Get Faster at Cooking

If you want to speed up your cooking...a bit of planning and organization will help

Steps

 * 1)  Start by deciding AHEAD OF TIME what you would like to cook.  If you can think 3-4 major meals ahead (make enough for some versatile left overs)
 * 2)  Check your cabinets and refrigerator for supply of ingredients (having it all there speeds things up)
 * 3)  Make a list of what you need
 * 4)  Shop all at once rather than for each meal
 * 5)  When ready to cook a meal, get the ingredients organized (if your cupboards are organized and you've checked for all the ingredients, then you can leave them in the cupboards...if not, get everything out and put it in one area where you can see it...use a table if you don't have enough counter space)
 * 6)  THINK through the meal.  Decide what takes the longest to cook (rice? beans? baked potatoes?).  Figure out what can sit and stay warm while other things cook (rice? mashed potatoes? stew?)
 * 7)  Figure out what needs to finish cooking JUST before it is served.  This will be a major organizing factor
 * 8)  Do you need the oven heated up? Special appliances out?  Get those things started or rounded up.
 * 9)  Get the longest cooking item going first (e.g. wash potatoes and put in the oven, or get the rice started on a back burner or in the rice cooker)
 * 10)  Start on the medium length cooking or prep items that can sit and wait while other things are finished (e.g. assemble the salad, chop veggies for a soup or stir fry, arrange fruit for dessert)
 * 11)  Check on your longer cooking items and adjust temperatures/seasonings/etc as needed
 * 12)  Get out serving platters/bowls and start to warm any that need warming or chill any that need chilling
 * 13)  Ask someone to set the table or buffet if that hasn't been done hours ago
 * 14)  Start the "must cook just before serving" items like steaks about 5 minutes earlier than you think you need to.  This gives you time to recover from an error (forgot to heat up the gas grill...) or change plans (steaks still frozen...crap, send spouse out for rotisserie chicken and a bottle of gourmet barbecue sauce and kaiser rolls...shred chicken into sauce, heat in pan...serve on toasted kaiser rolls).  If all is well with the "must cook just before serving" items, get started.   Saute those chicken breasts with lemon and capers, broil that salmon fillet, etc.
 * 15)  While the final item is cooking, get longer term items into serving dishes....roasted veggies on a nice (warmed) platter, get the prepped salad out of the fridge, rice into a warmed bowl with lid (or inverted plate if you don't have a lid)
 * 16)  Check the final item for cooking/timing/seasoning
 * 17)  Put utensils with the items that are already dished up and get someone to put them on the table or buffet
 * 18)  Have the table setter get people to the table and serve the drinks
 * 19)  Get the final item off the stove or out of the oven and onto/into the serving dish.  Throw on a garnish to impress people (sprinkle a bit of dried parsley on the platter for the fish and put lemon slices by it if you have time).  Skip this if you don't have time or aren't good at it.  Presentation IS NOT everything.
 * 20)  Bring the final item to the table or buffet and chow down.

Tips

 * Don't carve the turkey at the table. Slice it up in the kitchen and put it on a platter.  NO one wants to see you wrestle with the turkey, drop the knife, wipe your nose on your sleeve, etc.  They just want to eat and it will smell great all sliced up
 * Fix things ahead of time if possible and store in serving dishes (desserts, salads, sauces, condiments) so you can bring it all out at once
 * organize and think ahead of time. If you have an hour, don't fix turkey.  Fix burgers or thin fish fillets.
 * KEEP leftovers in single meal size containers. One in the fridge, the rest in the freezer.  Turn left over turkey breast into creamed turkey on rice in no time with a can of cream-of-something soup
 * UNDERESTIMATE your skills. Don't try to make something beyond your skills and think it will go fast.  If you can only boil water...then stick to soup.

Related Tips and Steps

 * How to Bake a Potato in the Microwave
 * How to Flip an Egg Without Using a Spatula
 * How to Sauté
 * How to Make a Funnel Cake Without a Funnel