Looking for tips to make dinner time easier? Here are our go-to’s!

 

Got some tips you’d like to share? Let us know in the comments below!

 

Naomi Nachman (Sunny Side Up):

• I make my own frozen garlic cubes. I buy a big bag of whole peeled garlic, crush it down in my food processor, add some extra-virgin olive oil, and make little logs of frozen garlic.

 

Rorie Weisberg (Living Full ’n Free):

 

 

• One of my weekly Shabbat prep jobs is making two or three staple dressings. I always double each recipe- this way I have dressings for the week. Two of them will also get used as handy marinades for dinners throughout the week. Another time-saver hack is separating some of each dressing into individual dressing cups so when I’m making salads for lunches to send to work or school I don’t have to start pouring dressing in cups. It also enables me to offer a variety of dressings throughout the week to keep salads from getting repetitive and boring.

 

• We snack on a lot of homemade baked goods, so every Sunday I spend a few hours baking muffins, biscotti, and cookies. I freeze them in individual portions in baggies for easy grab ‘n go. I stick frozen cookies or muffins straight from the freezer into lunch bags in the morning, and by snack time they are defrosted.

 

Chanie Nayman (Kosherdotcom Editor-in-Chief):

• I’ve tried many options for can’t-tell-it’s-not-fried schnitzel, but the best method is broil. Spray the baking sheet with oil, then place the schnitzel on top, then spray the schnitzel pieces themselves with oil. Place under the broiler for three minutes on each side (depending on the size of the schnitzel).

 

• I love using my kitchen shears to clip the ends of string beans.

 

Leah Gottheim (Kosherdotcom VP):

• My three-dish balanced dinner in exactly 15 minutes: cook frozen breaded fish fillets for 15 minutes in the convection oven, cook a pot of 15-minute quick rice or Heaven & Earth microwave freezer rice, and boil a bag of mixed veggies for seven minutes. Serve with ketchup so all kids will eat it.

 

• Add smoked paprika and cumin to anything and it tastes like you did something fancy. Sprinkle it into your cholent, chicken, rice, or stir-fried chopped meat.

 

Rachel Kor (Kosherdotcom Editorial Assistant):

• I buy extra-large cuts of meat and poultry (a five- to six-pound turkey roast or brisket) and cook for Shabbat with the intention of repurposing the leftovers for later in the week. So, if I make a BBQ brisket in a crockpot for Shabbat, I usually transform the leftovers into a taco dinner or toss in a salad for lunch. I’m not a big leftover person, but knowing I have the base of a really nice dinner or lunch helps me feel prepared for the busy week ahead.

 

• I clean as I go. While I’m waiting for the water to boil or the veggies to roast, I quickly wipe down the counter or wash the cutting board so I’m not left with a mess at the end of the night.

 

Raquel Malul (Kosherdotcom Marketing Assistant):

• I love using freshly squeezed lemon juice, whether in salad dressings, marinades, over chicken, roasted veggies, and so many other ways. But I find it slows me down when I need to stop, take out my lemon juicer, and juice a bunch of lemons. Instead, I go to the grocery store and buy two or three bags of lemons. In one big batch, I juice them all (I have an electric juicer that I love!) and they get stored in mason jars in my fridge. They last for a while and anytime I need some fresh lemon juice, I already have it!

 

Renee Schwartz (Kosherdotcom Recipe Editor):

 

 

• I line every baking sheet and baking pan with parchment paper for practically zero cleanup. I have heard that you can even lay parchment paper in your frying pan and cook that way — but this, I’m not brave enough to try.

 

• I make oat milk at home, and I recently discovered that it comes out the creamiest and requires less hands-on time when you use steel-cut instead of rolled oats and let them soak up to 12 hours in the refrigerator.

 

Jenna Grunfeld (Kosherdotcom Managing Editor):

• I’ll dice a few onions at a time and throw them in the freezer so that I can always take some out for a pasta dish or quick stir fry.

 

Nechama Fink (Kosherdotcom Back End Management Assistant):

• I try to cut/peel/grate/dice all the vegetables for several dishes that I will make one right after the other. It seems to save time and make it easier to prepare several dishes in a short span of time.

 

• When possible I like to start cooking early in the day. If I have already finished cooking a dish earlier in the morning for later that same day, I feel accomplished early on and I’m able to concentrate better and with more motivation on other things during the day.