10 Kitchen Shortcuts to Make Food Prep Easier

Are you looking for 10 kitchen shortcuts to make food prep easier?

These tips & tricks help get meals on the table in no time.

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If you’re trying to make healthy from-scratch meals, they can sometimes take longer to prepare.

Using tricks to cut corners makes things easier in the kitchen. Some may seem like more work but it’s really just upfront work that will save you time during multiple meal preps.

This is an especially busy couple of weeks with Wedding #2 – The Party right around the corner.

I’m not only using easy-to-prep meal recipes, but I’m also following my “How to Handle a Busy Week” advice.

10 Kitchen Shortcuts to Make Food Prep Easier

Meal Planning

• This is at the top of my list because it is by far the best tip for ease of meal prep
• When you know what you are preparing and have all the ingredients, that’s half the battle
• You can read about my meal planning HERE

Crushed Garlic

• Do you use a lot of garlic? We do! Crushed Garlic in a jar is something I always have on hand in the refrigerator. I typically only use fresh garlic for a recipe that really calls for it.
• When I do have a whole head of garlic, I typically am only using one clove so the rest gets peeled, crushed, and put right into my jar in the refrigerator.

Garbage Bowl

• Having a bowl to put all of my food prep remnants. It is so handy. You can add the tops to vegetables, the skins, and just about anything food-related that is not going into the recipe.
• Then those scraps can go into the garbage all at once or in our case into the chicken coop or composter.
• Did you know we have chickens?? You can read about it HERE

Using the right tools for the job – There are some must-have tools in my kitchen

• I have good knives.
• My food processor is used almost daily.
• A few good whisks are a must as well as prep bowls.
• I love my juicer (I use a lot of lemons and limes – they add tons of flavor to many meals).
• I’m also a huge fan of my cheese grater.

Herbs in Ice Cubes

• I’ve shared with you HERE how I preserve herbs in ice cubes.
• These are such time savers for meal prep.
• An olive oil & basil cube will go into my pan for the start of many Italian dishes. A water and thyme cube gets put into my sauce for pork chops. You get the picture!

Easy Peel hardboiled eggs in a glass or jar

• “Handy” actually taught me this trick. All his time on his iPad has had one benefit.
• The trick is to put your hardboiled egg into a glass or ball jar and add a little bit of water (about 1/2 way up the egg) and then shake the jar back and forth for about 30 seconds or until the shell is completely cracked.
• Take the egg out of the jar and the shell just slides right off.

Bread Crumbs with Leftover Bread

• We don’t eat a lot of bread so there is always bread that either needs to get used or thrown. I also buy hamburger buns on occasion and there are always 2-3 left over.
• Don’t let it go to waste. Throw the bread into the food processor and let it spin for about a minute and you have breadcrumbs. Put them in a container and store them in the freezer. No more penicillin bread in your bread box and you have homemade breadcrumbs on hand to use in a recipe.

Double the Recipe

• When I do this, I’m so grateful that there are freezer meals available for busy weeks. The trick is to remember to double your recipe. The ultimate way to make food prep easier. Here are a few that freeze well.
  • Lasagna
  • Manicotti
  • Frittatas
  • Chicken & Rice Casserole
  • Ham & Potato Bake
  • Chicken Noodle Soup
  • Chili
  • Spaghetti Sauce (This one I make a huge pot and we have 10-12 meals available in the freezer)
  • Tortellini Spinach Soup

Clean while you work

• When I clean up while I’m cooking it just makes everything easier.
• Empty the dishwasher and have a tub of soapy water in the sink.
• As you cook, during the time when things are simmering or water is boiling, it is a great time to wash things up or put them in the dishwasher.

Keeping your Refrigerator & Freezer Organized

• We made a trip to the store last night just for meatballs to add to the spaghetti sauce.
• When I cleaned out the freezer today I found, you guessed it, another bag of meatballs.
• Having your refrigerator & freezer organized helps with your grocery list, easy access to your ingredients, and not finding out your milk has expired right before you plan to use it.

Other Kitchen Tips

I have so much more than these 10 kitchen tips. Just like my gardening tips, I plan to make this an ongoing series. Sharing housekeeping tips is something that I love to do. I learn new things every day and if something is working, I love to hear about it and try it out.

If you have any tips that help you out in the kitchen, please share them in the comments below and I will add them to my kitchen tips.

I hope you are having a great week. Whether you are enjoying it in the garden with my 5 Tips from the Gardening Bench or spending time in the kitchen trying out some new shortcuts to make food prep easier or just enjoying a great book! Enjoy what you love to do!

Peace,

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