We spoke to some students in the public health nutrition program at UC Berkeley about what advice they would give about how to make cooking more convenient, affordable, and time-efficient. Here’s what they said:
- Use simple recipes that are fast with minimal ingredients and aren’t boring. Some examples include:
- 5-ingredient Black Bean Soup and 5-ingredient White Chicken Chili from Gimme Some Oven
- Chicken Mole Enchiladas and BBQ Turkey Pepper Shells from Champions of Change
- Have recipes on hand that use same or similar ingredients
- Plan meals during the weekend and go to the store with a list prepared
- See our page on how to batch cook
- And how to shop smart
- Store bulk staples like nuts, seeds, dried beans, grains in clear jars – you can see when you’re running low
- Store main cooking ingredients like dried herbs, spices, oils, nut butters, nut milks in clear jars as well – also so you can see when you’re running low
And remember that while you cook, you should:
- Keep cooking utensils already laid out so it’s easy to find what you need – huge time saver
- Do all prep for ingredients at the beginning (or even over the weekend) instead of chopping as you go
- Clean as you go