As someone who built her career on a love of cooking, even I have days when it’s very hard to muster the energy to prepare dinner for a family of five. Sometimes, before I even think about dinner, I’ve already tested or developed several recipes and put my kitchen through the wringer.
On those long work days, the last thing I have the strength for is more cooking, and if I’m being honest, more dishes. To work around this, I’ve come to rely on a few grocery store shortcuts to make the daunting task of getting dinner on the table a little bit easier. I decided to reach out to a few friends in the industry to see if they had any grocery store hacks, too, and the convenience foods we all rely on might surprise you! Here are a few of our favorites.
Frozen Precooked Rice
Since I’m the one spilling all the secrets, I’ll go first. I have a knack for messing up some of the easiest tasks in the kitchen. I can whip up a lasagna Bolognese with homemade pasta with my eyes closed, but I always mess up my kids’ boxed mac and cheese.
One easy dish I tend to mess up is stovetop rice. Without fail, I look away at the wrong time and my pot bubbles over. I can never get a perfect simmer. My dirty (but delicious) little secret is that I always buy frozen precooked rice when I go to Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. I have it on hand for busy weeknight cooking. I stock up on white and brown rice and heat and serve it as a side or use it to throw together a quick clean-out-the-fridge fried rice. It’s great for throwing in soups, too!
Simply Recipes / Whole Foods Market
Frozen Spinach
Sara Haas, a registered dietitian nutritionist, chef, cookbook author, and food photographer, loves a dinner time assist from the freezer, too! “I’m an RD, so nutrition is always in the back of my mind. Having spinach stocked in my freezer gives me an easy way to add a bit of ‘greenery’ to so many dishes,” reveals Sara.
She’s partial to the loosely-packed chopped frozen spinach from Whole Foods since it allows her to use a cup or two at a time instead of defrosting a whole block.
Sara has many ways of using it, too. “I find myself reaching for it almost any time I’m making pasta or soup. It’s such an easy add, providing color, flavor, and a boost of nutrition. I also turn it into a quick vegetable side, sautéing some fresh garlic first with butter or extra-virgin olive oil, then finishing with lemon zest and crushed red pepper.”
Canned Lentils
Cookbook author and Simply Recipes contributor Ivy Manning has a hack for making the perfect lentils: buy them in a can! “Canned lentils are a lifesaver when I need protein stat for a salad or quick soup. I like the Delallo brand because the texture is perfect. Simple Truth is good if I’m making veggie burgers because they’re a bit softer.”
Ivy has one pro tip for using canned lentils. “I always drain and rinse canned legumes. It can remove about 30 percent of the sodium.”
Thinly Sliced Frozen Meat
When it comes to saving time in the kitchen, it’s not all about the sides. I’m always looking for ways to get protein on the table a little bit faster, with the least amount of prep possible. Luckily Devan Grimsrud, a freelance writer, editor, and recipe developer based in Berlin, Germany, has a fantastic time-saving idea when it comes to serving beef.
She says, “One of my favorite shortcuts for busy nights is thinly sliced beef for hotpot. I buy it already frozen in rolls from the Asian supermarket, usually sirloin or ribeye. If I have a package in the freezer, it’s really easy to grab some and cook straight away because the beef separates easily and is so thin that it cooks really quickly. I like it for stir-fries especially, but it also makes great tacos, beef stroganoff, soups, lettuce wraps, or sandwiches.”
Rotisserie Chicken
For a no-cook protein boost, recipe developer and food writer Kris Osborne relies on “a little dinner miracle,” also known as rotisserie chicken. She says, “I use it for so many things. For example, I like tossing it into soups and stews, stuffing it into quesadillas or enchiladas, or using it for sandwiches. It’s also incredibly convenient for fast weeknight chicken pot pie or chicken and dumplings.” Plus, Kris points out that she almost always uses the bones to make stock, making it the dinnertime gift that keeps on giving!
Simply Recipes / Dorot Gardens
Garlic and Ginger Paste
Flavor shortcuts can take any dinner from ho-hum to yum! Simply Recipes Senior Editor Laurel Randolph cleverly relies on both ginger and garlic paste to add instant flavor to whatever she’s whipping up, no cutting board required.
“While nothing beats freshly grated garlic and zesty ginger, sometimes I don’t have the time or the will to deal with it at dinnertime. That’s when I reach for frozen garlic paste and frozen ginger paste. You’ll find them in the freezer aisle of Trader Joe’s, ALDI, and other popular grocers. They’re often divided into little squares that are easy to pop out and add to your dish. I recommend adding roughly twice the amount compared to fresh since the flavor isn’t quite as strong.”
Moral of the story? Don’t be afraid to take some shortcuts in the kitchen, especially if they are as genius as the ones shared with me by this amazing group of food professionals!
#Grocery #Store #ShortCuts #Food #Editors #Love
