husband laughs at me for sticking pink slips around the house but what can I do?! You know mommy-brains right…?

What kind of notes do I write? 

Tiny reminders like ’10am – clean sink’ or ‘Rice for Koshry’ on the fridge. It is just a simple note but it takes the stress out. Every time I see the clean sink note, I remember that that is my appointment to keep. Next day when I open the fridge I remember to use up that rice asap.

You can use this tip for general things or be specific.

9. Batch cooking and cooking in bulk.

One of the best ways to spend less time in the kitchen is to cook all at once. Just get it done with and get out of there!

When you make a meal, double or triple it in quantity. There are two things you can do with more food – either have it for the next meal (as it is or with a quick no prep side dish) or freeze it for a meal later that week.

Let me give you an example: I have a recipe for Mutton Mince that with a little modification I can use with my pasta dishes too. When I make mince, I make it four times how much I need. One part is for the day I cooked. The second goes into my pasta or lasagna; the third part is for Taco sandwiches for school and office and the remaining (if we have left overs) is great for rice or filling in samosa.

Let me give you an example of how to save time while cooking Indian food. If you are making a dish which requires a certain type of masala. Double or triple the amount and freeze it. For example, I use the same masala for my egg curry, kofta curry and Qorma (both chicken and mutton) so when I make masala, I make it so much that it will last me a month. I just spread it in an ice cube tray and pop it out once it is frozen. I place these cubes in zipper bags.

Ditto for tomato or other chutneys and sauces. You can make salsa and freeze in this manner too. I freeze caramelised onions for Biryani too.

You can use this trick for chicken and other foods that you regularly use.  I have a recipe that I use to make chicken strips in bulk. I make 10 different recipes out of these chicken strips.

The picture below shows how I make Shami kababs. These I store in zipper bags once frozen. These kababs can be quickly fried or grilled and used in burritoes, sandwiches, with rice, as burgers or just as on their own for a side dish. I always have these in my freezer.

Recommended reading: Kitchen Hacks in the Desi Kitchen

 

10. Don’t get your groceries all on the same day.

I say this because it is the best way to avoid stress. Preferably get every other week. When I get my vegetables, I don’t get my meats that day. Because through the week, I will be cutting and emptying my fridge to fill my freezer. The next week, I get my meat but not chicken. I will be processing the meat to make bulk recipes. (Like the kababs I made above. Those were made the day I got 4-6kgs of mince.) When I get chicken, I only work on processing the chicken that week.

Examples: half cooked Chicken Kababs. It takes me less than 20 minutes to quickly run these kababs through the food processor. I will freeze them on baking sheets and then put them in freezer bags. They are perfect for school lunches and for side dishes.

Recommended: Chicken Strips Recipe + 10 Quick and easy Freezer meals

 

Seekh kebabs for dinner. What’s your favourite type of kebabs? Mine are these! Chicken, onion, greens, a tablespoon of flour, seasoning, grind, shake, grill or fry. #kebabs #whatsonmytable #whatsfordinner #mkbkids #jeddahmom

11. Always try to move the vegetables from fridge to the freezer if they can be frozen.

I have found that as I am busy with kids, green veggies tend to spoil if I don’t cook quickly. So as soon as I get greens, I will quickly try to cut them and move to freezer in the coming week.

I cut up french beans and put in freezer. The cauliflower needs steaming. The Bitter gourd needs steaming. The spinach too. Okra freezes well. I also freeze cut up tomatoes and grated carrots and capsicum. If we get cabbage then I will steam it too.

It saves me time and energy when I am cookingin a hurry. Simply wash under running water in a colander, saute onion in the pressure cooker, add spices and veggie… a few whistles and you are done.

12. Have 10 minutes every day for dish washing.

The dishes is every woman’s problem. I confess mine too. So what I do is set out time for it every day. Set a timer for 10 minutes and stop washing the minute it rings. Trust me, it works. And use hot water. It is so soothing!

13. Every night make it a task to clean the counter.

We have a 10 minutes routine every night where my family pitches in to help me. Most nights, they don’t but I still come in to do a few things.

When you come in to put left overs away, put in the appliances, the dishes in the sink and spices away. It takes less than 10 minutes and you wake up to a cleaner kitchen.

14. Always freeze the leftovers, unless it is rice.

Make a list of leftovers you have and stick on the fridge door so you remember to finish it the next day. Try new recipes to include your leftovers.

Here is a post about how to use leftovers for making school lunches.

If you have rice, try this Chicken Falafel recipe that tastes just like Chicken nuggets!

15. Don’t be afraid to experiment with food.

When we were newly married, my husband and I made a pledge to try new foods as often as we can. Everything can be eaten at least once, you know. You can decide whether to never eat it again or to include it in your menu after that first taste.

This rule has helped us try new foods with the children. We have also seen how new foods mean an end to picky eating.

Psst: We tried 100 new recipes in 2018.

16. When you have had a brand new addition to the family… plan.

The first few months when you have a new baby or a mobile toddler can be very busy. It gets difficult to cook lunch and dinner. I found that I could somehow get breakfast on the table but lunch and dinner was so difficult until my husband came home. So I resorted to cook lunch at dinner time.

I would cook the next days lunch AFTER dinner that night. It was a life saver. My husband would play would the kids or even just be working with the baby in a rocker in front him while I quickly cooked the food and put it in the fridge at bedtime.

You know that life has changed. Only you know what your pain is so spend a few minutes to think up ways to work less and do more.

Bringing up children is not easy. Every mom struggles through this phase. If you are that mom, I want you to know that you are doing great job. Congratulations on getting this far on your motherhood journey. Your reading this post means that you are committed to being intentional in your motherhood. You are doing well mom. Hang in there. It is going to be okay. You have got this. <3

Here is your next steps:

Want to simplify your meal planning and save time in the kitchen? Here is what you can do next.

1. Click here to grab the Fridge and Freezer inventory list printable. I will send you a 5 day FREE course on meal planning.
2. Download the printable and fill it in.
3. Look out for my next email with instruction on how to create your sample Meal Plan customized for your family.