How to Gain Time for Dinner

As much as we might enjoy cooking, sitting down with friends and family to share a meal together, ordering in, or meeting at a restaurant; sometimes that is not an easy thing to do with our increasingly busy lifestyles.

These are some things that I like to do to save me time in the kitchen or when ordering in and picking up for takeout.

Cooking:

Cut your ingredients once or twice a week:

Storing veggies in airtight containers in the fridge is a great way to save yourself time. Ingredients such as avocado’s, tomatoes, cucumbers, or greens should only be chopped fresh on the day, so they do not bruise or discolor. It is much easier to prepare a meal that calls for peppers or onions when these are already prepped and in your fridge. This way you are only using and cleaning utensils once or twice a week rather than for each meal. Utilizing services that deliver ingredients to your door is worth the cost when compared to the time saved.

Organization plays a big role in saving time in the kitchen as well. I like to keep my frequently used utensils by the stove or hang them near it. This way items such as wooden spoons, ladles, slotted spoons, etc. are easier to find when needed. Invest in a good set of knives, I like to keep my knifes on a knife magnet near the stove for easy storage and use. A good set of knives speed up your prep time considerably.

I also premix my spices, herbs, and rubs that I like to use together in large quantities and store them in mason jars. Keep these in a cool storage area.

I recently acquired a pressure cooker that works as a slow cooker as well. In addition, it also has functions such as sauté, which saves me a lot of time when it comes to clean up. This way I can cook everything in one pot and clean up is a breeze.

Takeout:

Ordering in vs takeout. Over many years of ordering in and picking up my food, I have realized food tastes better when eaten fresh. Most of the time I like to pick up food myself rather than have it delivered. This way I can be sure my food tastes delicious and avoid any driver complications through third parties or long wait times. Although I still do order deliveries when predisposed, I prefer to pick up my food myself.

There is nothing more convenient than picking up food and eating it in the comfort of your own home. This can be on your way back from work or a quick trip to your favorite restaurant.

From my experience when ordering over the phone, restaurants tend to quote a few minutes longer than it would generally take to make your food. Once I have received a quoted time, I like to arrive at the restaurant five minutes earlier than quoted.

A tool that I have become more familiar with this last year is online ordering. Restaurants such as ours offer advanced orders that can be scheduled. This saves me time on the day when picking up my order; as all I must do is go in, say my order name, and receive the food. Since payment and order confirmation is taken care of online when I placed the order; if I am arriving at my scheduled order time, it is a quick pit stop whether that be curbside or in person. When picking up food from us let us know to accrue your Paesano points if you missed doing so online.

Food has the amazing ability to bring people together, evoke conversation, and bring joy. One of my favorite quotes is by Mark Twain…

“Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.”

We hope to see you soon!