That is absolutely correct. We just replaced our gas cooktop with an induction one, and I had to adjust my cooking routine. Just to give a simple example, to make sunny side up eggs, I now crack them all open into a bowl and then pour the whole into the pan a few seconds after turning on the burner. Whereas with gas, I could leisurely crack them into the pan one by one while it was being heated.
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I like to be my own sous chef, so part of prep is finding all of the ingredients (I must have 50+ spices and can never find what Iâm looking for). I think the prep time is accurate IF I have everything I need out, cutting board, knife, ingredients, measuring tools, cookware, etc. Sometimes Iâm planing on using the slow cooker in the morning so get ready the night before.
I hate when I read âmarinate 8 hours or overnight) when Iâm about to start.
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Or getting halfway into the recipe and it says something about mixing in your softened butter, and itâs like WHY WASNâT STEP ONE âTAKE OUT THE BUTTER SO IT CAN SOFTENâ???
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Or reconstituting porcini mushrooms (should have done it yesterday), soaking cloves and lemon slices (where were you two hours ago?) or brining the turkey (if you donât do it by Monday at midnight you wonât be eating on Thanksgiving!
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I donât pay much attention. And a lot of it is how the recipe is written. If the ingredient list is â2 C chopped onionâ and so forth, then I assume that the chopping time is not included in the prep time (but of course I have to add to MY prep time!)
I have learned that I need to get everything out first, including measuring spoons and such, because it really does make it flow easier once you are cooking.
Sautéing meats usually takes longer than the recipe IMHO.
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My mother has an onion soup recipe that says to slice 8 cups of onions then saute them for an hour until theyâre brown, stirring constantly. Why do I mention this perfectly normal recipe instruction? The supposed total hands-on prep time (not including simmering the soup) is listed as 40 minutes. I have no idea how one stirs constantly for an hour in only 40 minutes, forget about slicing the onions.
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Iâve decided the prep times are for professional chefs who can do everything at top speed and probably have already had someone do all the peeling, slicing, chopping etc.
Yep. I canât remember where or when I first saw this tip, but having everything out and ready to go before starting really helps.
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Recipe prep times do assume you have your mise en place. It is best practice to prep all ingredients before you begin a recipe so you donât run into a surprise step that requires hours or (even overnight) prep such as what @rhododendron and @blossom noted above.
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So true! When DS was younger, I ended up with a bunch of cookbooks that worked on the premise that the cook was perhaps both busy and disorganized. (Uh, guilty on one count if not both!) The instructions included things like, âmeanwhile, peel and cube the potatoesâ, and âwhile waiting for the water to boilâ⊠âas it cools, chop theâŠ.â Iow, nothing in advance unless absolutely necessary!
I have changed my tune over the years. If I am idle while waiting for something to happen, so be it. Maybe Iâll wash a few dishes. But whatever, so much less stressful than using every second to get dinner to the table as quickly as possible!
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Thatâs because we no longer have starving teenagers threatening to eat their arm if dinner isnât served pronto!