Kitchen Time Savers

Here's are some kitchen time savers post by our readers. Feel free to post your ideas!

Cooking Frozen Chicken Breasts

We purchase the individually frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts from our warehouse club. I was reading the cooking directions the other day, and was surprised to discover that they don't need to be defrosted before cooking. We threw a couple in a nonstick skillet, turned the heat to medium, and covered the skillet. The chicken was done in about 15 minutes!I guess the moral of the story is: read the directions in order to save time! (12/21/2004)

By Nicole

Presoak Dishes

It sounds kinda basic, but if you're hand-washing dishes, presoak them. You'll save a lot of time, not to mention elbow grease, in the long run! (12/21/2004)

By Camilla North

Prepare for Dishes

My mother taught me to always begin with running a sink of soapy water to clean as I go, form beginning to end. This will save you the dreaded clean up time in the end. (12/21/2004)

By Denise Sumpter Foy

Clean a Little Extra

I may have read this tip on here - I'm not sure - but from my point of view its such a simple time saver I think it bears repeating. If you only have a few items to wash up, and the water is relatively clean/grease free, use the washing up water and a cloth to wipe around your kitchen and adjoining areas - not just the work tops. It only takes a couple of minutes for me to wipe down my window sills, computer desk, the front of appliances, a shelf or two or my dining table.

If done every day, you soon run out of spots to clean in the kitchen and can move to other areas - the laundry, lounge room window sills, etc. One area at a time only takes seconds. This makes the actual kitchen cleaning job so much quicker as most flat surfaces are clean and dust free all the time.(12/22/2004)

By Jo Bodey

Use the Crockpot

When preparing a large meal for guests, transfer green beans, mashed potatoes, and the like to crock pots a few hours before your guests arrive to keep the items warm. Then you can wash up all your big pots and pans to avoid having to clean the dishes and the heavy stuff later. (12/30/2004)

By Mitzi

An Organized Kitchen Saves Time

Organize your shelves, refrigerator, freezer, and cupboards. You'll find that in the long run you will save loads of time both cooking and cleaning. (03/24/2005)

By Robin

Spices in Alphabetical Order

I know this sounds crazy but I alphabetize my spice racks. It really saves time when looking for specific spices! (04/17/2005)

By Donna Vaughn

My Grill and Skillet

I'm almost ashamed to admit it but I really didn't like to cook because I like to keep the kitchen clean and I despise greasy pans. This Christmas my son and his family gave me what I consider the perfect gift, a big Hamilton Beach grill. I can cook steaks, chicken or hamburgers on it and even if I need hamburger for Sloppy Joes, I cook it on there and chop it up afterwards. No more greasy meat skillet for me and its a lot more healthy. I can deal with the vegetable pans. My other son bought me a griddle. It makes pancakes, corn cakes, etc. It is a lot more pleasure for me to cook.

Another tip: I always try to clean around the countertop when I'm doing dishes. This keep the kitchen clean.

Another item I have in my cabinets is a small rotating "lazy Susan" to hold my spices so I don't have to rummage through cans to find what I need. The little things can make a difference in the efficiency of your kitchen. (04/17/2005)

By Sharon,KY

No Messy Pans

I use heavy duty Reynold's wrap when cooking in the oven. I cook an entire meal of meat and potatoes. Line the bottom of pan and cover with reynolds wrap. No messy pans to clean. (03/30/2006)

By patricia sudduth