While cooking with fresh ingredients is healthier, it can sometimes seem to be more time-consuming and labor-intensive than relying on processed foods. However, there are tricks that can make cooking from fresh ingredients a lot faster. Here are just a few of these tricks.

Learn to Chop Like a Pro

Chopping veggies is often a time-consuming task, however, there are tricks used by chefs that can make chopping a lot faster. Just take this example of how to chop an onion like a pro. A general rule is to always cut things in half so that you have a flat side to place on the board – this way the object you’re cutting isn’t able to roll around and you can more easily chop it.

Use Time-saving Tools

A lot of tools and gadgets now exist that make cooking from fresh a lot faster and convenient. For example, blenders can make pureeing much easier, while mandoline slicers can make slicing quicker. If a recipes calls for finely chopped vegetables, sometimes it’s faster to just pulse them in the food processor until they are finely chopped. There are even gadgets out there for peeling potatoes fast such as Judge electric potato peeler. Such tools are worth investing in if you regularly cook fresh meals, although you should always read reviews first to check that such tools are worth the convenience.

Start Meal Prepping

Meal prepping involves preparing multiple meals at once and then stocking these up in the fridge or freezer to be reheated at a later date. Prepping certain ingredients could save you a lot of time in the long run, although it may seem like you’re putting more time in initially. For example, if you regularly cook with onions, it could be faster to chop up a few onions and cook them all to heat up later – this could save you the time spent chopping and cooking each day. Chopping vegetables ahead of time and keeping them in containers can also make it easy to have your own ready to cook veggies.

Buy Pre-portioned Meal Kits

Some people are using meal kits as way to take the time out of shopping and you can get many of them delivered to your home. Some even pre-portion ingredients so that you don’t have to bother with measuring out. There are many meal kit delivery services out there to try, some of which specialize in specific dietary requirements – by reading online reviews such as this Blue Apron review you can help find the service that’s most suited to you. Be wary of some meal kits in which the foods may not always be truly fresh. This may also be a little pricey for some people, but it’s all about finding what works best for you.

Get a Helping Hand

The easiest way to make cooking meals from fresh faster is to get a helping hand in the kitchen. Get your significant other, kids, or even just some friends involved. If there are two people able to chop and cook together, you could find that even the most complex meals can be prepared very quickly. Cooking with a partner or as a family can also be a great time to bond and you could find that having someone to talk to make the time fly by.

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This is a contributor post, which has been reviewed and edited personally by me before being published. Links to external reviews are meant to provide additional ideas to readers and do not reflect my personal opinion or review of products.

Featured photo credit: Good Free Photos