Save Time by Doing Double

Hubby's Colorful Cooking

One of the things that takes up a certain amount of time during our day, no matter how much we try to streamline it and make it faster, is cooking.  With cooking, it's mostly the preparations that take up a lot of time, and the time it takes for foods to become tender, especially vegetables.

So I've gotten into the habit of cooking double portions when it's possible. We just put the food in the fridge for the next day, or the day after that, but you could also freeze it.

Cooking double portions of food is as easy as cooking single portions. You just double up on the ingredients, if you normally don't have leftovers. Also make sure your pot is big enough to hold twice the amount of food.

There is, however, one bit of advice which I think is paramount:
When you've finished cooking, remove the second portion BEFORE you start eating!

If you live with a husband like mine, who is a bottomless pit in which all food magically disappears without ever showing up in increased waist-lines, this is of vital importance. My hubby will keep eating, no matter how much food there is!

Naturally, freezing portions for later days, or parts of the meal (like sauces) is also a good way to save time. Making apple sauce for one afternoon can give you a whole set of jars for months to come!

The extra preparation time it takes to cook two portions instead of one, is quite small for most dishes. Unless there's a lot of dicing involved, the difference will be a matter of minutes!