‘We eat leftovers a lot at our home, or I’ll stop and bring something home for dinner like a pizza,” said Scott Sachnoff, a Chicago lawyer who described the problems he and his wife, lawyer Dory Rand, have getting meals together for their children Joel, 8, and Monica, 7. Working long days and rushing home to cook dinner by 7 p.m. is their typical weekday routine.
Lisa Zirpolo also knows the hassles of planning dinners. With 3-year-old twins, the Lakeview homemaker struggles to get a meal on the table for them and husband Paul by 5:30 each day. “The kids go to bed at 7:30, so I’ve got to get the meal on the table. Maybe once a week we go out for pizza.
“Before the kids, I used to do a lot of improvising,” she said, “but now I’ve got a set routine of five dishes I make all the time. Tuesday night, for example, is chili night.”
“It’s a constant stress for me,” said Georgia Kyriacou of Lake Forest, talking about dinner time. “I try to use convenience products. I can justify them if they save me time.” Driving her two boys, 5 and 3, to and from school, shopping and taking care of the house leave her little time for creative meal planning. “It’s tough,” she says.
It’s tough for most people. Time for cooking is at a premium, according to recent surveys of America’s eating and cooking habits. And it is tough to come up with dishes that satisfy everyone in the family. Fast food is not a viable solution day in and day out–not if family health also is a goal.
Timely help
For Zirpolo, Kyriacou and Sachnoff and the rest of you time-pressed cooks out there, Good Eating today kicks off a new weekly column called “Dinner Tonight.” It will feature quick recipes made with common ingredients from the pantry, refrigerator or freezer. Our goal is to include flavorful dishes that contain several components of the meal, so that the only things to add to the menu may be a salad, a bread and a simple, optional dessert. And each week we will offer ideas and tips for getting the meal together quickly.
Like so many other aspects of American life, cooking has been squeezed into shorter spans of time. Most Americans spend no more than 15 to 45 minutes planning and cooking dinner, according to Harry Balzer, who researches national eating habits for NPD, a marketing research group in Chicago and Port Washington, N.Y.
“The biggest change in preparing dinner is that we don’t cook as many items as we used to,” he said. What usually goes first are side dishes. Instead of cooking an average of four separate dishes for dinner as in years past, today Americans cook 3.7 items. Balzer says we have been helped by manufacturers who wisely have improved frozen and shelf-stable dishes that combine meat, vegetables and pasta or rice in one bowl. Other new products also help: pre-baked pizza crusts, washed and cut vegetables, already-cooked meat products and fast-flavor condiments, such as herbed oils, mustards and citrus marinades.
And more families are forgoing cooking altogether to get takeout food or to head to a restaurant. In a Good Eating survey last year, 39 percent of respondents ate at a sit-down restaurant three to six times a month, and 38 percent said they went to a fast-food restaurant once or twice a month.
Budget and health concerns may keep the rest of our readers cooking in their kitchens. (NPD says 67 percent of all meals are still prepared inside the home.) For them, the following tips may help. They have been gathered from cooking teachers, chefs and authors, plus members of the Good Eating staff. (Yes, we have to rush home to cook dinner too.)
The pantry
First, it’s important to stock your cupboards wisely, and to keep them stocked. There is nothing more frustrating than realizing you are out of a basic item just as you begin to cook. Once you have the basics that you know the family likes, then it helps to add some more exotic pantry items, such as Asian sauces or flavored oils, that can break the monotony of the same dishes prepared over and over. (See the suggested pantry list on this page.)
Carolyn Friedman, owner of Prairie Kitchens Cooking School in Morton Grove, is a believer in using ready-cut vegetables, low-sodium meat broths and canned beans.
“I often use jars of spaghetti sauce, too, as part of a dish, as long as they are not too sweet,” she said. “Look for ingredient labels that don’t include corn syrup.”
Take advantage of already cut-up meats in the supermarket, Friedman said. Then divide them into meal-size portions in freezer bags. They defrost fast in the microwave oven.
Fast and faster
Karen A. Levin, a Highland Park food consultant and author of “Meatless Dishes in Twenty Minutes” and “Twenty-Minute Chicken Dishes,” is always looking for new fast cooking techniques.
“Last night I needed to caramelize onions,” she said, “and rather than cooking the thinly sliced onions 25 minutes to get them golden, I put them in a bit of olive oil in a non-stick skillet, covered it and cooked for 3 minutes over medium-high heat, then uncovered and continued cooking for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. They were golden brown and tender in just 6 minutes total.”
Levin offers a bundle of other ideas:
– Buy colorful diced peppers from the salad bar to save time chopping.
– When making pasta, start heating the water with the lid on before you do any of the prep work in the recipe.
– Use a toaster oven to bake small items rather than waiting for a large oven to heat.
– Dovetail the prep work into the cooking time (start sauteing the onion, then mince garlic, etc.)
– Whenever possible, double the recipe for “planned-overs” for another meal (cook twice as much rice and chill half to use in a stir-fry another day, etc.) “When I make soups, stews and sauces,” Levin said, “I will often double the recipe and freeze half for another meal.
– It only takes a minute to pound chicken breasts to an even 1/2-inch thickness, which cuts down the cooking time.
– Speeding cleanup is half the battle. Give dirty pans and tools a quick pre-scrub or a soak before sitting down to dinner.
Halfway cooking
Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross, authors of “Desperation Dinners,” suggest “halfway cooking,” in which you buy part of the dinner and cook the rest. So if you bring home an already roasted chicken or a meat loaf from the supermarket, you might fix only the side dishes at home.
– Experiment with flavored condiments. One staff member of Good Eating uses an orange-flavored olive oil in cooking. It is the only ingredient needed beyond salt and pepper to perk up chicken breasts. Tarragon mustard, stirred into pan juices after sauteing steaks or chops, turns them into a deliciously different dish.
– Add flavor to thin cuts of meat and poultry by marinating overnight. Save time by using one of the new bottled marinades with Asian flavors.
– Thick pasta shapes cook slowly, so use angel hair, vermicelli or spaghettini instead, which can cook 5 to 10 minutes faster than other types.
Although cooking fast and flavorful five nights a week takes some planning and an adventurous spirit, the effort pays off when the kids start asking for seconds.
And that takeout pizza? Maybe they’ll only ask for it monthly instead of weekly.
KITCHEN TOOLS THAT SAVE TIME
There is no question that the food processor is a key tool for speedy chopping. Some cooks still prefer knives, arguing that the cleanup time is longer when you use a processor. If you do elect to use knives for major chopping and slicing chores, make sure they stay sharp to speed things up.
Less popular but worth learning to use is a pressure cooker. Food consultant Karen Levin just bought a new Fagor pressure cooker. “I’m loving it, she said. “Beef stew in 25 minutes!”
Levin also uses the grill or broiler for cooking multiple parts of the meal. “I even put the bread on to toast the last minute or two of cooking.”
Levin likes to use the microwave oven to make foolproof polenta in a dish that, after dinner, goes right into the dishwasher.
Or she’ll make couscous in the microwave, bringing the broth to boil in a serving dish so that she can hydrate the couscous in that, which eliminates the cleaning of a saucepan.
She also reduces the messy cleanup of bacon cooking by microwaving it on a paper plate covered with paper towels, then throwing the grease-soaked paper goods away.
A heavy-duty skillet means you can cook over high heat for fast sautes or stir-fries without worrying about scorching the pan. Many cooks prefer cast-iron skillets for this reason.
Woks also are good pans for quick frying of most any type of food, not just Asian dishes.
A stovetop grill pan is one of cooking teacher Carolyn Friedman’s favorite tools, and it doesn’t require much fat for cooking, she said.
Jean Anderson, author of “Dinners in a Dish or a Dash,” saves time with a salad spinner. She also likes an immersion blender to puree soups and sauces because it is easier to clean than a full-size blender.
Anderson devotes a whole chapter to the microwave oven, which slashes cooking time even if it can’t do everything. “The best way to use a microwave is in tandem with a standard oven, broiler or cooktop,” she writes.
PANTRY LIST EASES DINNER CRUNCH
Here are some suggested items to buy and store to make weeknight cooking easier. The list has been compiled from suggestions from Good Eating staff members, area cooking teachers and “Desperation Dinners,” by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross.
For the cupboard:
Bottled pesto sauce
Broths (low-sodium chicken, beef, vegetable)
Canned beans (white, red, black, chickpeas, etc.)
Capers
Chopped clams
Curry sauces (Thai, Indian)
Garlic
Herbs, spices, spice blends, flavorings
Couscous
Mayonnaise
Mustards (yellow, Dijon, flavored)
Oils (olive, vegetable, flavored)
Onions
Pastas (various shapes and noodles)
Rice (long-grain, brown, arborio, basmati, etc.)
Roasted red peppers
Salsas
Spaghetti sauce
Tomatoes (diced, pureed, sauce)
Tuna (light or albacore)
Vinegars (cider, wine, balsamic)
Wine or sherry
For the refrigerator:
Bags of peeled carrots
Bags of sliced potatoes
Bags of washed lettuces
Carrot, broccoli or coleslaw mix
Cheeses (shredded Cheddar and mozzarella, grated Parmesan, cream cheese)
Eggs
Fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, dill, tarragon, thyme, basil, etc.)
Lemons
Limes
Milk (low-fat, whole)
Orange juice
For the freezer:
Bags of unsweetened fruit (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries)
Breads (pita, tortillas, rolls, pizza crusts, pie shells, crumbs)
Chopped onions
Chopped spinach
Corn
Filled pastas (tortellini, ravioli)
Individually frozen chicken breasts or tenders
Individually frozen chops and steaks (beef, pork, lamb)
Mixed stir-fry vegetables
Peeled, cooked or raw shrimp
Peas
TURKEY CHILI WITH BLACK BEANS AND SWEET PEPPERS
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Chili is one of those dishes with endless variations. This quick version can be changed according to what you have on hand. If you don’t have black beans, for example, substitute garbanzo beans or black-eyed peas. If no beer is handy, a can of chicken broth can be used instead. And in place of the canned chipotle chilies (which can be found in the Mexican food aisle), you can use a cup of your favorite hot salsa straight from the jar.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped
1 pound ground turkey
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon each: dried oregano, salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 to 2 teaspoons chopped canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
1 bottle (12 ounces) beer
1 can (14 ounces) black beans
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1. Heat oil in large skillet or Dutch oven. Add onion; cook over high heat, stirring, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add turkey and garlic. Cook over high heat, stirring often and breaking up turkey with a spoon, until almost cooked through, about 3 minutes.
2. Add oregano, salt and pepper. Cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes, chipotle chilies and beer. Stir. Cover. Turn heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Add beans with their liquid and bell peppers. Cook, uncovered, 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Stir in cilantro; serve in large bowls.
Nutrition information per serving:
275 calories, 14 g fat, 3.8 g saturated fat, 45% calories from fat, 50 mg cholesterol, 875 mg sodium, 18 g protein, 22 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber
CHICKEN PATTIES WITH CAPERS OVER SAUTEED SPINACH
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ground chicken can be the basis for many fast dishes. This is a more sophisticated version of chicken burgers. If you like, eliminate the spinach and serve the patties on buns or kaiser rolls with sliced tomatoes and Dijon mustard.
1 pound ground chicken
1 small sweet onion, chopped
3 tablespoons milk or half-and-half
2 tablespoons capers, chopped
1 teaspoon each: salt, freshly ground pepper, plus more for spinach
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
2 bags (10 ounces each) washed baby spinach
1. Combine chicken, onion, milk, capers, 1 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper in large bowl just until lightly mixed. Do not overmix.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat in large skillet until foamy. Form chicken mixture into 4 oval patties. Place in skillet; cook until browned on one side, about 7 minutes. Turn; cook until no longer pink inside and instant-read thermometer reads 160 degrees, about 7 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, place spinach in large pot; cook over medium heat, stirring, until just wilted. Add remaining tablespoon butter and salt and pepper to taste. Place spinach on platter; top with chicken patties.
Nutrition information per serving:
(The Nutrition information as published has been corrected in this text.)
310 calories, 16 g fat, 3.7 g saturated fat, 16 mg cholesterol, 1,130 mg sodium, 31 g protein, 10 g carbohydrate, 4.2 g fiber
SHRIMP AND GREEN ONION STIR-FRY
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
This recipe lends itself to many variations. Instead of or in addition to green onions, add fresh or frozen pea pods. Or add any cooked, leftover vegetables you may have on hand. And for a touch of heat, add red pepper flakes.
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 green onions, cut in pieces diagonally
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2-inch piece ginger root, minced
1 pound shelled fresh or frozen and thawed raw shrimp
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon or cilantro
Cooked jasmine rice or Chinese egg noodles
1. Mix soy sauce, sesame oil and cornstarch in small bowl. Set aside.
2. Heat vegetable oil in wok or large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, red pepper and ginger root. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Turn heat to high; add shrimp. Stir-fry until shrimp turns pink, 2 minutes. Stir reserved soy sauce mixture; add to wok. Cook, stirring, until thickened, 1 minute. Add tarragon; toss. Serve over cooked rice or noodles.
Nutrition information per serving:
170 calories, 6 g fat, 0.9 g saturated fat, 32% calories from fat, 220 mg cholesterol, 770 mg sodium, 25 g protein, 3.7 g carbohydrate, 0.7 g fiber
QUICK POTATO AND SAUSAGE CHOWDER
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
8 small red potatoes, quartered
4 links smoked sausage, such as andouille, kielbasa or duck, sliced
4 ribs celery, sliced
1 red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped mixed fresh herbs,
such as sage, rosemary and thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cans (16 ounces each) low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup milk or half-and-half
2 tablespoons chopped parsley or cilantro
1. Heat large saucepan of water to boil: add potatoes. Cook until tender, 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook sausage, celery and onion in non-stick skillet over high heat, stirring often, until vegetables are just cooked through, 5 minutes. Stir in herbs, salt and pepper. Add broth, stirring to scrape up browned bits on bottom of pan. Heat to a boil; cover. Reduce heat to low. Cook 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, drain potatoes. Return to pot; add skillet contents to pot. Stir in milk; heat almost to a boil. Ladle chowder into wide bowls; sprinkle with parsley.
Nutrition information per serving:
215 calories, 13 g fat, 4.9 g saturated fat, 55% calories from fat, 40 mg cholesterol, 920 mg sodium, 13 g protein, 11 g carbohydrate,1.6 g fiber
