WE’VE entered a new decade, and things seem to be developing at such a rapid rate. Cars are about to fly, banks are getting replaced by e-wallets, and we’ve even bio-engineered "meatless" meat that's supposed to help with climate change.
Unfortunately, nothing has changed when it comes to our kitchen. We're still spending far too much time cooking, or spending way too much money on ingredients. But all isn’t lost. While we wait for new fantastical kitchen devices to be developed, we can look to other low-tech ways to save us time and money in our kitchen.
PEELING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
Compared to all forms of kitchen prep, peeling fruits and vegetables seem to take up the most time and effort. It's exhausting and thankless. But, there are dozens of ways to make things easier. Unfortunately, there’s no one single way to peel fruit and veg. Each has its own unique hack when it comes to peeling.
For example, if you want to peel many potatoes at once, you need to make a lengthwise incision on the skin of each potato and place them in a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds.
You can then use your hands to pull the skin off easily. A similar trick can be used for tomatoes. But for ginger, it’s best to use a spoon for peeling. Just scrape the entire ginger root with the end of a spoon, and you get to save a lot of the ginger, compared to cutting off all its bump and lumps.
And for garlic? Just smash each clove with the flat side of your knife and this will allow you to pull the clove out of its skin. If you want to save time on peeling, Google peeling hacks for your specific vegetable and fruit. Trust me, you won't regret it.
REDUCE ROTTING
Nothing is more frustrating than having your ingredients rot on you before you even get to use them. Luckily, there are hundreds of ways to keep your ingredients fresh. But just like the peeling hacks, each ingredient needs to be treated uniquely.
For example, if you want to keep your leafy greens fresh, keep them wrapped in a paper towel before placing them in the fridge, lest the excess moisture makes it soggy before you're ready for a salad or sandwich.
Another trick is to wrap the end of the banana bunch with some cling film. This will prevent it from ripening too quickly. You can also keep tomatoes upside down so the stem isn't exposed, which will ensure that it remains fresh longer.
COOK DOUBLE PORTIONS
If you cook regularly or plan to start, aim to always make a double portion of your food. Doing so will save you an enormous amount of time. For example, if your family enjoys a pasta sauce or curry that you’d usually make twice a week, you might as well make a large batch and freeze half of it so you won’t need to cook it a second time. Think of it like food prep. Instead of planning for the week, just have extra sauce or a meal that's ready to thaw whenever you need it.
Just make sure to freeze your extra meal in freezer-safe containers, or ziplock bags so that it doesn't break when you decide to thaw it. You can also read up about what freezes well in the freezer besides saucy dishes so that you can plan your meals better. For example, roasted chicken freezes beautifully. As too cakes.
HAVE HOT WATER
The phrase "a watched pot never boils" couldn’t be truer. Waiting for water to boil in a large pot is a waste of time. Always have a kettle ready with boiling hot water when you're about to cook anything. You might not think you’d need it, but most cooks use hot water when they work, either to boil, blanch, or even add liquid to soup, curry or gravy.
USING FROZEN VEGETABLES AND FRUITS
Food can be expensive these days, and more so if you like using imported ingredients. But you don't always need to spend RM20 for a punnet of strawberries, or RM10 for a head of broccoli and RM8 for a bag of baby spinach.
Head for the freezers of the grocery store, and be prepared for the options you're about to have. Frozen fruit and vegetables are plentiful in most major grocery stores, and they’re usually half the price of the fresh items.
The trick is to learn how to use them. You can't serve frozen strawberries with cream. But you can use it in a cake. You might not like the texture of frozen broccoli or spinach for a stir fry, but they work well in a soup. Just Google how to use them!
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