By the end of this class, you’ll be super confident in your ability to walk into the kitchen and have dinner ready to eat 15 minutes later. But it’s not going to happen by magic.
Sure, the simple recipes with minimal ingredient lists will help. As will the layout of the recipes, telling you what needs to be done and when.
But it’s really up to you to make the committment to step up and have a go. To believe in yourself and your ability to make really delicious satisfying food as quickly as possible.
Over the next 4 modules, we’ll be focusing on different areas to set you up to be able to cook quickly and confidently, but here at the beginning, we’re going to go through some tips to get you in the right frame of mind. And set you up for success.
GETTING ORGANISED
Start small
When it comes to changing our habits, we’re likely to fail if we take on too much change up front. And that will just lead to failure and discouragement and you know where that gets us.
Yep nowhere.
So if you’re tempted to take on the whole virtual cookery school in the first week, stop.
Think about the changes that you’d like to make to your cooking routine. And then decide on only one change that you’re going to make this week. It might be making a 15 minute meal for Monday night only.
OR you might be ready to take on the whole 4 meals.
Only you will know whats the best pace for yourself to start of. Don’t be afraid to make the change super small. Seriously, it’s the best way to succeed.
If you’re interested in reading more about habit change. There’s a section in the Reclaim Your Waistline class that focuses on habit change basics over here.
Make a commitment
The most common reason people give for not cooking at home is that they ‘don’t have enough time’.
To me time is a bit like money, you need to spend it to make it.
So yes, it’s going to take you a few minutes to login to the school and read a few things and watch some videos. But in the long run, you’ll be learning to cook much more quickly and efficiently. So the time you invest now, is going to pay you back over the rest of your life.
So make the commitment to spend the time you need in class. Even if it’s only 15 minutes a week – it will be worth it in the long run.
Choose a few videos to watch
Decide now which recipes you’re interested in and set aside the time to watch the videos and read through the problem solving guide.
PLANNING
One of the best parts about the 15 Minute Meals class is that I’ve taken care of the planning for you.
This is the biggest opportunity to save yourself time in the kitchen. It’s all about having a good recipe that keeps things as simple and straight forward as possible.
So download the shopping list for this week Or make your own.
PREPARATION
Again, the recipes in the class are designed to keep your prep time to a minimum. Here are some additional tips to make sure you’re as quick as you can be:
keep your knives sharp
The most common activity in the kitchen is chopping. Sharp knives make it much easier to get your confidence and your speed up.
roughly chop herbs, don’t pick their leaves
While it is lovely to have whole picked leaves, if I’m in a rush I just roughly chop things like parsley or coriander. Still delicious and less wasteful.
skip the peeling
Keeping the skins on things like carrots and spuds not only saves time but gives you the most nutrients as well.
chop to the optimum size
The smaller pieces of food are, the quicker they’ll cook. BUT the longer it will take to chop. Only go for smaller sizes if it’s going to help you gain valuable cooking minutes.
boil water in the kettle first
If I’m short on time I always put water in the kettle to boil for pasta or whatever else I need. So much faster than the stove top.
before you even start getting the ingredients ready, start preheating
Usually the first task in a recipe will be to preheat a pan, or the oven, or your grill (broiler). When you walk into the kitchen that should be the first thing you do (unless you’re making a salad or something else cold)
TECHNIQUES TO KEEP IN MIND
With 15 Minute Meals, I’ve chosen the quickest possible cooking techniques for you. Here are some tips to help you understand why I’ve chosen these techniques to help you make the best decisions in the future when you’re cooking on your own.
get as close to the heat as possible
The further away the food is from your heat source the longer it’s going to take to cook. Pan frying or BBQing are my go-to cooking methods when I’m short of time. Boiling can also be fast but there’s the time needed to get the water hot in the first place.
use the most direct heat
Apologies for getting a bit physics class on you but the other factor is that solids (especially metals) conduct heat better than liquids and gasses. Which is why a hot pan cooks so much faster than the same food sitting in a hot oven.
cook with gas or induction
I do love the instant heat of gas. Although after being wowed by Australian chef, Tetsuya’s new masterclass kitchen last year, I do have a hankering for a clean induction cook top which has instant heat with the added benefit of being super easy to clean.
use a fan forced oven
My country kitchen is blessed with a fan forced oven and cooks things significantly more rapidly than my sad old gas number in Sydney.
make technology your friend
Food processors can grate, slice or puree things in a fraction of the time it would take using an old grater or a mortar and pestle. And I’ve already sung the praises of electric kitchen scales where you can just weigh and go without fiddling around with messy measuring cups.
rinse and reuse equipment as you go
I used to hate the concept of cleaning as you go because I preferred to concentrate on the cooking task at hand. But over the years I’ve realised that it can actually be quicker to rinse that bowl or spoon in front of you rather than reaching to the cupboard for a clean one and it definitely saves on cleaning up time – my least favourite part of playing in the kitchen.
focus
One of my biggest time wasters is when I try and do something else while I’m cooking. Not only do I end up not getting either task done particularly well, I often burn something and have to start again. Much better to be in the moment and get it done right the first time.
practice
Like pretty much all activities practice makes perfect – the more often you cook, the quicker you’ll become.
ask for help
For the 15 Minute Meals class, the recipes are designed to be completed in the allotted time by one person. If you have access to one, employ a kitchen slave. Not only do many hands make light work – it’s also an opportunity to relax and catch up with your loved ones.
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