3 Mistakes In The Kitchen Costing You Valuable Time.
These 3 common mistakes will have you spending more time in the kitchen than is needed.
Some simple changes you that you make to the way you prepare and operate in the kitchen will make a massive difference to your effectiveness.
1. Not Preheating your oven - If you have things such as roast, or baked items to make with your meal, the first thing you should do is preheat your oven to the desired temperature.
Ovens take time to preheat for cooking and if you start preparing your food before this vital first step (depending on when you realise and chuck the oven on) you can cost yourself hours of time in the kitchen which is unnecessary.
Bones conduct heat more slowly than do fat and muscle so any roasts with bones will take quite a bit of heat time.
Things such as, chicken, pork, beef etc.
2. Always cooking at a higher temperature - When you grill, fry or bake food. Just because you heat it at a higher temperature doesn’t mean it will take a shorter amount of time to cook. Too high of a temperature could result in a burnt exterior while still having a raw centre. Low surface to mass ratio. Meaning it takes longer for heat to reach all parts of the food.
3. mise en place - (in a professional kitchen the preparation of dishes and ingredients before the beginning of service. ) In order to create a successful kitchen, chefs prepare their stations with mise en place. This French phrase translates to “everything in its place”. It's the preparation of food and equipment before you begin cooking. While a complete mise en place isn’t necessary for home cooking, it definitely helps with meal preparation and execution during a busy week. Cutting vegetables in advance and cooking certain items and freezing them beforehand can help maximize your time so you spend less of it cooking and more of it focusing on everything else!