(Image courtesy of Jeff Kubina)
As relaxing as it can sometimes be, cooking can be a chore. When space and time are limited, preparing a meal can quickly turn from a relaxing treat to another obstacle in your day.Writer Mikaela Cowles, from renters.apartments.com, understands the balancing act that is cooking dinner and she offers a few suggestions to keep your cooking agenda as smooth as possible. Keep reading to learn more.
1. Bake Ahead
Typically, the small kitchen dilemma is particularly challenging when you’re hosting a dinner party. If your menu involves any sort of baked good, such as dinner rolls or cornbread, it’s best to bake them ahead of time. This might mean you bake them the evening before or the morning of.
2. Make Ahead
In addition to pre-baking your yummy goodies, I also love to utilize make-ahead dishes. These are the kinds of dishes that are best enjoyed after marinating. For example, broccoli salad, black bean and corn salad, and coleslaw are 10 times better after they have sat for at least a few hours. In addition, most bruschetta toppings are better when they’ve had a chance to sit, making them a great appetizer.
Note: This is currently my favorite black bean and corn salad. It can be served warm or cold. It makes a great salad, unique salsa and fantastic quesadilla filling.
3. Prep Everything in Advance
Before you start cooking, prep. Chop all your veggies, meat, fruit and herbs. Anything that needs to be cut, sliced or otherwise altered should be done before you start cooking.
4. Pre-Cooking Cleanup
Once you’ve prepped all your ingredients, clean up everything you can. Dirty dishes can hog a lot of your precious space.
5. One-Pot Wonders
My last piece of “small kitchen wisdom” is to not avoid the one-pot wonders. When I first started cooking, I though every meal needed to be a multi-dish extravaganza. But, there’s a lot to be said for the one-pot dishes that are packed with flavors and textures.
1. Bake Ahead
Typically, the small kitchen dilemma is particularly challenging when you’re hosting a dinner party. If your menu involves any sort of baked good, such as dinner rolls or cornbread, it’s best to bake them ahead of time. This might mean you bake them the evening before or the morning of.
2. Make Ahead
In addition to pre-baking your yummy goodies, I also love to utilize make-ahead dishes. These are the kinds of dishes that are best enjoyed after marinating. For example, broccoli salad, black bean and corn salad, and coleslaw are 10 times better after they have sat for at least a few hours. In addition, most bruschetta toppings are better when they’ve had a chance to sit, making them a great appetizer.
Note: This is currently my favorite black bean and corn salad. It can be served warm or cold. It makes a great salad, unique salsa and fantastic quesadilla filling.
3. Prep Everything in Advance
Before you start cooking, prep. Chop all your veggies, meat, fruit and herbs. Anything that needs to be cut, sliced or otherwise altered should be done before you start cooking.
4. Pre-Cooking Cleanup
Once you’ve prepped all your ingredients, clean up everything you can. Dirty dishes can hog a lot of your precious space.
5. One-Pot Wonders
My last piece of “small kitchen wisdom” is to not avoid the one-pot wonders. When I first started cooking, I though every meal needed to be a multi-dish extravaganza. But, there’s a lot to be said for the one-pot dishes that are packed with flavors and textures.
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