Cooking is fun if you know what you are doing and you have the time to cook from scratch. But if you are a working mum or dad and your time is limited, you really need some cooking hacks to help you save time. The last thing that you want to do after work is cooking a full meal. There are some easy hacks to save time in your kitchen, and we wanted to share them with you today.
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Pre Cook Or Batch Cook Meals

Tv dinners or dinners in boxes are such an easy option but they are not healthy. They often contain high levels of fat and sat. On your day off, go to the supermarket and grab some fresh food. Then spend a few hours batch-cooking healthy meals for the week ahead. You need to put the cooked food in portion sizes to suit your family. Also, make some single portions in case someone fancies something different one night.
Use some reusable plastic tubes to store the meals in the freezer. You can also get some zip-lock bags and put meals in them. Then use a rolling pin to flatten the food. This makes it easier to store in the freezer. When you leave for work in the morning, take something out of the freezer and pop it in the fridge or somewhere cool to defrost it.
Use A Slow Cooker Or Set Timers To Cook Food

Using a slow cooker is more of an autumn and winter thing. But it saves you so much time in the long run. But if you have some timer or smart plugs, you can set your other cooking appliances to start cooking before you come home. Then it is ready for when you get home – all you need to do is dish it up.
If you use a slow cooker, look at some more adventurous meals to make in there. You don’t need to just stick to soups and casseroles.
Keep Prepared Vegetables Looking Fresh To Save Time In Your Kitchen

You can keep your prepared vegetables looking fresh for longer by covering them with a wet paper towel. Then put them in an airtight bag like a ziplock bag. They will stay fresh for several more days if they are kept slightly damp. It is important to get the most out of your vegetables by sealing them tightly and storing them away immediately if you do not plan to use them. This is a great way to save time in your kitchen because they are already prepped, so you just add them to cooking.
Get A Quick Drink After Work

You can save time in your kitchen when you are making drinks too. You can freeze some iced tea and other cold drinks up in ice cube trays. Then you can use the frozen drink cubes as ice on those particularly hot days when you want to relax in the garden. That way, your drink won’t be diluted by the quickly melting water ice cubes. It makes for a nice change, not having to run back to the fridge, just to top off your drink glass.
Save Time In Your Kitchen And Freeze Some Flavours To Use In Cooking

You can get some flavours prepared before you cook your food. You can crush some garlic like you normally do in cooking. Then place it in some ice cubes and freeze it. When you are cooking in the evening, take a cube out of the freezer and pop it into the cooking. You can also make some chilli paste, or Bolognese sauce and freeze it. Just pop it in the food as you cook.
Buy Some Kitchen Scissors To Make It Easier To Cut Food Up

Buy a decent pair of kitchen scissors, and make sure that everyone in your family knows they are only for food. You can use these scissors to cut up your herbs, meat, and some vegetables. You can even use them to remove bones from your meat. But they won’t do you any good if they leave the kitchen and get used for making craft projects. This will blunt them.




I can’t believe I’ve got to my age and never tried freezing cold drinks. It makes complete sense that adding ice cubes to keep a drink cool dilutes the taste, sometimes unpleasantly, so better to freeze the entire drink, instead.
Will order some ice trays and give this a go. Thank you.
It is a game changer especially when the weather is hot
Great ideas,i love anything that makes kitchen/dinner time easier
Me too
I need to invest in a slow cooker as it would save so much time in the evenings x
I do have a slow cooker but do not use it as often as I should these days
my freezer is always full of homecooked foods – so handy especially when time is short
Mine is as well which saves so much time
My biggest hack at the moment is my pressure cooker and my air fryer. I love how they take half the time to cook something without the need to keep checking on time. I also use scissors to cut my ingredients. I didn’t know many people do that, haha
I have never used a pressure cooker but do love my air fryer
I find the slow cooker a godsend in the winter. It is so nice to come in the front door and know that dinner is already ready!
I do loove my slow cooker but do not use it enough
certainly does save time – batch cooking is a staple here – tastes better than ready meals too
I often make extra and freeze half, also freeze rice as well
Good ideas – I try to do batch cooking at the weekend when I can!
I usually make more than I need and freeze half down