The other day, I prepared a four course Mexican-inspired feast. Throughout my four hours of cooking, I wrote down a few valuable tips for maximizing efficiency and minimizing time and stress when preparing such a big meal.
- Take the lid of your trash can and move it close to your work stations.
- Read through all of your recipes first so you know how long each thing takes.
- Set out items that need to be at room temperature {for example, I needed room temperature cream cheese for my Mexican chocolate cheescake}.
- Likewise, plan ahead for items that need to be defrosted. For last minute defrosting, place item in a Ziploc bag and place in a bowl of warm water. Do this early on in the cooking process so you don’t have to rush the defrosting. Rotate water every 5-10 minutes.
- Set up separate stations with all of the ingredients needed for each recipe.
- Check each recipe to see what ingredients you need for more than one. For example, I used red onions for my watermelon feta salad and my enchilada casserole, so I chopped enough for both at the beginning.
- Likewise, do the same steps at the same time. For example, open all your cans and then put the can opener away.
- Roast vegetables {like the red pepper I used} in tin foil to minimize clean up.
- Be comfortable with a mess. Clean up as you go but realize the kitchen will be a wreck until you’re done.
- That being said, clean your cheese grater right away. Nothing is worse than trying to pry dried cheese off a grater!
- Think ahead to what you can make with leftovers. Red onions and black olives from a Mexican casserole and feta from a watermelon feta salad can be made into a simple Greek pasta.
Check out Timing a Multi-Course Meal like a Pro for more helpful tips!
Source: westelm.com via Lauren on Pinterest
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