MEALS IN A HURRY

COOK LIKE FAST ED:

THANKFULLY nutritionist and author Rosie Mansfield has some ingenious hacks for saving a lot of time in the kitchen, while still plating up great home-cooked fare.

1. Peeling knobbly spices

Instead of picking up your trusty peeler for ginger or turmeric, grab a teaspoon. Take the edge of the teaspoon and scrape it along the skin and it will easily pull away without taking half the ginger with it.

“It is a much easier way to get the skin off before chopping or grating,” she says.

2. One-pan wonder

Rosie suggests selecting dishes where you can throw everything in the one pan for a quick mid-week dinner.

Here, you only have one dish to look after so you won’t be juggling multiple components and it will save time on the clean-up.

3. Choose the right recipes

When looking to save time, Rosie’s rule is to look for recipes with less than 10 ingredients.

“Make things simpler and get back to the bare essentials – you can make quick and nutritious food this way,” she says.

4. Short cuts

For quick scrambled eggs, Rosie suggests cracking eggs into a protein shaker. “Just shake it up and pour into a pan; less utensils and super fast.”

5. No-fuss potatoes

An easy way to ditch potato skins is to boil them in their jackets. After they’re cooked, they will easily slide out of their shells.

6. Spiralising

This is the fastest and best way to add vegetables to a meal, Rosie explains. There’s no time-consuming chopping.

You simply spiral your chosen vegetable then steam or add raw to your dish.

7. No waste lemons

How many lemons have you wasted when you just need a small squeeze of juice? Well, Rosie has the best solution.

“Put a pin prick in a lemon with a skewer and squeeze,” she says. This way you don’t have any waste and it’s faster and easier to juice.

8. Easy wedges

Who doesn’t love a good handcut wedge, but hates tedious chopping? Rosie suggests using an apple corer and with one slice you have perfect wedges.

9. Speedy garlic

Getting rid of the pesky skin on garlic is always a time-consuming task. However, Rosie reveals if you soak your garlic cloves in equal parts apple cider vinegar and water mix for a few minutes, half the work will be done for you.

“This mix will naturally take a bit of the peel off and as a bonus will soak off most of any pesticides used (if you don’t buy organic),” she explains.

And don’t worry, it doesn’t affect the taste at all.

10. Simple caramelised onions

“If you slowly fry onions for seven minutes and during the last minute add a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, you will have the most delicious caramelised onions in no time,” she says.

For more expert tips, visit lifestyle.com.au.

Food Hacker Clever Cooking for Busy People by Rosie Mansfield, RRP $29.99, Penguin Random House.