Tips for quick cooking

Tips for quick cooking

Vegetables

Vegetables are the ultimate fast seller – after all, many varieties are delicious raw. When cooking, the cooking levels are crucial. Rather hard Vegetables like carrots, broccoli and cauliflower take longer and have to go into the pot first; the tender vegetables go quickly and come last. “When chopping vegetables, you can heat the pan or put a pot of hot water on the stove, which saves time,” says professional chef Berit Wirz, who learned her craft from Hamburg television chef Manfred Stocker. To make things go really quickly, the vegetables should be cut as small as possible, this especially applies to potatoes. It is best to cook in a little water so that the vegetables do not leach out. Salt is always added to the boiling water first, otherwise it will take longer to reach the boiling point.

A good alternative for those in a hurry are frozen vegetables from the freezer, preferably without preservatives and ready-made sauces.

Sauces

You can quickly conjure up a delicious sauce yourself. Berit Wirz: “I always use wine and stock to deglaze. To make a dark sauce, I briefly sweat a little tomato paste before adding the liquid.” The whole thing can then be reduced a little and refined with cream, cream cheese or crème fraîche. Fresh herbs and spices should only be added to the sauce at the very end so that they retain their flavor. A little sauce thickener or starch ensures the desired consistency. Another professional tip: “Be sure to use a fresh spoon every time you try it, otherwise the sauce won’t stick.”

meat and fish

Meat cooks particularly quickly if you choose parts that are suitable for quick frying. For example, the so-called minute schnitzels from pork or fillet pieces from beef. Many There are also quick recipes for minced meat and poultry. Fresh fish without breading can also be fried quickly. Steaming in a pot is also a good alternative and if you’re in a hurry, let the fish cook straight away in the sauce. If you only want to use one pan for the entire dish, you can let the cooked meat rest in aluminum foil and keep it warm in the oven. The trained chef Berit Wirz advises: “Preheat the oven to 80 degrees while cooking. At this temperature the meat stays nice and hot and doesn’t continue to cook.”

Preparation

The better the preparation, the quicker it will be cooked later. Order and enough space in the kitchen make working easier. Recipes should always be studied thoroughly before actual cooking begins. Inexperienced cooks in particular can set a short schedule and avoid any unpleasant surprises during preparation. The professional chef advises ticking off in the recipe what needs to be done and when. It is also very important to have enough storage containers on hand – leftovers and pre-prepared things fit perfectly into the quick kitchen.

Supplies

Berit Wirz reveals what a cook always has in the house so that something delicious can come to the table quickly at any time. Salt, pepper, chili, all types of granulated broth and good oil and vinegar are the indispensable basics. There are also ketchup, Asian sauce, tomato paste and frozen herbs for quick sauces. The cook also always has frozen puff or pizza dough on hand – perfect for when guests arrive unannounced. Almost nothing in the flash kitchen works without canned tomatoes and pickled antipasti such as olives and peppers spice up many dishes: “It lasts forever, is easy to have on hand and almost everyone likes it.” Oils and vinegars with pickled herbs or garlic provide aroma and are very easy to do yourself.

Fresh vegetables and meat are not recommended for storage – they are best bought at short notice. Wirz: “I prefer to go to the market before the weekend – because for me, quick cuisine also means seasonal cuisine, because seasonal vegetables and fruit are always available and are also cheap.”