Is it magic?

What is the magic of being a Kitchen Dream Team?

What is the magic used by parents to cook dinner together every night? It’s an accomplishment that may seem even more impressive if both of them are working outside the home. But it’s not magic that’s required, it’s simply a little preparation. Nurture the habit of preparing a wonderful, home-cooked meal every night by setting yourselves up for success.

Have a plan

The battle might already be lost if you are turning to each other and asking “What should we have for dinner tonight?” The end of a long day is not the time to assess your ingredients and try to think of a suitable meal. Being faced with this daunting decision, especially if standing in front of an empty fridge, means the temptation to order take-away may prove irresistible. Make your life much easier by planning ahead at the beginning of the week. You should build up a varied rotation of well-loved meals that everyone enjoys and that are straight-forward to prepare. What should you have for dinner? You will already know, just as you know that an item that needed to thaw was placed in the fridge overnight ready to cook the next day. Having a plan, and working together to execute it, is the key to making the ideal of home-cooked meals a reality for your family.

Keep your fridge and pantry well stocked

The name of the game is to make cooking as easy as possible and having plenty of ingredients on hand is a huge help. There are certain items you have to buy every week, like fresh fruits and vegetables, but other staples can be stocked for your convenience. Keep a good quantity of basics like frozen veggies, grains (brown rice, quinoa etc), canned beans, dried herbs, oils and vinegars. You will always have a decent base of ingredients for many nutritious meals, that you then build on with the fresh items bought more regularly.

Utilise helpful kitchen tools

Just like you stock your pantry, make sure to stock your kitchen. Take advantage of the tools and gadgets out there that can really make a difference in your cooking experience by making things easier or faster. Think about what you might benefit from, beginning with basics like having a couple of good, sharp knives that can meet all your chopping and dicing needs. You might also enjoy the options you gain from having a slow cooker and a food processor. There’s no need to go out and buy a tonne of things but you should try to think about where it’s possible to work smarter, instead of harder, in preparing meals your family will enjoy.

Work as a team

Sharing the responsibility is the ultimate strategy that makes it possible to put a home-cooked meal on the table every night. The best part of this experience is that you can do it together, and then enjoy the result of your labour together. Over time, you will learn a harmonious working rhythm with one person chopping while the other is getting the pasta going. Work together to plan the meals, purchase necessary ingredients and then prepare a delicious dinner. Even the clean-up labour is easier when shared between two.

The final tip would be to remember why it’s worth the effort. The right attitude, and a little advanced preparation, will help you prepare home cooked meals together, for the health and happiness of the whole family. The Kitchen Dream Team 4-week program is available on our website and coaches couples to work their home kitchens efficiently with team work being the key ingredient to the family’s daily meal preparation and healthy diet. If you have not already joined up, do so today and gain all the knowhow that professional chefs use to their advantage when preparing and serving amazing meals from their kitchens.

As always happy cooking,

Erik Jorgensen