10 Simple Kitchen Hacks That Save Time Every Week

Most of the time lost in the kitchen has very little to do with the recipe. It disappears while you hunt for the right lid, wait for water to boil or clear up the mess afterwards. These ten simple kitchen hacks will not transform your routine overnight, but they can make cooking, storing food and tidying up noticeably easier.

Faster meal prep

1. Start by boiling the kettle

If you are cooking pasta or potatoes, an electric kettle can give you a useful head start. Boil only what you need, pour it into the pan and use the cooking time to get everything else ready.

2. Prep in the right order

Prepare anything that will be eaten raw first, then clear the board before moving on to meat or fish. Use a clean board and knife, and wash both properly afterwards. A sharp knife also makes preparation quicker and safer than struggling with a blunt one.

3. Cook once, eat twice

If you are browning mince, chopping onions or roasting a tray of vegetables, cook extra and put half away for another day. Cool cooked food quickly, divide larger amounts into smaller containers and refrigerate within two hours. The FSAI recommends using chilled leftovers within two to three days. A set of reliable oven trays and matching storage containers makes the whole habit easier.

Better food storage

4. Choose the right container

Reusable, well-sealed containers are often a better fit than cling film for leftovers and many dry foods. They stack neatly, make the contents easier to see and help stop ingredients being forgotten at the back of the fridge or cupboard. A matching set also means the lids are much easier to pair up.

5. Treat fresh herbs like flowers

Many soft herbs keep better when their stems are trimmed and placed in a little water. Parsley, coriander and mint can go in the fridge; cover them loosely if space allows. Basil generally prefers room temperature and should be kept out of strong direct sunlight. How long each herb lasts will depend on how fresh it was when bought.

6. Freeze flat, and label everything

Soups, stews and mince frozen flat in a bag thaw more quickly than one large frozen block, and stack like files rather than rocks. Write what it is and the date on it. Everyone thinks they will remember. Nobody remembers.

Organising drawers and cupboards

7. Store by task, not by type

Most kitchens are organised by what things are — all the utensils together, all the bowls together. Organise instead by what you actually do: the tea and coffee things by the kettle, the baking things in one place, the everyday pans within reach of the hob. You stop crossing the kitchen for every second item.

8. Give the drawer some structure

A drawer divider turns a jumble into a place where things live, and a knife block or magnetic strip keeps blades sharp and out of the way. If something has not been used in a year, it is probably taking up space that could be better used.

Clever cooking shortcuts

9. Use the air fryer for smaller midweek meals

For smaller portions, an air fryer can cook food more quickly and use less electricity than heating a full-sized oven. An oven may still make more sense when you are cooking several trays or feeding a larger group. Menarys stocks models from Tower and Morphy Richards, along with Menarys' POWERED range, so it is worth choosing based on the portions you normally cook.

10. Clean as you go, with a bowl for the scraps

Keep one bowl on the board for peelings and offcuts and empty it once, rather than walking to the bin repeatedly. Rinse utensils or load the dishwasher as you finish with them, and the kitchen will be much easier to clear after dinner. Never leave a sharp knife submerged in the sink where it cannot be seen.

Visit the Menarys Cook Shop at Good's Kilkenny

Our extensive Menarys Cook Shop is located on Level -1 at Good's, 88 & 90 High Street, Kilkenny. You will find cookware from Stellar and Judge, small electricals from Tower, Morphy Richards and Menarys' POWERED range, along with tableware, glassware and gifts. You can check Good's opening hours before your visit. If you are unsure what will suit your kitchen, call in and the team will help you choose based on what you cook, how often you use it and what you want to spend.