With time being so short due to work commitments and the pressure of living a healthy life, it is no wonder that people are struggling with the amount of time they have to spend in the kitchen.
Getting the balance right between work and relaxation is hard enough, but to then spend hours cooking is nobody’s idea of a good time. However, there are ways in which you can keep to your healthy eating habits and yet spend less time in the kitchen.
#1 Have instant hot and cold water
Although there are many benefits of having quick and easy access to water at the right temperature, many homes are yet to embrace it. The addition of an instant hot and cold water dispenser can save you time and effort in your cooking for one thing, and having perfectly cooled water on hand to drink will free up space in your refrigerator.
Filling up saucepans of boiling water for cooking rather than waiting for the water to warm up on the hob, or for that matter, waiting for the kettle to boil, will both save you time and frustration, as well as speed up your cooking time accordingly.
#2 Bulk cook
Whether you like it or not, bulk cooking can reduce the amount of time that you spend in the kitchen. This is because it takes the same or a very similar amount of time to cook up one meal as it does to cook up a large batch of the same ingredients. Easy batch cooking meals such as chili, bolognese, curry, stew, and soups, for instance, can be stored in the freezer to be warmed up and eaten at a later date.
This means that on some nights you will not need to cook at all and can spend a few minutes warming your dinner up rather than spending hours cooking for the same healthy meal.
#3 Install a dishwasher
Installing a dishwasher, even if it is a small countertop unit, can mean that you get to sit down and relax that much sooner in the evening. For instance, the average American spends five and a half hours a week washing dishes. This is a massive amount of time that you could potentially be sitting with your feet up or doing something that you would enjoy a lot more.
Although you will still have to rinse your dishes and load and unload your dishwasher, it will still take you less time than physically washing every dish and making sure it is sparkling clean. Of course, another alternative is to delegate this job to another member of the household, and therefore you will not have to do it at all.
Final thoughts
So, to limit the amount of time that you spend in your kitchen, you will have to get organized with your weekly or monthly menus, purchase additional time-saving devices and delegate those less interesting time-consuming jobs.