Who doesn’t enjoy a good kitchen hack? Along with saving you time, they will also save you money in the long run.
Many of these hacks are life-changing and will change your kitchen game forever. After reading this, you’ll wish you had known them years ago.
Organize your Fridge
A well-organized fridge is the key to successful food prep and one of the most important parts of becoming a successful chef or cook at home.
Having an organized fridge that is easy to navigate around will help organize your meals and make it less difficult to prepare.
Why organize your Fridge for Easy Meal Prep
The biggest issue I’ve had with my fridge is the fact that it’s so disorganized. Without pre-planning which meals you are making, you end up wasting precious time looking for food in your fridge (and cupboard). So how do you avoid this; by learning how to organize your fridge.
Label Food and arrange it nicely
One of the best ways to organize your refrigerator is to plan out what you will be eating over the next couple of days and make a mark on your food that you have put in the refrigerator that will remind you what it is and when you need to eat it.
When purchasing food for your fridge, separate all foods into different containers and then label each one clearly with “keep for 3 days”, “keep until Friday” etc., this will allow you to stay organized and know exactly where everything is sitting in the fridge.
Use Kitchen tools
One of the time savers is using kitchen tools and appliances such as a food processor and mixer in order to save time on food prepping.
By doing so, you will be able to cook a larger quantity of food so it will be available in the upcoming days as well.
A food Processor
To save time in your kitchen, use a food processor. Food processors are very convenient kitchen appliances that help make preparing meals more efficient.
They incorporate all of the ingredients for a meal in one quick swoop and users do not have to spend hours cutting, chopping, and mixing food together!
A food processor is perfect for anyone who enjoys cooking or baking but does not always have the time to prepare large meals.
Make a Meal Schedule
When you have a tight schedule, it can be hard to find enough time to shop for groceries. If this describes your situation, then you need a comprehensive meal plan schedule. By following a meal plan, you can easily shop at the last minute and save a lot of money on your grocery shopping bill.
Schedule Time for Meal Planning
Most people advocate meal planning and preparation on Sunday for the upcoming week. This makes it easy to have a list of meals ready to go, plus a shopping list when you head to the market. Of course, if one meal is more convenient than another, you can always swap it out in your schedule.
Helps you Stay Organized
Prepping your meals is an important part of staying organized, staying on track to eat healthily, and staying in control of your eating.
Without a schedule, you may find yourself missing meals or grabbing junk because it has been too long since your last meal. Get your own meal schedule template to help you plan.
Write out an entire grocery list
We all know the pain of standing in the middle of the grocery store trying to decide what food items we need to buy. The only thing you know is that you need broccoli, but you don’t know if you need it frozen or fresh. Then there’s the chicken, but which size package, boneless or what?
Makes sure you have all the Food to Prepare
To make your life easier, take out a pen and paper, and get ready to write an entire grocery list. We’re in the age of smartphones, but it’s always nice to know you can scribble down a shopping list when you need to.
With a good list in hand, you can quickly figure out what items you need and make sure you have them in stock while out.
Prepare your Food Right Away
When you bring home your leafy greens, quickly wash, pat dry, and chop them as close to their use time as possible. Put them back in the fridge in a reusable container. If you’re using the salad within 48 hours, keep it in a bowl or in the bag it came in, putting a paper towel below the leaves.
You can apply this method not only to your fruits and vegetables but also to proteins: separate chicken into pieces before cooking it, so you can eat a breast one night and the legs another. This will make the decision about what to cook later in the week much easier.
Benefits of washing and Drying Food Right away
Washing, chopping, and packaging your produce ahead of time allows you to eat healthier foods because there are no excuses not to.
