21 Simple Ways to Save Time in the Kitchen

Do you ever feel like your entire life is spent in the kitchen, but you’re still not getting paid for it? Feeding a family is no easy task. You don’t have to be a professional chef to want to be more efficient and effective in the kitchen. But with these time-saving meal prep ideas, you just might feel like a professional chef. Start using these 21 ways to save time in the kitchen, and create more time for the things that matter most to you, like bonding over that delicious food.

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Breakfast + lunch + dinner + snacks X seven people in the family = A LOT OF TIME IN THE KITCHEN!

Food is a necessity, and gratefully a lot of that time in the kitchen is fun. It can be fun to experiment with new recipes. Kitchens are often the heart of the home, where people gather to chat and bond. And if you’re anything like me, you really enjoy eating.

But, all that being said, I still don’t want to spend all day in the kitchen. There’s a lot more to my ideal personal and parenting life. And so, it’s extremely helpful to learn tricks and tips for saving time with meal prep, as well as bigger habits and systems that help us manage our time spent in the kitchen.

Let’s dig in!

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Ways to Save Time in the Kitchen Before Meal Prep

These are time-saving tips you can use before it’s actually time to start cooking.

1. Meal Plan

When you invest a little time to create a meal plan, you save time in the kitchen in big ways. You cut down on decision time day after day. You can assure you have the right ingredients beforehand, so you don’t have to run to the neighbors for an egg. A meal plan makes grocery shopping more efficient, so you save time there as well.

Related: Meal Planning 101: How to Meal Plan, Even if it’s Never Worked for You Before

2. Check Your Meal Plan Each Night

There’s nothing that slows down meal preparation like having to thaw a hunk of ground beef. Instead, check your meal plan each evening for the following day. Make sure you have meat thawing, beans soaking, and other ingredients ready as needed.

Also check your schedule to make sure your meal plan still fits with your day.

3. Strategically Organize Your Kitchen

Organize your kitchen so that you have the things you use the most in the places that are easiest to reach. When organizing, we call this prime real estate. The fronts of your kitchen cupboards, top drawers, and counter space (if you want to use it) are the typical prime real estates in the kitchen. Additionally, consider where you use things, and store them nearby. For example, silverware can go next to the dishwasher for speedy unloading, and hot pads can go next to the oven.

Organizing in this manner will help you save time in the kitchen with finding what you want, getting it out, and putting it away.

You can find a lot more tips for organizing your kitchen HERE.

4. Have Kitchen Boundaries

It is definitely okay to have “Kitchen Closed” times at home. Between breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, we spend a lot of time in the kitchen and preparing, eating, and cleaning up food. But kids don’t need to be snacking all day. We don’t need to be catering or cleaning all day. Create boundaries you feel good about for when kids can eat and when it’s time for the kitchen to be closed and wait patiently for the next meal.

For more about this, check out I Feel Like I’m Feeding Kids ALL Day! 5 Tips to Tame the Kitchen Frenzy.

5. Buy Quick Cooking Options

A lot of foods have quick-cooking versions such as oatmeal and rice. You can also buy food precooked like a rotisserie chicken or bacon. Sometimes these foods cost a bit more or have a slight taste difference, but other times they’re the same. Try out the options, and see saving time in the kitchen with these foods is worth it for you.

6. Divide Food Before Freezing

Divide meat, shredded cheese, or anything else you’re freezing into portion sizes
needed for your meal before freezing. That way it’s ready to go when you are. Peel browning bananas before freezing; a frozen banana takes much longer to peel.

7. Invest in Time-Saving Kitchen Appliances

Pressure cookers (or instant pots), slow cookers, rice cookers, food processors, and/or quality blenders can save tons of time. Of course, a dishwasher is on this list too. (We’re still working on that one!)

Here are some of my personal brand recommendations for high, lasting quality:

• Crock-Pot Slow Cooker
• Aroma Cool Touch Rice Cooker
• Instant Pot Pro 10-in-1 Pressure Cooker
• Cuisinart Food Processor
• Vitamix Blender

Click image for purchasing information.

8. Buy Precut or Prepared Food

Buy foods that are pre-chopped. Chopped fresh or frozen vegetables and prepared salads are some of the most common foods for this time-saving kitchen tip. You can also get French bread that’s already sliced and buttered. Many groceries delis have meats that marinated and all kinds of fun options. Sometimes the cost is more for these foods, but decide if the trade in time is worth it for you.

9. Keep a Running List of Fast Meals

There are TONS of great recipes that are also fast. Watch out for quick meals like dump and bake, one pan meals, and more. Keep a running list of these fast meals in your home management binder or as a Pinterest board. Get in the habit of writing down how long recipes take you to prepare as well. Sometimes recipes don’t call for 1/3 cup chopped onion but don’t include chopping in the prep time. Plus, every cook has their own pace.

Keep your meals simple to save time too. Especially complex side dishes can often be substituted for a simple salad, steamed vegetable, or cut-up fruit.

Tips for Saving Time Preparing Meals

These tips will help you save time preparing meals during the actual events of cooking and baking.

10. Strategically Order Your Preparation

Get the water boiling or preheat the oven first so you can work while you wait. Put rice in the rice cooker early. Start with the tasks that will take the longest (whether it’s preparing or baking), so everything finishes around the same time.

11. Don’t Peel Vegetables

Vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and cucumbers don’t need to be peeled. Wash the skins thoroughly, and you’re ready to go. This saves time in the kitchen and adds more fiber and other nutrients to your diet.

12. Chop Like a Pro

Sharp knives make a big difference in the time it takes to cut and chop and are a great time-saving kitchen investment. Use that sharp knife or a mandolin to chop. Use a large cutting board to minimize how often you have to clear it and not worry about being so precise. (Chop away and let the veggies fly!) Stabilize round foods by cutting one edge off to create a flat surface and then chopping. Line up multiple slices or foods and cut at once.

Here’s a super helpful three-and-a-half-minute video about how to cut like a chef from Chef Mike Ward. It’s pretty fun to see, and these skills will save tons of time in the kitchen!

13. Learn Kitchen Hacks for Specific Foods

Some foods are more problematic and time-consuming to prepare than others. Take the time to look up the best way to prepare such foods, and save time and energy in the kitchen every time after. For example, do you leave the root on your onion while you chop it until the last minute? If you do, the onion stays together better making your cutting job easier. Here’s Gordon Ramsey showing in one minute how to finely cut onions like a pro.

Other food hacks:

• Fastest way to cut a pineapple (Hint: don’t peel it first.)
• Pomegranate: cut in half. Put in bowl of water and separate seeds from pulp under the water to cut down on splattering juices you’ll have to clean up later.
• Dunk a pear in boiling hot water for ten seconds, and the skin will easily peel off for canning or a child who doesn’t eat the skins.
• Quick way to cut a mango

14. Wash Dishes as You Go

Dishes are easiest and fastest to wash when they’re fresh. If you don’t have time to
do a full wash while cooking, plug up your sink and fill it with warm soapy water. Put your utensils and dishes in the water as you finish with them. After dinner the dishes will be soaked and super fast to wash.

15. Double Batch Ingredients

If you’re frying ground beef for dinner, fry more than you need, and then portion it out and refrigerate or freeze the extra for a future meal. You can do this with chicken, brown rice, pasta, and more. Put meals near each other purposely in your meal plan that can share ingredients.

This is especially helpful with veggies. When you chop some onions or carrots, chop extra for another meal or cut carrots and celery for quick snacks later. Do all your chopping once to save time with clean-up.

16. Double Batch Meals

Since you’re already spending the time preparing and cleaning up, make double. Make two casseroles, lasagnas, or other food and freeze one for later.

17. Keep the Garbage Can Handy

Pull the garbage can out, take off the lid if applicable, and put it right next to you while you prepare meals. It might seem small, but you’ll save time overall not having to walk over to the garbage can or open the cabinet every time you need to throw away a butter wrapper, veggie peel, or paper towel.

Time-Saving Kitchen Tips for After Meals

After your meal, here are four more ways to save time in the kitchen.

18. Utilize Leftovers

After your meal, package up your leftovers. Using leftovers massively cuts down on prep time, while also reducing waste and saving money. You can eat leftovers for lunch or to make something new, like using leftover roast in a vegetable beef soup. Maybe have one night a week for leftovers.

19. Keep the Kitchen Clean

When you regularly clean the kitchen, it doesn’t take long to get the job done. If something spills on the floor, counter, or shelf in the fridge, wipe it up right away before the spill has time to harden (taking more time to clean) or spread (meaning you have to clean more places). Grab a free printable kitchen cleaning checklist here.

20. Repeat Favorites

If your family likes a new meal you make, add that meal to your Family Approved Recipes. I keep a running list of these meals in my life management binder and on a Pinterest board. This master list of meals you like will make meal planning SO MUCH FASTER!

Plus, the more you do something, the faster you get. So, the more often you make the
same recipe, the quicker your preparation will be. If you love trying new things,
want to make a new recipe every night, and the time is worth it for you, go for it!
But don’t feel pressured into it. Simple, healthy meals are ideal, whether new or
not.

21. Teach Kids to Help Out

This time-saving tip really can go with all parts of meal prep. With practice, kids can be a real help in the kitchen. They can wash, cut, stir, and in time plan and make entire meals. Supervise for safety until they have enough maturity and experience to do tasks independently. Kids can help clear the table and do the dishes.

When kids first start helping in the kitchen, it might not feel like a time-saver. But the time invested in teaching kids will eventually and definitely pay off. When we share the load, the job gets done faster. Additionally, working together is a great way to strengthen family relationships, and meal prep is an important life skill for kids to learn. Plus, you’ll be able to pass on all your time-saving kitchen tricks!

Which of these ways to save time in the kitchen is most helpful for you? What other tips would you add? Share in the comments!

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