If you are like most people when it comes to meals, you probably struggle with cooking dinner on time.

Of course, a lot goes into the time umbrella. It could be the time to shop, time to plan the meal or even time to cook. With cooking involving multiple tasks, how do you ensure that everything is set at the appropriate time?

Read on to learn how to break loose in the kitchen and prepare meals on time!

Buy a Timer

Tracking the cooking time for all the pots you have running simultaneously can be a daunting task. With the advancement in technology, some applications and devices can help you keep track of time. Such apps allow you to track each burner separately, ensuring that each food gets ready within the recommended time.

You can use similar technology to keep track of the entire dinner preparation process. Set it to alert you when it is time to shop, prepare your meal, and cook it. With the right timer, you will prepare dinner on time.

Prep Your Meals in Advance

Preparing your meals in advance can help you have your dinner early. Advance meal prep streamlines the entire cooking process, saving you a significant amount of time. For instance, if you are working on a recipe for Caldo de Res Mexican beef soup, getting the beef chopped and stored in the freezer a day before can save your cooking time. 

Stock your kitchen with containers that can be used to store different prepped ingredients. If you get everything ready in advance, the implication is that you will have few distractions when making dinner. 

Set in Place

Usually, 90% of all the cooking delays result from a missing ingredient or frantically chopping tools while you have something else on the burner.

Setting everything in place is a significant way to ensure a streamlined cooking process. Before starting the cooking process, ensure that every ingredient in your recipe is available. Prepare all the ingredients and keep them well covered until it is time to add them to the cooking pan or pot. 

Work Backwards

When your dinner involves different things – such as appetizers, sauces, and side dishes – the best way to save time and have everything ready when you need it is by having a simple list of everything on your menu. Estimate the time it would take you to prepare each dish and project the time you want your dinner to be ready before working backward to establish the ideal starting time. 

Make sure you begin with recipes that are likely to take long. However, you will need to ensure that every ingredient is ready within the stipulated time for this process to be effective. 

Cooking, just like anything else, requires practice to perfect the entire process. When starting, you may find it time-consuming or even involving getting everything on the kitchen counter before you start cooking. Be patient, and you will find this approach quite useful and efficient in preparing your dinner on time.