| Did you know the average Filipino spends more | | | | clear jar and mix with vegetable oil. When a recipe |
| time commuting to and from work than eating? | | | | calls for it, you can simply scoop out the amount |
| With our busy work schedules and fast-paced | | | | you need instead of preparing a fresh new batch. |
| lifestyles, it can be really hard to find time to sit | | | | Use kitchen shortcuts |
| down for dinner, let alone shop and cook for it. | | | | You'll be surprised at how little changes can add |
| Add to that the diversity of Filipino cuisine and the | | | | up and cut your cooking time in half. Save steps |
| complexity of most Filipino cooking recipes. But | | | | when you can. Work next to the stove so you |
| before you resign yourself to a life of fast food | | | | don't have to walk over every time you finish |
| and instant noodles, here's a secret: you can | | | | chopping something. Heat your pots and pans |
| make an entire meal-not just a dish hastily tossed | | | | before you start chopping, so they'll be ready by |
| together-in less than an hour. | | | | the time you're done. If you're a slow slicer, try |
| The key to faster cooking is maximizing your | | | | freezing your vegetables for 10 minutes to firm |
| time. With a bit of skill and strategy, you can | | | | them up and give you more control. |
| squeeze what's normally two hours of work into | | | | If you can, rearrange your kitchen to make the |
| one hour or less without sacrificing flavor or | | | | work flow more efficient. Keep the three key |
| quality. Here are some time-saving tips for | | | | areas-the fridge, sink and stove-close enough so |
| preparing healthy Filipino food on a tight schedule. | | | | you can move from one to another in a single |
| Use leftovers | | | | step. If rearranging is not an option, you can |
| Leftovers from previous meals have already | | | | simply work closer to the areas you use the |
| been cooked and flavored, so half the work has | | | | most. |
| actually been done for you. Most Filipino food | | | | Maximize your flavors |
| recipes can be done with leftover meats, | | | | A lot of Filipino recipes have that all-day taste that |
| vegetables, and even sauces. And since you'll only | | | | takes, well, all day to create. But most of them |
| be adding a few extra ingredients, you'll be saving | | | | can be replaced with ready-made sauces and |
| money as well. | | | | canned broths. Instead of making spaghetti sauce |
| Plan your meals in advance so you can schedule | | | | from scratch, get a ready-made spaghetti sauce |
| leftover days. You can make leftover meals on | | | | and just tweak the flavors to suit your taste. If |
| days when you don't have much time. Make a | | | | the recipe calls for hours of marinating, just use |
| little extra on the previous day's meal so you'll | | | | stronger spices and slash a good two hours off |
| have something ready-made for busy days. Take | | | | the waiting time. |
| note of dishes that yield usable leftovers, such as | | | | This tip is especially useful for soups and salads. |
| roast beef and chicken, soups and stews, and | | | | Most soups have to be boiled or simmered for at |
| heavy salads. | | | | least an hour for the flavor to come out. But if |
| Get pre-cut goods | | | | you use canned broth, you can skip that step and |
| Use a little help where you can. See if you can | | | | go straight to adding your spices. For salads, use |
| get your vegetables washed and cut at the store | | | | pre-mixed dressings or make a whole batch in |
| or your meats chopped to serving sizes. Having | | | | advance. |
| your ingredients prepared in advance can save | | | | Multitask |
| you a good 10 minutes of chopping time. You can | | | | Yes, you can do two things at once in the kitchen. |
| find pre-cut produce at most groceries, but they | | | | While waiting for one dish to cook, you can |
| tend to be overpriced and of low quality. If you | | | | prepare another dish or start cleaning up. Think of |
| have time, get your produce whole and cut them | | | | quick dishes you can do within these little 'time |
| all in one sitting over the weekend. | | | | pockets.' Most Filipino desserts recipes can be |
| Stock up on the most commonly used ingredients | | | | done in 15 minutes-about the same time it takes |
| such as garlic and onions. You can peel and chop | | | | for a pot of rice to finish simmering. Start with |
| up to two weeks' worth of these spices (they'll | | | | the dishes that take the longest to cook, so that |
| start to brown if you keep them longer) and | | | | everything will finish at approximately the same |
| store them in your fridge. Keep the garlic in a | | | | time. |