Most useful culinary shortcut (lighthearted)

steam salmon fillets wrapped up in tinfoil with butter/olive oil,herbs condiments as desired, ends twisted tight, balanced on top of boiling small potatoes. It only takes a few minutes.

Campbells condensed soup, mushroom or chicken, great for pies and casseroles, shame the onion has disappeared.

Allira

LadyBridgerton

At Christmas, par cook or steam sprouts, carrots, parsnips a couple of days before, quick chill, dry off, into serving dishes , bit of butter and foil cover. On the big day into the oven with roasties, fewer pans on the day, does assume oven proof serving dishes.

I hae a Tefal steamer, it has two baskets and takes quite a lot of vegetables, no pans on the hob. It's easy to wash too.

I do rice in my Tefal steamer as well as veg. No supervision needed.

MollyNew

Apart from the obvious frozen pastry, I always have frozen chopped garlic, ginger and chilli. An Asian friend of mine recommended them and they are so useful.

That's useful, ginger & chillis don't keep very well in my fridge & local supermarket doesn't always have them.
Will definitely look out for & buy some and also sofrito mix.

Frozen pastry for me.
But as much as the sofritto mix is useful, since I bought a chopping box chopping of is simple and speedy, better for the quantities I want.

Nowadays I cook as little as possible and make as little washing up as possible so I do lots of one-pot meals.
All summer it’s salad for lunch and all winter it’s soup. I make a cauldron full on Sunday and it lasts all week. No meat but I boil it up every day. I found frozen chopped onions tasteless so back to fresh veg, which are very cheap.

Something wrong with me?
The only shortcuts I use are frozen puff pastry and pastry flan cases for tarts and sweet open pies.

I buy a huge bag of peeled whole garlic cloves from an Indian shop and freeze them, then use as needed. One of those big stainless steel garlic mashers with a handle that you rock back and forth crushes it without having a jammed garlic crusher, very easy to clean. Frozen casserole and stew mixes in addition to mash, pastry, soffrito. Easy mash, wash and cook spuds whole in a microwave rice cooker, peel when cooked but still hot to warm using a paring knife, skin comes off easily. Microwave again in milk, cream, butter, evoo or ingredients of choice. Mash with hand masher or blender stick. Frozen onions make a nice addition added before the milk/cream/butter. I only buy frozen broccoli now, found fresh went brown to quickly but on the odd occasion my partner buys it, I wash, slice the whole head down the middle through head and stem then cook whole, head down, then chop and trim afterwards. Ditto cauliflower. Swede, wash and microwave in a shallow dish of water until softer, much easier to cut and pare off the skin. I do the same with smaller pumpkins if I'm using the whole thing.

I actually like making white sauce (I won't dignify it with the name of béchamel because I don't infuse the ' classic studded onion'in the milk) by the traditional methods. I find all that beating quite satisfying..

Oh yes, I forgot the onion studded with cloves.
My mother was keen on cloves, they were in the apple pies as well.
I'd still do that for bread sauce.

Another vote for frozen puff pastry, though I don't go so far as buying ready rolled, that is decadent 😁

I actually like making white sauce (I won't dignify it with the name of béchamel because I don't infuse the ' classic studded onion'in the milk) by the traditional methods. I find all that beating quite satisfying..

Scrambled egg in a jug in the microwave, no washing saucepans with stuck on egg. Ditto to boil milk and make porridge.

.

LadyBridgerton

At Christmas, par cook or steam sprouts, carrots, parsnips a couple of days before, quick chill, dry off, into serving dishes , bit of butter and foil cover. On the big day into the oven with roasties, fewer pans on the day, does assume oven proof serving dishes.

I hae a Tefal steamer, it has two baskets and takes quite a lot of vegetables, no pans on the hob. It's easy to wash too.

Apart from the obvious frozen pastry, I always have frozen chopped garlic, ginger and chilli. An Asian friend of mine recommended them and they are so useful.

At Christmas, par cook or steam sprouts, carrots, parsnips a couple of days before, quick chill, dry off, into serving dishes , bit of butter and foil cover. On the big day into the oven with roasties, fewer pans on the day, does assume oven proof serving dishes.

granfromafar

Frozen soffrito mix (finely diced onions, carrots and celery). Started buying this about a year ago and wish that I'd discovered it sooner. So useful for casseroles, soups, bolognese, etc.

It never crossed my mind that I could buy this. I started making it as a base for lasagne but it’s such a chore chopping it all up. I tend to not make soup as often as I should because I hate chopping the onion to put in it so I need to buy some of that, too.

foxie48

I make much bigger quantities of casseroles, sauces etc and put portions in the freezer for a quick meal or for OH to eat if I'm away. I just wish I'd label them better!

Poor labelling adds a certain je ne sais quoi though! I took what I thought was spag bol sauce out that turned out to be chilli.

NanKate

A Charlie Bingham meal once a week, delicious 😋

He's started doing some seriously expensive ones, Beef
Wellington, £30, for an extra special day or two!

We have at least 2 Charlie Bingham's meals each week or Sainsbury's Finest ready meals. I've really gone off cooking as I've got older and these are really lovely. We don't go out for meals very often, so I don't feel guilty. I've provided meals for the last 50+ years, so it's my time now.

Witzend

JackyB

Our DS teacher taught us how.to.make a white sauce. We had a whole catechism to learn for exams which started with "What is a roux?"

Nowadays I just chuck all the ingredients in the food processor or smooth it out with a stick blender. I still taught my children the "proper" way though. I am always in favour of knowing the rules before you break them.

Delia says just chuck it all in a pan together (flour, butter milk) and use a balloon whisk.
I’ve successfully tested this method many times!

Yes, I throw it all in and whisk.

I spent years making the white sauce for my Mum the proper way, with a roux etc.

JackyB

Our DS teacher taught us how.to.make a white sauce. We had a whole catechism to learn for exams which started with "What is a roux?"

Nowadays I just chuck all the ingredients in the food processor or smooth it out with a stick blender. I still taught my children the "proper" way though. I am always in favour of knowing the rules before you break them.

Delia says just chuck it all in a pan together (flour, butter milk) and use a balloon whisk.
I’ve successfully tested this method many times!

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Ahem. Himself is in hospital and I’ve eaten a Bigham’s or two this week (9pm I’m tired after visiting so I have an excuse) straight from the little wooden box. 😮
Only a fork to wash.
I know. #lazygran

😁
And why not!

I see that you could save the wooden container for growing seeds 🤔
Or bin it.

M0nica

Putting all the ingredients for a casserole or stew straight into the container they are to be cooked in and putting them straight into the oven or heating through and putting in a slow cooker. none of this frying this then frying that and all the fussing around - that is for chefs. it tastes the same (and just as good) when cooked no matter how you do it (unless you are a Michelin Chef)

Last time I made Boeuf Bourguignon a little while ago I did all the frying and faffing around as it was for guests too.

Can't say it made much difference so I probably won't bother again.

The one thing I miss is the frozen shallots which used to be available in some supermarkets but have not been seen for a while now.
So I just use chopped onion but it's not quite the same.

Ahem. Himself is in hospital and I’ve eaten a Bigham’s or two this week (9pm I’m tired after visiting so I have an excuse) straight from the little wooden box. 😮
Only a fork to wash.
I know. #lazygran

FriedGreenTomatoes2

We no longer have a dishwasher (small place) so short cuts re less washing up are handy … I now for years make scrambled eggs with milk & butter straight in the pan. Don’t know why I used to beat them first with a fork in a bowl? 🤷‍♀️

I do that too, yes I used to beat them first as well.

We no longer have a dishwasher (small place) so short cuts re less washing up are handy … I now for years make scrambled eggs with milk & butter straight in the pan. Don’t know why I used to beat them first with a fork in a bowl? 🤷‍♀️