Impatient tips
If you are new to The Impatient Chef, here are 10 things to know to get you started.
1. From fridge to table in 30 minutes or less.
No advance preparing, chopping, or hours in the oven to catch you out. But I do recommend be you have the ingredients in front of you when you start cooking to make it even easier for yourself.2. Healthy, varied and delicious.
Yes, and that’s using butter, cream and chorizo. It’s all about moderation.3. No waste of food or time.
If you pick the menus and you are cooking for two, you will have minimal waste of the ingredients you need to purchase. For stress-free supermarket visits, email the shopping list to your mobile or simply print it out.4. No “hidden” steps in the instructions.
If a recipe requires crushed garlic it will tell you when to crush it - rather then saying “add crushed garlic”, which didn’t know you had to prepare.5. Fuss level.
Nothing to do with skill – it’s a “rating” of how easy it is to cook in 30 minutes. If you are not confident in the kitchen start with level 1. As a guideline:Fuss 1: Painless. Unless you really take 5 minutes to peel a carrot.
Fuss 2: Easy. But might include fiddly bits, e.g. extra chopping.
Fuss 3: Focus. Or add 5 -10 minutes for a more leisured pace.
Fuss 4: Hassle: Don’t bother if you are not in the mood to cook.
6. Just cook
7. Timings & Quantities
If your oven takes longer than 10 minutes to reach 180C, then you might have to add a few more minutes to complete the recipe. Measurements are mostly in metrics or, where easier, tablespoons/teaspoons. For the record: 1 tbs = 15ml; 1 tsp =5ml.8. Gadgets
None! But have a decent knife and a non-stick frying pan. Scales help!9. Pans
Each recipe shows you what basic kit you need to cook the meal. Have it ready so you don’t have to rummage through the cupboards later.10. Enjoy!
And please let me know how you get on. I would love to hear from you.If you have any comments or suggestion, please feel free to contact us.
(Small print: Always make sure your food is well cooked and follow high levels of hygiene in preparing it.)
