PREP Kitchen time savers or time savers anywhere

Okay everyone lets list our favorite time or energy savers here.

1.) Cooking beans....
Beans take time and or lots of energy to prepare.

So I learned to use the crockpot to start my beans.

Put dry beans to soak in a crockpot... I use warm water. It brings the beans to life...as if they were going to sprout. I use this for all my bean recipes.

Trisaccharides are the sugar (culprit) in beans that make the...... 'beans, beans the musical fruit'....song famous. But the point is that letting beans soak over night causes the beans to use up some of those wicked trisaccharides. That was why I started soaking beans overnight.....over the years this has turned into an energy saving method.

Today I would pop that ceramic crock onto the wood stove after it soaked overnight.

2.) I also learned this one from a friend recently....in the morning take your favorite bean or soup recipe (dry beans, pasta or rice) and put all of the ingredients...veggies and spices included into a wide mouth thermos with boiling water....put on lid....let sit until dinner.
I tried their recipe....ummm uummm good.
I was looking at the thermoses to do this one at Bi-Mart the other day....about $30. A great low energy meal for two people and bugout ready.

Okay lets hear from everyone else....

I've always soaked my beans overnight simply because that's how I was taught to do it.

That wide mouth thermos thing sounds REALLY interesting and I'd like to try it. And it's just a plain old wide mouth thermos? That would be what, about four one cup servings?

ETA: This isn't a timesaving hint, but I was watching one of those food shows that has a scientific bent to it, like "Good Eats"? They lined up about 4 people to cut up an onion without crying using the traditional methods. The only person that DIDN'T cry was the one who put the onion in ice to chill for about 10 minutes. Chill the onion before you cut it up, you won't cry. I tried it, it works.

To save time making salads and soups, I do all the prep work ahead of time.

I wash all the veggies and chop them up. I use the green bags and put salad fixings in the bag. I also put in a big piece of paper towel to soak up moisture. Make sure the veggies are dry when you put them in the bag. Suck up the air with a straw and close the bag. Keep in the refrigerator. When you want salad just take out what you need, replace paper towel and reseal.

I also keep bags of chopped onion, carrot, celery, pepper, etc. for making stir fry. I refrigerate in the same manner.

By taking the time to do the prep work when you come home from the grocery store you can save tons of time throughout the rest of the week when you're putting together your meals. You'll find you eat more veggies too if they are already washed and ready to eat in the refrigerator. Kids love veggies and dip. Teach them young to love their vegetables rather than foods with little nutritional value like chips and sweets.

I also mix up large batches of cole slaw and refrigerate. I make enough to last half a week worth of meals.

By making ahead of time you can save tons of time on soups, stir fry, salads etc.

That is my biggest complaint, prep time. I get home from work and I want everything on the table and ready to eat no later than 6 pm, because eating any later is not good for our waistlines or DH's diabetes. So far, I've had some success with doing prep work on Sunday, after I get home from the store.

For me, it can be as simple as chopping up a bowl full of onions, carrots, peppers, like that. I seem to always be needing them, so it makes sense to me that's what I prep up the most.

I've read that beans need to cook at a boil for at least 20-30 minutes to prevent toxins. This came up on another prep board a few years back when someone mentioned cooking in a thermos. It's still ok to cook in a thermos but they do need more than soaking and heating first. Here is a link that explains it much better than I can:

http://www.foodreference.com/html/artredkidneybeanpoisoning.html

Crockpot meals are great for working moms. You can throw it in there in a few minutes, turn it on and when you come in from work dinner is done.

Here is a simple crockpot recipe that takes about two minutes.

Throw chicken parts of your choice into crockpot

Add a jar of salsa

Set crockpot on low and let it cook all day.

Loon said:

Crockpot meals are great for working moms. You can throw it in there in a few minutes, turn it on and when you come in from work dinner is done.

Here is a simple crockpot recipe that takes about two minutes.

Throw chicken parts of your choice into crockpot

Add a jar of salsa

Set crockpot on low and let it cook all day.

Click to expand...

Laaaaa....Dennis we still need a drool smilie....

Here is an older thread on Thermos cooking use, if you didn't see it the first time around. It is currently available to all in the On Your Own - Preps sig.

http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?t=285708&highlight=thermos

theoriginaldeb said:

Laaaaa....Dennis we still need a drool smilie....

Click to expand...

I found some here: http://www.3dgladiators.com/forums/misc.php?do=showsmilies

Drool is about 1/2 down.

Something I learned from an Amish woman years ago in college:

Bring water and beans to boil, boil a couple minutes (usually a short phone call), cover and remove from heat. Ready in an hour to use in other recipes.

Always had a craving for hummus at weird times....

Loon said:

Crockpot meals are great for working moms. You can throw it in there in a few minutes, turn it on and when you come in from work dinner is done.

Here is a simple crockpot recipe that takes about two minutes.

Throw chicken parts of your choice into crockpot

Add a jar of salsa

Set crockpot on low and let it cook all day.

Click to expand...

Ok. Dumb question... frozen chicken, or NOT frozen chicken? Thanks.

Loretta V.

bobpick said:

I found some here: http://www.3dgladiators.com/forums/misc.php?do=showsmilies

Drool is about 1/2 down.

Click to expand...

Sweet drool....for all the good recipes....

When I bake a cake, cookies, etc..

I make two. Freeze one for later. They're great for unexpected company.

Since the oven is already heated, I get twice the product for the same amount of energy.

I do the same with soups, stews and chili. I make a double-batch and freeze the rest in serving sized containers. It comes in handy for those nights you just dont want to cook. You can still have a "home-cooked" meal.

JJ

Cook a bunch of extra pancakes then freeze them. You can pull them out and throw them in the microwave in the AM and have fast pancakes without the bother and mess.

Bacon works well doing that too.

Tweak

One of the greatest ideas thats NEVER USED

since we're talking about efficiency, this is the greatest idea i've ever read and yet i *never* read about anyone employing it!

basically its using insulating material to keep a pot at or near its original temperature for up to 24 hrs. if one needs to simmer or slow-cook a pot of whatever .. bring it up to boiling then wrap it well in with some type of close-fitting insulating material and let it sit. if its really well insulated it wont lose heat and will remain very close to its original temperature.

there is cookware that uses this principal, but its extremely expensive and i dont know how well it works. i use it to keep yogurt at 115 for 24 hrs. what i did was this:

took a 1 gal plastic container (with lid) and constructed a square box around it using 2" styrofoam board and some glue. i then wrapped the container with syran wrap, placed it inside the box, and sprayed insulating foam around it to make a close fit. problem was it was too close and i could barely get the container out! it also expanded the box and slightly broke it .. but it turned out ok in the end.

a similiar idea could be used for high-temp pots. again if its done right there should be no loss of heat.

if anyone has knowledge of this, or other sites to go to that discusses this concept, LET ME KNOW!

Good tips!

Wildwood,
Thank you for the link .... very informative.

Making your own bread is very time consuming but when I am in a bread making mood I break the task into chunks.

The first thing I do is make a sponge.
This can be done the night before.
I use leftover potatoes if I have any mashed or baked is fine...just make sure the lumps are mashed out.
Add yeast or sourdough starter, warm water, sugar (the yeast will need it) cracked wheat or bran (this softens it and gives it a chance to soak up moisture...keeps whole wheat bread from being dry)

Measurements....geez...I always do this by feel....

Approx.
1 cup potatoes mashed or what ever is leftover (potatos make a superior bread...potato flakes could be used instead)
1 packet yeast or 1 cup active sourdough starter
1/2 cup cracked wheat or bran
2 or 3 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar approx.
Lukewarm water 5 or 6 cups enough to make a batter about the density of muffin batter

Place in a warm corner of the kitchen covered with a tea towel. This can sit overnight. It might need to be stirred once or twice in warmer weather...but not crucial.
There are three main benefits from making a bread sponge.
1) It softens the bran in whole wheat or rye bread making it more palatable especially for kids.
2) It gives time for the yeast to grow conserving the amount needed and adds flavor to the bread.
3) It makes the task manageable during a busy day.

At this point just pour into a bread mixer add more flour, salt and other ingredients to taste. Follow standard bread instructions. If kneading by hand add the flour until it can't be stirred with a spoon then pour out on a bread board to knead.
To the original 3 cups of flour I usually add another 5 cups of flour approx. (1/2 white flour 1/2 whole wheat) this includes what is added when kneading by hand.
I keep my hands well floured if kneading by hand...and let the dough be slightly sticky....the bran soaks up a lot of moisture and can make a dry loaf otherwise. The sponge can be counted as the first rising so put the bread directly into loaf pans and bake at 350-400 degrees.
Sorry about the size of this recipe...I am used to making 3-5 loaves of bread at a time for my family and even though I have one of those new fangled bread machines I have never used the thing....LOL

Loretta Van Riet said:

Ok. Dumb question... frozen chicken, or NOT frozen chicken? Thanks.

Loretta V.

Click to expand...

I use unfrozen chicken but I would guess you could use frozen boneless, skinless chicken breastmeat. I would think they'd thaw out pretty fast in the crockpot but I've never tried it.

Loon said:

I use unfrozen chicken but I would guess you could use frozen boneless, skinless chicken breastmeat. I would think they'd thaw out pretty fast in the crockpot but I've never tried it.

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I just throw mine in frozen--there's only 2 of us and it cooks just fine in 4-5 hours on high. Read somewhere that crockpot got it hot too slowly so bacteria could grow, but I do it all the time and I'm still here

The pressure cooker. Greatest kitchen time saver ever devised.

Wildwood said:

I've read that beans need to cook at a boil for at least 20-30 minutes to prevent toxins. This came up on another prep board a few years back when someone mentioned cooking in a thermos. It's still ok to cook in a thermos but they do need more than soaking and heating first. Here is a link that explains it much better than I can:

http://www.foodreference.com/html/artredkidneybeanpoisoning.html

Click to expand...

It is actually worse than this. Another study (last year?) showed that if you cook beans at low temperatures until they are soft, without boiling them first you *intensify* the toxin.

It is unlikely anyone will take a handful of beans, grind them down, and eat them raw. Unfortunately, many people would not consider they had done anything unsafe, if they took that same handful of beans, added them to hot water, put in a hay box, and left the beans to cook till they soft. The study showed, that the beans out of the hay box would contain more toxin, than the ground raw beans!

If you boil the beans vigorously for 10 minutes, then the toxin levels are reduced to a level, where it is then safe to cook at low temperatures.

I find the food cooked in a slow cooker tastes burnt to me, while food cooked for hours at low temperature in an oven is delicious. In a previous discussion, on another board, someone else commented, they had noticed, that the food in a slow cooker slightly boils, whereas in their old slow cooker, bought many years ago, it didn't.

Slow cooker mamufactures have probably redesigned their cookers so even at low setting, food is simmered. This means that should someone throw beans into a slow cooker, and not boil them first, then beans cook at a sufficiently high temperature, to destroy the toxin.

Anrol

Anrol5 said:

.

I find the food cooked in a slow cooker tastes burnt to me, while food cooked for hours at low temperature in an oven is delicious. In a previous discussion, on another board, someone else commented, they had noticed, that the food in a slow cooker slightly boils, whereas in their old slow cooker, bought many years ago, it didn't.

Slow cooker mamufactures have probably redesigned their cookers so even at low setting, food is simmered. This means that should someone throw beans into a slow cooker, and not boil them first, then beans cook at a sufficiently high temperature, to destroy the toxin.

Anrol

Click to expand...

I have noticed that too. My oldest slow cooker will not simmer on the low setting, but my newer one does simmer the beans at the low setting.

blueberry said:

I have noticed that too. My oldest slow cooker will not simmer on the low setting, but my newer one does simmer the beans at the low setting.

Click to expand...

Interesting thoughts on slow cookers...I was looking at some new ones in the store (Bi-Mart) today and there is one with a locking lid...made for moving to another location...such as a potluck dinner. It was pretty cool.
All the new ones I looked at have 4 settings...simmer, low, medium and high.
Yes there is nothing that quite compares to slow cooking a meal....yum.

Another time saving idea. One of my favorites. When you put a new liner in your trash can...layer it with three or four..... so when you take out the trash a new liner is already in place.

And I'll toss this tidbit in -
best friend loaded up her crockpot, a pretty new one, with ingrediants and went off for a days work. Got home 9 hours later to find the crock pot bent over and melted on the countertop.

Lucky she didn't start a fire! And she will never leave one on alone like that unattended again. As I said, this was a newer unit fwiw

2redroses said:

And I'll toss this tidbit in -
best friend loaded up her crockpot, a pretty new one, with ingrediants and went off for a days work. Got home 9 hours later to find the crock pot bent over and melted on the countertop.

Lucky she didn't start a fire! And she will never leave one on alone like that unattended again. As I said, this was a newer unit fwiw

Click to expand...

Uh-oh those shiny new crock pots I was looking at today are not as appealing as they were earlier.....dang.

Another time saver for those who haul hay to livestock before they go to work. I have a very baggy pullover hoodie that I pull on over my work clothes so I don't have to do a complete change of clothes before going to work.
Pull on the hoodie....feed the livestock....pull off the hoodie...leaving behind hay and whatnot and head for work. I keep the hoodie in my truck so in the evening I can put it on and feed before I go in the house....saves steps and time.

BTTT for the night crew.
Let's list some more time savers.

When rolling out any food such as cookie dough, bread or biscuit dough, I use my countertops. To make cleanup easy, I take a very damp cloth, wet down the counter, then pull out several long sheets of saran wrap and lay it over the damp areas, smoothing out the air bubbles. I layer them one inch to prevent dough and flour or sugar getting under the wrap. When you are done rolling or whatever, just pull up the saran wrap from the outside edges and toss, your counter will be clean.

Also, when rolling out cookies, if they are sticky don't use more flour, use powdered sugar, it will keep them from being tough.

When you buy bulk meat, as soon as you get home, divide it up into portions you commonly use, tightly wrap it in saran wrap, put wrapped individual portions into a bag and place in freezer.

I clean out my fridge before I go grocery shopping, that way old things are rotated forward or out, and the fridge is clean. When I get home I clean all veggies and fruit, figure out how I will use them for the following week or two, and chop them accordingly. Celery for salad, slices, stir fry, long narrow chunks, munching, sticks. Carrots the same way, and all other produce gets the same treatment.

Sometimes I'll chop the meat before I wrap and freeze it, making sure to mark it first what it is and what it's for. I hate cleaning and prepping food to eat, so this way I only have to do it once.

I also have a brush just for cleaning the kitchen (or bathroom) floor, around corners and wall trim where the mop won't fit well. When cleaning large areas of tile, I use a window squeegee on a broom handle to squeegee the floor dry. It gets most of the water up and the floor is dry in minutes.

Good info. Thanks for all the tips! I love my crock pot and will try the thermos some time soon.

I forgot one, my favorite. I use my bread machine for mixing almost everything. When I make chocolate chip cookies, I put all wet ingredients in first until blended, then add chips until mixed, then flour. Even when making them the traditional way, I add chips to the already mixed wet portion to more evenly distribute them.

I mix biscuits and pie crust in the bread machine too. I hate mixing flour into anything. I make Indian fry bread by making regular bread dough, then stretching it into 6 inch flat rounds and fry it in expeller pressed organic coconut oil. When they are medium brown, I remove them and lightly salt with sea salt.

I used to cook rice in Thermos flasks for my tourists - stop at lunchtime for some coffee / tea, make sure you've got some extra boiling water, add rice and water to thermos and it's ready for lunch.

Flippper said:

When rolling out any food such as cookie dough, bread or biscuit dough, I use my countertops. To make cleanup easy, I take a very damp cloth, wet down the counter, then pull out several long sheets of saran wrap and lay it over the damp areas, smoothing out the air bubbles. I layer them one inch to prevent dough and flour or sugar getting under the wrap. When you are done rolling or whatever, just pull up the saran wrap from the outside edges and toss, your counter will be clean.

Also, when rolling out cookies, if they are sticky don't use more flour, use powdered sugar, it will keep them from being tough.

When you buy bulk meat, as soon as you get home, divide it up into portions you commonly use, tightly wrap it in saran wrap, put wrapped individual portions into a bag and place in freezer.

I clean out my fridge before I go grocery shopping, that way old things are rotated forward or out, and the fridge is clean. When I get home I clean all veggies and fruit, figure out how I will use them for the following week or two, and chop them accordingly. Celery for salad, slices, stir fry, long narrow chunks, munching, sticks. Carrots the same way, and all other produce gets the same treatment.

Sometimes I'll chop the meat before I wrap and freeze it, making sure to mark it first what it is and what it's for. I hate cleaning and prepping food to eat, so this way I only have to do it once.

I also have a brush just for cleaning the kitchen (or bathroom) floor, around corners and wall trim where the mop won't fit well. When cleaning large areas of tile, I use a window squeegee on a broom handle to squeegee the floor dry. It gets most of the water up and the floor is dry in minutes.

Click to expand...

Great ideas...I used to prep veggies ahead...works great I need to get back to that again.

theoriginaldeb said:

Another time saving idea. One of my favorites. When you put a new liner in your trash can...layer it with three or four..... so when you take out the trash a new liner is already in place.

Click to expand...

All right, you have to tell me how this works. I tried it, and all the bags clung to each other when I tried to put them in the trash can. Then when I tried to take the full bag of trash out of the can, all the bags kept coming out with it. I think it must take more than two hands - more like 6 or 8.

I wish there had been a video camera in the kitchen. I would have won first prize on America's Funniest Home Videos.

I have one of the Thermos slow cookers. They work great. Yes it was rather expensive, but search the internet and you can get them as low as $49. I just put the items in the stainless insert and bring to a boil on the stove. Then the insert goes into the thermal covering, close and lock and off I go. No worry about a melting crock pot! I have done just about anything in it. Even did a corned beef dinner the other day. As far as the wide moouthed thermos idea, I use it for a hot breakfast in the morning. Before I go to sleep at night, I put the proper amount of boiling water and watever cereal I want to eat in the thermos, tighten the top and lay it on its side (the important part). Hot cereal in the morning with very little fuss. You just use enough fuel to boil the water.

FWIW, I have a newer Crock Pot and it definitely runs hot. The high setting boils the food and I don't leave it to run while I'm gone.
My grandma's old Crock Pot, however, actually does *slow* cook food and I still use that for meats. The new pot just gets too hot, even at the 10 hour setting.
Menagerie

theoriginaldeb said:

Another time saving idea. One of my favorites. When you put a new liner in your trash can...layer it with three or four..... so when you take out the trash a new liner is already in place.

Click to expand...

And under the last bag....put a few layers of newspapers in the bottom of the trash can. Just in case of spillage or a leaky bag, it will soak up the nasty. If you pull it out asap, you may not need to wash the trash can.

I LOATHE washing trash cans.

Jan

kozanne said:

ETA: This isn't a timesaving hint, but I was watching one of those food shows that has a scientific bent to it, like "Good Eats"? They lined up about 4 people to cut up an onion without crying using the traditional methods. The only person that DIDN'T cry was the one who put the onion in ice to chill for about 10 minutes. Chill the onion before you cut it up, you won't cry. I tried it, it works.

Click to expand...

Hold a match in your mouth while cutting onions. You won't cry. I'm assuming the sulphur or something absorbs the onion fumes.

blueberry said:

All right, you have to tell me how this works. I tried it, and all the bags clung to each other when I tried to put them in the trash can. Then when I tried to take the full bag of trash out of the can, all the bags kept coming out with it. I think it must take more than two hands - more like 6 or 8.

I wish there had been a video camera in the kitchen. I would have won first prize on America's Funniest Home Videos.

Click to expand...

Sorry.... I probably left out an important step. After you put the liner in the can pull a corner of each bag tight around the lip of the trash can and tie a small knot. If that doesn't work...and it doesn't on some trash cans.....just drop several folded bags in the bottom of the trash can. At least they are handy at changing time and you can pull up one and line the can w/o getting out a box of bags each time.

Too bad about the missed photo op...

Thanks for the onion tip. Sure beats what I'm doing which is cutting the onion with my eyes closed. I'll be sure to soak it in cold ice water next time.

I learned that garbage bag trick years ago. I used to watch the cleaning ladies at the school emptying trash cans and they always kept extra bags in the bottom of the cans. I thought that was a great idea for saving time.