Simple
recipes can make cooking an option
for someone who might otherwise pick up food
from the nearest drive-through. Simple recipes
could be described as those that have short ingre-
dient lists and just a few directions. Such recipes
are well suited for cooks with limited experience.
In addition, buying fewer ingredients helps save
money. Reducing preparation steps helps save
time.
Simple recipes are available for every type
of food product. Search online using terms such
as “15-minute meals” or “5-ingredient salads” to
fi nd dozens of results. Snacks, sandwiches, pizza,
and beverages are among the most popular foods
for which simple recipes abound (Figure 5.1).
Making Every Recipe
Simpler
Some recipes are designed to be quick and
easy to prepare. However, following a few tips
can help simplify the preparation of any recipe.
Keep ingredients you use frequently on
hand all the time. When possible, store ingre-
dients in forms that are ready to use. For
instance, many recipes call for chopped onions.
Keeping whole onions in your pantry will make
it possible to prepare these recipes. Keeping
chopped onions in your freezer will make it easy
to prepare these recipes. Other prepped ingre-
dients you might want to keep in your kitchen
include minced garlic, shredded cheeses, and
premixed seasoning blends.
When getting ready to cook, begin by
reading the recipe you want to prepare. Be sure
you understand all the directions and have all
the needed ingredients. Then gather the ingre-
dients before you start to cook. Note whether
the ingredients require any preparation. For
instance, do carrots need to be sliced, or do nuts
need to be toasted? Complete these tasks at the
beginning of your food preparation time. Then
measure the amount of each ingredient required
for the recipe. Getting ingredients ready in this
manner is what chefs call mise en place (MEEZ-
ahn-plahs). Taking these steps streamlines recipe
assembly.
When you are getting ready to cook, gather
your equipment along with your ingredients.
This will help you be sure you have all the tools
you need. You do not want to be in the middle
of preparing a recipe when you fi nd out that a
necessary utensil is dirty, broken, or missing.
For some people, one of the biggest
deterrents (obstacles) to cooking is cleaning
up afterward. Facing a cluttered kitchen can be
discouraging, especially when you would rather
be enjoying the food you made. One way to
streamline cleanup is to fi ll your sink with soapy
water and wash dirty dishes as you go. Keep
counters wiped while you work, too. This will
keep the amount of time you spend cleaning up
after cooking to a minimum.
Snacks
When searching for simple recipes, a
number of snack recipes would likely top the list.
When you think of snacks, foods such as salty
snacks and cookies may come to mind. However,
a snack can more accurately be defined as a light
meal. Traditionally, people thought of snacks as
small amounts of food they ate between meals.
In today’s busy world, people are more often
choosing snacks in place of regular meals. With
this being the case, making healthy choices when
selecting snack foods is especially important.
Svetlana Foote/Shutterstock.com
Figure 5.1 This simple, healthy snack mix recipe
consists of a variety of dried fruits, nuts, and seeds.
recipes can make cooking an option
for someone who might otherwise pick up food
from the nearest drive-through. Simple recipes
could be described as those that have short ingre-
dient lists and just a few directions. Such recipes
are well suited for cooks with limited experience.
In addition, buying fewer ingredients helps save
money. Reducing preparation steps helps save
time.
Simple recipes are available for every type
of food product. Search online using terms such
as “15-minute meals” or “5-ingredient salads” to
fi nd dozens of results. Snacks, sandwiches, pizza,
and beverages are among the most popular foods
for which simple recipes abound (Figure 5.1).
Making Every Recipe
Simpler
Some recipes are designed to be quick and
easy to prepare. However, following a few tips
can help simplify the preparation of any recipe.
Keep ingredients you use frequently on
hand all the time. When possible, store ingre-
dients in forms that are ready to use. For
instance, many recipes call for chopped onions.
Keeping whole onions in your pantry will make
it possible to prepare these recipes. Keeping
chopped onions in your freezer will make it easy
to prepare these recipes. Other prepped ingre-
dients you might want to keep in your kitchen
include minced garlic, shredded cheeses, and
premixed seasoning blends.
When getting ready to cook, begin by
reading the recipe you want to prepare. Be sure
you understand all the directions and have all
the needed ingredients. Then gather the ingre-
dients before you start to cook. Note whether
the ingredients require any preparation. For
instance, do carrots need to be sliced, or do nuts
need to be toasted? Complete these tasks at the
beginning of your food preparation time. Then
measure the amount of each ingredient required
for the recipe. Getting ingredients ready in this
manner is what chefs call mise en place (MEEZ-
ahn-plahs). Taking these steps streamlines recipe
assembly.
When you are getting ready to cook, gather
your equipment along with your ingredients.
This will help you be sure you have all the tools
you need. You do not want to be in the middle
of preparing a recipe when you fi nd out that a
necessary utensil is dirty, broken, or missing.
For some people, one of the biggest
deterrents (obstacles) to cooking is cleaning
up afterward. Facing a cluttered kitchen can be
discouraging, especially when you would rather
be enjoying the food you made. One way to
streamline cleanup is to fi ll your sink with soapy
water and wash dirty dishes as you go. Keep
counters wiped while you work, too. This will
keep the amount of time you spend cleaning up
after cooking to a minimum.
Snacks
When searching for simple recipes, a
number of snack recipes would likely top the list.
When you think of snacks, foods such as salty
snacks and cookies may come to mind. However,
a snack can more accurately be defined as a light
meal. Traditionally, people thought of snacks as
small amounts of food they ate between meals.
In today’s busy world, people are more often
choosing snacks in place of regular meals. With
this being the case, making healthy choices when
selecting snack foods is especially important.
Svetlana Foote/Shutterstock.com
Figure 5.1 This simple, healthy snack mix recipe
consists of a variety of dried fruits, nuts, and seeds.