{"id":3940,"date":"2022-09-28T09:47:30","date_gmt":"2022-09-28T13:47:30","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2022-09-29T10:09:27","modified_gmt":"2022-09-29T14:09:27","slug":"preparation-and-stocked-kitchens-ease-healthy-home-cooking-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foodmedcenter.org\/es_mx\/preparation-and-stocked-kitchens-ease-healthy-home-cooking-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Preparation and Stocked Kitchens Ease Healthy Home Cooking"},"content":{"rendered":"

PREPARE IN ADVANCE<\/strong>
\nIf you think you\u2019re going to be able to wing it and prepare quality foods quickly at home, you\u2019re mistaken. Planning meals and shopping in advance ensure that you don\u2019t wind up walking into your kitchen, opening the fridge, closing it in frustration and gathering the kids to go to McDonald\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Cut It Up:<\/strong> Cut up vegetables such as onions, broccoli, peppers and asparagus in advance. Put them in pre-portioned baggies or containers, and store them in the fridge. \u201cYou can even freeze them, so when you need chopped onions in a recipe you can just grab them out of the freezer,\u201d says Antoinette Kuritz, a San Diego-based home cooking expert and mom. \u201cDo the same with peppers and other vegetables, and cheeses such as Parmesan, Romano and Jarlsberg.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buy Ingredients Partially Prepared:<\/strong> Although this can sometimes be more expensive, it still costs less than eating out \u2014 or eating unhealthy meals. Get bags of pre-washed lettuce, broccoli, and cauliflower florets or pre-cut mixed vegetables. Check out the salad bar to stock up on other pre-cut veggies.<\/p>\n

Pre-cook Foods:<\/strong> Cook and freeze foods in advance. You can even prepare grains such as quinoa and freeze them in serving-size portions in freezer bags. Simply take out a serving and thaw as needed for recipes or a side dish.<\/p>\n

Plan Before Shopping:<\/strong> Come up with general categories such as soups, stews, stir-fries and grains. Within each category, have a recipe in mind, and write out your list of ingredients before you go food shopping, says Luhrs. Try to choose recipes for which all the ingredients are available at one location \u2014 you’re more likely to give up if you have to shop at too many stores to get what you need.<\/p>\n

Same Ingredients, Multiple Recipes:<\/strong> Pick a couple of home cooking recipe favorites and use them in different ways. For instance, use grilled chicken to top salads, pasta, and vegetables and to make sandwiches for lunch. A simple roasted chicken makes a fantastic and versatile entr\u00e9e everyone loves, and the leftovers can be turned into a quick chicken salad, diced into an omelet for brunch, into curried rice, or added to hot and sour soup. It\u2019s easy to roast a couple of chickens at the same time and use one for Sunday dinner while reserving the other for dinner later that week.<\/p>\n

Buy it Smaller, Thinner and Prepared:<\/strong> According to chef and cookbook author, Nancy Mills, author of  the <\/i>blog,  Mom’s Cooking Help <\/a>\u201cThe more surface area that is exposed to heat, the faster a food will cook, so buy your meats, poultry and everything else cut into thinner and\/or smaller pieces.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re parceling your meats yourself, Mills offers more tips to speed up the process. \u201cIt\u2019s easier to cut chicken and beef into thin slices or strips when the meat is partly frozen. Plus, you don\u2019t have to wait for the meat to completely thaw before cooking it. Steak or chicken cut into 2-inch-long, 1\/2-inch-wide strips can be stir-fried in two to three minutes. Ground meat cooks much faster than whole pieces of meat. Thin slices of vegetables cook faster. For instance, very thin potato slices cook in less than 10 minutes in soups, whereas a whole potato will take 20 to 25 minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Get your veggie burgers, hamburgers, and turkey burgers in patty form, or package them yourself after buying veggie ingredients or ground meat and store them in the freezer in meal packs.<\/p>\n

\u201cTired and Hungry\u201d Recipes:<\/strong> Create three or four recipes that require very little thought and are ready to go. Come up with a few of these \u2014 and make sure you always have the ingredients on hand.<\/p>\n

STOCK UP<\/strong><\/p>\n

Spices and Condiments:<\/strong> Creating healthier foods at home is also about having a well-stocked spice cabinet and lots of condiments in the refrigerator. Herbs and spices are a calorie-free way to add flavor to your meals. \u201cIf I could only buy five spices they would be black pepper, smoked paprika, curry powder, herbes de Provence and coriander seed. I always have ketchup, mustard, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, soy sauce and honey on hand, as well as lemons and limes,\u201d says Chef John Greeley.<\/p>\n

Other healthful home cooking helpers:<\/p>\n