Other than using the microwave more (which honestly is something I try
to avoid unless I'm in a critical hurry, or am cooking carrots), there
are some shortcuts that I like to use, and would be thrilled to hear
others from others in the same boat. :-)

Pre-sliced veggies such as pre-bagged brocolli or mushrooms,
pre-washed/bagged greens such as baby spinach,
Canned low-salt soups for sauces, and they also work well in stir
fry's,
I usually use the cream ones including celery, brocolli and mushroom,
Planning for the meat and thawing it the night before, and sometimes
also pre-cutting or slicing it for the morning brunch if I am planning
stir fry,
using a lot of eggs for frittatas,
pre-grated cheeses kept in the freezer.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head other than the
obvious "Meal planning". :-)

C.

I'm not sure if this one counts since it doesn't save time as much as it
moves it to a more convenient place.

When I get home from the supermarket with a week's worth of produce,
even if I haven't planned what I mean to use each carrot or onion for, I
wash and slice everything. I get out the cuisinart, peel and slice all
the onions, put them in a plastic bag, rinse the cuisinart and repeat
for the carrots, broccoli, and the rest of the vegetables. The only
things I don't prep ahead of time are the things that change color or
get seriously grotty.

When it is time to cook, all I have to do is reach into the fridge for
the vegetables. I consider this a nutrition trick as well since I'm
more likely to cook with more vegetables if I don't have to wash a knife
and cutting board each time I use them. Black beans are easy when the
onions, celery, carrots and peppers are ready to throw in. Soups take
almost no time when it is only a matter of defrosting stock and tossing
in the precut vegetables.

Next trick: Use V-8 juice and orange juice for curry tomato soup stock.

--Lia

I may get bashed for even mentioning this, but it is a time saver...

There's a book called "The Cake Doctor," Where all of the really elaborate
cakes start with a box of cake mix. Saves a lot of time, but still gives that
homemade appeal!

-Jen
Half the people you know are below average. -Steven Wright

In article GjOfb.682839$Ho3.145955@sccrnsc03, Julia Altshuler
writes:

When I get home from the supermarket with a week's worth of produce,
even if I haven't planned what I mean to use each carrot or onion for, I
wash and slice everything. I get out the cuisinart, peel and slice all
the onions, put them in a plastic bag, rinse the cuisinart and repeat
for the carrots, broccoli, and the rest of the vegetables.

Prepping veggies days before using... BLECH!


---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
Sheldon
````````````
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."

Julia Altshuler wrote in message news:GjOfb.682839$Ho3.145955@sccrnsc03...
I'm not sure if this one counts since it doesn't save time as much as it
moves it to a more convenient place.

When I get home from the supermarket with a week's worth of produce,
even if I haven't planned what I mean to use each carrot or onion for, I
wash and slice everything. I get out the cuisinart, peel and slice all
the onions, put them in a plastic bag, rinse the cuisinart and repeat
for the carrots, broccoli, and the rest of the vegetables. The only
things I don't prep ahead of time are the things that change color or
get seriously grotty.

That would save a lot of time during the work week. ;-)
I've never thought of pre-cutting onions which is why I use dried
minced a lot.

How long do bagged onions last in the 'frige? Yellow, white or purple
onions?
I'd like to try this since I want to cook with more onions.

As for carrots, I just buy the baby ones. G


When it is time to cook, all I have to do is reach into the fridge for
the vegetables. I consider this a nutrition trick as well since I'm
more likely to cook with more vegetables if I don't have to wash a knife
and cutting board each time I use them.

Agreed, but I would probably not pre-cut squashes. I cut them in about
1" chunks anyway so that takes very little time. And I'm just cooking
for two.


Black beans are easy when the
onions, celery, carrots and peppers are ready to throw in. Soups take
almost no time when it is only a matter of defrosting stock and tossing
in the precut vegetables.

Do you make your own stock on the weekends? We used to save bones and
make bone stock when we got a pressure cooker full.


Next trick: Use V-8 juice and orange juice for curry tomato soup stock.

--Lia

And chili! ;-)

C.

Carnivore269 wrote:
How long do bagged onions last in the 'frige? Yellow, white or purple
onions?

Onions last anywhere from three or four days to a week, depending on how
fresh they were when you bought them.

I don't cut up vegetables every time I go food shopping. If I have a
meal planned that has a lot of prep time I usually chop stuff up the day
before and keep it in ziplock bags.

--
John Gaughan
http://www.johngaughan.net/

On 5 Oct 2003 12:48:40 -0700, (Carnivore269)
wrote:


How long do bagged onions last in the 'frige? Yellow, white or purple
onions?
I'd like to try this since I want to cook with more onions.

A bag stored inside a cupboard (dark) lasts at least a couple of
weeks. Even if 1 or 2 in a 3-lb bag spoil, it's still economically
feasible, and you always (almost) have onions on hand.

As for carrots, I just buy the baby ones. G

Baby? No. Milled/lathed from bigger ones. (*Real* baby carrots are a
gourmet treat!) Carrots last quite a while in the 'crisper' drawer of
the fridge.

I admire Julia's efficient prep work, but she probably has meal plans
in place, too. I wouldn't cut up, say, celery, in advance, not knowing
if I would eventually want pieces or sticks for snacking, dice for
salad, julienne for shrimp & celery remulade, or bias-cut slices for
stir-fry. I also routinely peel the outside ribs of celery for many
uses, which would reduce their storage time. My cooking is just too
random for this kind of plan, but it's worth thinking about.

Carnivore269 wrote:
Other than using the microwave more (which honestly is something I try
to avoid unless I'm in a critical hurry, or am cooking carrots), there
are some shortcuts that I like to use, and would be thrilled to hear
others from others in the same boat. :-)

Okay, this could be a fun thread and one where departures from the time-
saving tricks of the professional chef could be fairly enlightening...

1) Double the mileage of marinades: marinate tonight's entrée then pour
the marinade into a freezer ziplock with another night's meal. I call
this slow-marinating, because it will continue to marinate for weeks in
the freezer and a little oil in the marinade prevents freezer burn. For
the unadventurous go with two flank steaks; for the adventurous try pork
to chicken. If it's an involved marinade recipe, I sometimes make a large
batch and throw a bunch of different things in the freezer. (Double bag
them if you have to...leaking marinade in the freezer is *the worst*)

2) ...

Carnivore269 wrote:

How long do bagged onions last in the 'frige? Yellow, white or purple
onions?
I'd like to try this since I want to cook with more onions.


If you want them perfect, the way they are when they're first cut, they
only last a day or two pre-cut and bagged. But I'm not fussy when it
comes to onions I'll be using for cooking. The convenience of having
them ready overrides the slight wilt. I keep them a week or longer if
they look O.K.

--Lia

Frogleg wrote:


I admire Julia's efficient prep work, but she probably has meal plans
in place, too. I wouldn't cut up, say, celery, in advance, not knowing
if I would eventually want pieces or sticks for snacking, dice for
salad, julienne for shrimp & celery remulade, or bias-cut slices for
stir-fry.

No, I don't plan that carefully. I just choose a good enough all-round
size to slice into and leave it at that. Then I use it in whatever.
Carrots get cut into coins. That's good for snacks, soups, stir-frys.
If I would have preferred julienne for a particular recipe, I use coins
instead. Remember, this is about saving time. Getting out the
cuisinart only once a week saves time. If this was about perfectly
presented meals, I'd be thinking in another direction.

--Lia

On Tue, 7 Oct 2003, Julia Altshuler wrote:

snip

No, I don't plan that carefully. I just choose a good enough all-round
size to slice into and leave it at that. Then I use it in whatever.
Carrots get cut into coins. That's good for snacks, soups, stir-frys.
If I would have preferred julienne for a particular recipe, I use coins
instead. Remember, this is about saving time. Getting out the
cuisinart only once a week saves time. If this was about perfectly
presented meals, I'd be thinking in another direction.

--Lia



I buy red, orange, and yellow bell peppers when they go on sale. I dice
them up, spead them in a single layer on a cookie sheet, put it in the
freezer until they are frozen, then scoop them into a ziplock bag, and
store in the freezer. When I need them, I just retrive the quantity I need
and put the rest back in the freezer. I do this with green bell peppers
and with onions, too. They are too limp to thaw and use in salad, but they
are perfect for cooking. They last for months.

I do this with hamburger meat, cooked,shredded chicken, bulk sausage,
and smoked sausages, etc, too. I also keep shredded cheese frozen. It
takes only minutes to dress up canned spaghetti sauce, a frozen pizza,
make red beans and rice, tacos, burritos, enchaladas, ect.

Elaine

On Mon, 06 Oct 2003 17:52:04 GMT, "Jeffrey P. Vasquez"
wrote:


Carnivore269 wrote:
Other than using the microwave more (which honestly is something I try
to avoid unless I'm in a critical hurry, or am cooking carrots), there
are some shortcuts that I like to use, and would be thrilled to hear
others from others in the same boat. :-)

Okay, this could be a fun thread and one where departures from the time-
saving tricks of the professional chef could be fairly enlightening...

Double the mileage of marinades: marinate tonight's entrée then pour
the marinade into a freezer ziplock with another night's meal.

We assume you mean doubling the marinade recipe, not marinating A and
transferring the liquid to B.

wrote:
We assume you mean doubling the marinade recipe, not marinating A and
transferring the liquid to B.

Double the mileage, not the marinade.

Before I assume from your tone that this is going to be another
microbiology discussion and we have trot out the decimal reduction curves
and the prokaryote DNA transfer models, let me say this:

Try transferring a fish marinade to a cut of beef.

If that's overwhelming you, read the ingredients on your Worcestershire
sauce. Lord Marcus thought fermented tamarind and anchovies on steak
sounded like a good idea and it kinda caught on...

Disclaimer: In case my assumption is wrong, then for the more-sanitary-
than-thou and the sue-McDonalds-because-I-dumped-coffee-in-my-lap crowd,
avoid practices that promote bacterial growth (marinate in the
refrigerator) and properly cook all foods (don't thaw and eat -- try a
little heat).

Frogleg wrote in message . ..
On Mon, 06 Oct 2003 17:52:04 GMT, "Jeffrey P. Vasquez"
wrote:


Carnivore269 wrote:
Other than using the microwave more (which honestly is something I try
to avoid unless I'm in a critical hurry, or am cooking carrots), there
are some shortcuts that I like to use, and would be thrilled to hear
others from others in the same boat. :-)

Okay, this could be a fun thread and one where departures from the time-
saving tricks of the professional chef could be fairly enlightening...

Double the mileage of marinades: marinate tonight's entrée then pour
the marinade into a freezer ziplock with another night's meal.

We assume you mean doubling the marinade recipe, not marinating A and
transferring the liquid to B.

Let's hope so...
Re-using marinade is extra dangerous.
Or so I've been taught?

I've been cheating a LOT lately with marinades and using commercial
salad dressings! Kraft makes some good ones. I did chicken the other
day with their Honey Dijon dressing with a little lemon pepper and
garlic powder for barbecued split breasts. It was divine...... ;-) I
normally use their plain italian or creamy italian. Ceaser works well
too for a chicken marinade.

Now I gotta check them out for a good one for beef. Any suggestions?

C.

Carnivore269 wrote:
Let's hope so...
Re-using marinade is extra dangerous.
Or so I've been taught?

Argh! Let's not get off-topic. Start a new thread, if you really must
revisit the microbiology. Better yet just ignore my suggestion, if it
scares you.

I've been cheating a LOT lately with marinades and using commercial
salad dressings! Kraft makes some good ones. I did chicken the other
day with their Honey Dijon dressing with a little lemon pepper and
garlic powder for barbecued split breasts. It was divine...... ;-) I
normally use their plain italian or creamy italian. Ceaser works well
too for a chicken marinade.

Now I gotta check them out for a good one for beef. Any suggestions?

I call this "Found Object Cuisine." This is one of the biggest time-
savers in meal prep.

2) Here's my Found Object BBQ sauce recipe:

1/2 bottle on-sale brand X mesquite BBQ sauce
1/2 bottle on-sale brand Y hickory/spicy BBQ sauce
1-2 tbsp Worcestershire
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp horseradish vinegar (or less depending)
1 tsp tabasco sauce
Salt & pepper to taste

Mix all and heat.
Preparation time: 3 minutes.

I loathe store-bought BBQ sauces, because they're too sweet and too
bland. However, making BBQ sauce from scratch is just horrifically time-
consuming. I find combining different brands pleasantly offsets the worst
qualities of either alone. This trick works with lots of consumer food
products.

NB: I keep diced horseradish in a bottle with rice vinegar -- substitute
accordingly and don't overdo it. It's very easy to put too much in and
take the BBQ sauce to the other side of the scale.