Today, the idea of Mom having all afternoon to
prepare dinner for Dad's arrival at 5:30 p.m. is as dated as a Norman Rockwell painting.
One wage earner has given way to two, and as often as not, both arrive home closer to 7
than 5:30 p.m. Even the kids have their own busy schedules.
Everyone wants dinner ready in a hurry, yet they want a dinner that
tastes good and is reasonably healthy, too. Take-out food has its limitations -- how much
pizza and kung pao chicken can you eat? And dining out can be expensive.
In a 1996 study commissioned by Land O'Lakes, less than 10 percent
of those polled thought it was possible to make a successful meal in 30 minutes or less.
Thirty minutes? That's a lifetime as far as I'm concerned. I know it's possible to beat
the clock with a flavorful, nutritious dinner in 15 minutes as long as you remember four concepts: flavor, organization, focus and creativity.
They will enable you not just to pick out a recipe here and there, but to develop a
lifelong strategy for meals that are fast, faster, the fastest you've ever made.
The vast majority of these recipes are cooked on top of the stove.
That's because the oven takes too long to heat up, though I do use the broiler on
occasion. I use a microwave oven because it's a good time-saver for certain types of
dishes. (More than 90 percent of U.S. households now have them.) But the microwave is not
my primary cooking tool because I think flavors develop more in skillets and saucepans on
top of the stove.
I don't use any special equipment except a food processor, which
really isn't so special these days. And if you're wondering whether I have a fancy
kitchen, guess again. Despite the fact that I've been a food professional for more than 20
years, I've never had more than an average kitchen. No commercial stoves, no convection
ovens. Rarely has my cupboard and counter space been more than barely adequate.
On your first try, a recipe may take 15 to 20 minutes, maybe even a
few more. But once you get the hang of the concept, your speed will improve. (On the other
hand, you may be perfectly happy with an 18-minute meal.)
Incidentally, the clock starts ticking on these meals after all the
ingredients and equipment have been laid out on the counter or work surface, what cooking
professionals call mise en place. The buzzer sounds when the meal is ready to be
dished out. Since mise en place means equipment as well as food, it's important to
read the entire recipe (not just the ingredient list) before beginning so you can
see what equipment you'll need as well as familiarize yourself with the cooking methods.
I do take some shortcuts, however. When using a dried pasta, I stick
with capellini, the long and very thin pasta that cooks the fastest, and acini de pepe
or orzo, the tiny pasta used in soups. I also use fresh pasta, which, regardless of the
type, cooks as quickly or quicker. If you want to use a thicker dried pasta, such as
rigatoni, add five or more minutes to the cooking time.
With few exceptions, I use basmati rice exclusively because it cooks
quicker than standard long-grain rice. If you prefer long-grain rice, add 5 or more
minutes to the cooking time.
For the most part, this is cooking from scratch, using fresh
ingredients as much as possible. I do use convenience items when the quality is good. For
instance, canned beans are often very good, though the quality can vary from brand to
brand. I also use roasted red peppers in a jar and frozen peas for the same reason.
However, these recipes are not dependent on cooking ahead. No huge
pots of stew or gallons of pasta sauce made on Sunday are required to get a jump start on
weekday meals. Every recipe is, as the French say, à la minute. Then, on weekends
and holidays, you can cook at a more leisurely pace -- say, half an hour?
