COVID-19 Virus, Day 117

Today and the next couple of days I dont have a lot of time around dinner time. 

The zoom meetings and out door martial arts classes are right around when we eat, so I'm having to cook speedy quick. 

Some things you can do to speed up dinner are as follows; 

1. Cut food into smaller chunks. Having chicken breasts for dinner? Cut them into strips or nuggets before dipping them in egg wash (egg + water mixed) and bread crumbs. Bake at 375 F until it temps at 165F internal temp. 

Having whole chicken? Use heavy shears to cut into pieces or spatchcock it (cut the back bone and lay flat) so it will cook faster.  (It looks like it has to pee, doesn't it?)

                                             

Having mashed potatoes? Cut the potatoes into small chunks, put in boiling water and cover. Don't add salt right away, it raises the boiling point and takes longer to boil. 

2. Use premade foods like tater tots, curly fries, fish sticks or patties with buns and a sauce made with mayo and relish and you have a meal. 

3. Grate the butter. If you're making baked goods especially, this helps with mixing the ingredients faster and more evenly. It's a good trick for scones. 

4. Start with hot pans, oven, stove, boiling water and prep while you are preheating. Chop veggies, find all your ingredients and tools. 

5. Use scissors for things like chives and even meats. 

6. Flatten your meats. Tenderize with the meat tenderizer (the hammer looking thing with teeth on the end). 

7. Choose meats without bones in them for speedier cooking

8. You can do other things like create sauces and freeze them in ice cube trays, etc. But I found those to be messy or impractical for me. 

Today's dinner was chicken strips, breaded, and tater tots. I also had corn off the cob frozen, but that turned out to be too old. Oh well, tots make up for a lot. :)

Sorry no pics, we had no time. 

Stay safe, sane, and healthy my friends!

Vicky