How is it that restaurants are able to get meals on their patron's table in mere minutes? It is not just because they have a line of chefs on the kitchen line. It's often because much of the ingredients that go into the recipes are prepared or "prepped" (restaurant jargon) ahead of time. And many of the recipes are truly quick and easy to put together. Plus, there are other procedures that enhance a restaurant's ability to cook meals quickly. I have found that many of these restaurant procedures can be recreated at home to help make it easier to get dinner on the table.
Tip #1
Plan and prepare your weekly dinners ahead of time on your days off (for many that means on the weekend). That means write down exactly what you are going to make for dinner for the week, purchase the ingredients and "prep" some or all of the meals ahead of time.
It is the best feeling after a long day of work and commuting to come home and have a beautifully prepared Turkey Meatloaf or Shepherds Pie ready to go into the oven. Even though you prepared it yourself, nothing beats having something at the ready!
Some of the "ahead of time" prep work that we do regularly at home (that restaurants also do ) includes pre-chopping onions, celery and carrots for salads and soups in bulk for the week, pounding and breading chicken breasts ahead of time for easy recipes like Marsala and Piccata. Defrost exactly what you know you will use for the week (e.g. hamburger meat, steaks etc... ) Again, just like in restaurants, it's often the "prep" that takes time whereas the "cooking" does not take as much time as one might think. By prepping ahead of time, you save time in the kitchen when you get home.
Have a handful of recipes in your arsenal that your family enjoys and cook them on a regular basis making sure that you always have the ingredients for those recipes in your cupboard and freezer at all times. This is your family "menu" of sorts.
Some examples:
Do your kids love spaghetti? Then, make sure you always have canned tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, ground beef, Italian sausage, dried basil (or a potted basil plant in your garden window), dried oregano, garlic, onions, dried spaghetti on hand.
Lately, my family has been cutting back on "bad carbs", so we always have lots of mixed greens and boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the refrigerator and freezer for easy chicken salads. We also have exotic and unique dressings in the cupboard and / or interesting cheeses in the fridge or we make our own salad dressings "on the fly" in minutes (like BBQ Vinaigrette for a BBQ Chicken Salad made with smoked Gouda, fresh cilantro and red onions.)
My daughter does not cook yet but she does know how to make Top Ramen (I know, I know, it is NOT very healthy but she loves it and it so cheap!) BUT, she WILL add chicken and vegetables to it herself now so we make sure to always have pieces of broccoli in the fridge (she puts in the soup as it cooks), bagged spinach leaves and chopped bok choy (which she puts on top like they do in Vietnam) and we always have some sort of leftover cut-up meat in the fridge (steak, chicken or pork) that if she doesn't put in her soup, we'll use up on a quick and easy salad, sandwich or even pizza later.
Tip #3
Do use leftovers to reinvent new recipes! And make sure to do an "inventory" of what foods you have in your refrigerator that must be used up. Restaurants must use up what they order. So often, the chefs will create, "specials", based upon not only what is in season, but also what ingredients they must use up or risk having perish (it's called "food waste" and it negatively affects their profitability). Similarly, I have a fun game I like to do wherein I open the fridge, see what I have leftover and then put those ingredients into a search engine including the word, "recipe". For example, Steak, Cilantro, Mint, Recipe. Voila! A delicious five star Asian-style salad comes up. Another example: Brie (leftover from a party), apples (from a neighbor's tree) and tortillas. Multiple quesadilla recipes come up online. It feels good to follow new recipes and know I'm not wasting money.
Tip #4
Be realistic with what you want to cook during the week. There's a reason why, if you order a Chocolate Souffle in many restaurants, you have to let them know ahead of time. This is because it is not something that they can make quickly for you. So if you have not prepped your meals for the week ahead of time, deciding to make a complicated meal because you are craving it or someone in your family asked you to make it for them is not always a good idea. Again, know what recipes work for you quickly if you can't always prepare your meals ahead of time.
Tip #5
It's OK not to make EVERYTHING from scratch. Restaurants don't. You don't have to either. So whether it's a ready-to-eat Roasted Chicken that you reinvent into a delicious pizza or pasta, or an amazing store bought Chipotle Mayonnaise that is the secret to your Southwestern Burger, it's OK.
Tip #6
"Clean as you go". If you do this, you will not have a pile of pots and pans to clean after you eat. This is a simple and great restaurant tip to practice at home to save time in the kitchen!
Tip #7
"Cross-train" your staff. In restaurants, many employees perform more than one job which makes it easier for the manager to schedule everyone for maximum flexibility, performance and reduced cost. In a house, this means, put your kids to work! Even the youngest children can help with dinner by setting the table, loading the dishwasher etc...
As I get older, I realize just how precious time is. And as much as I LOVE to cook, I do not always want to be spending hours in the kitchen when I get home from work. I prefer to spend time relaxing, unwinding and enjoying my family. I hope these tips help you do the same.
My food blog is http://www.worldseasiestrecipes.com
I started working in restaurants when I was 12 years old and did so through my teen years including the Great American Food and Beverage Co. (which mixed entertainment and food and musicians like Rickie Lee Jones, Katie Segal and Vonda Shephard also worked). When I was 20 years old, while in a "New Wave" band signed to Unicorn Records I needed a new keyboard so I started working for the Cheesecake Factory restaurants where I moved up to General Manager and worked for almost 10 years while continuing to pursue other creative interests.
Once I had children, I realized that the long hours required managing restaurants were not for me, so I ventured out to work for other food related businesses with regular working hours. Currently, I work for Ron Popeil, the quintessential Housewares Inventor, Infomercial Icon and Direct Response Marketing genius. I learn something new every day working closely with him. Not many people can say that Ron Popeil cooks them lunch on a regular basis, but I can!
I commute over 2 hours daily as I work in Beverly Hills but live in Redondo Beach, CA. Preparing meals every night of the week and making sure that when I'm not home there are healthy meals in the fridge is no picnic. But preparing quick and easy healthy meals every night is possible. My goal is to make my and other people's lives easier by sharing some of these recipes, tips and techniques.
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