Properly timing all dishes to be ready for dinner

[SewingGreenMama]

We tend to either eat one pot meals...soup, or we eat in stages because I'm not great at time planning my cooking so all dishes come out at the right time.

I'm thinking the best option is coming up with a 2-3 week line up of full meals with each meal having all steps laid out so that I can get the different dishes all finished within a reasonable amount of time. Time management is hard for me and take so much more thought and process that getting a meal on the table in a decent time is really difficult and takes so much mental energy I am useless after dinner, dishes don't get done, food barely gets put away and bed time is a mess. I need to get rid of the cognitive load around meals and get it all laid out for myself.

Thoughts? Ideas?

FYI I'm unmedicated ADHD intuitive type.

[knitlove]

For larger meals like thanksgiving or something where people are coming over I will sit down with all the recipes and write out all the steps and how long they take and note wheather it is hands on or hands off task, I will also note if/ how long the dish can just sit at various steps. That way I can kind of puzzle what steps I can do on one recipe when another one is either sitting or is in a hands off step ( like being in the oven). I will then write out a time line of what I need to do at every time so that things all end up at the same time.

The first couple of times I wrote out the recipes and physically cut them up and taped them down on to one page.

Would doing something like that work for you? Where you do all of that work of what needs to happen when way a head of time.

I have done that, but just keep it in my head for the meals in our normal rotation. But I will still sit down and write it out if it is a new meal for us.


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[SewingGreenMama]

Originally Posted by knitlove

For larger meals like thanksgiving or something where people are coming over I will sit down with all the recipes and write out all the steps and how long they take and note wheather it is hands on or hands off task, I will also note if/ how long the dish can just sit at various steps. That way I can kind of puzzle what steps I can do on one recipe when another one is either sitting or is in a hands off step ( like being in the oven). I will then write out a time line of what I need to do at every time so that things all end up at the same time.

The first couple of times I wrote out the recipes and physically cut them up and taped them down on to one page.

Yes, I think this is what I need to do. Over time of doing it might become easier to keep it in my head. But I need to learn the process with a detailed timeline first.

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[derdsgirl]

One thing is if it is multiple pots on the stove, I start earlier rather than later on some of the sides (like warming frozen veggies) and then if they finish too early, I leave them in the pan on the stove top with the heat off. Right before serving I quickly reheat if needed. Or depending on the item, into the oven with the light on (or barely on warm). Keep a lid on so it won't dry out. A lot of things can stay that way for a time - like 15-30 minutes and they will be just fine.

Now I can intuit when to start different things so it all ends about the same time, but I know I didn't always have that. I'll think about what I did to change that and come back to the thread.

[SewingGreenMama]

Originally Posted by derdsgirl

One thing is if it is multiple pots on the stove, I start earlier rather than later on some of the sides (like warming frozen veggies) and then if they finish too early, I leave them in the pan on the stove top with the heat off. Right before serving I quickly reheat if needed. Or depending on the item, into the oven with the light on (or barely on warm). Keep a lid on so it won't dry out. A lot of things can stay that way for a time - like 15-30 minutes and they will be just fine.



Now I can intuit when to start different things so it all ends about the same time, but I know I didn't always have that. I'll think about what I did to change that and come back to the thread.

Those are good thoughts. Thank you. I'm excited to hear what you remember.

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[derdsgirl]

Imma keep coming back piecemeal because my brain is tired today, but I thought of another thing - how are your knife skills? I used to feel frantic when I was needing to cut lots of things because I didn't have good knife skills. I worked for a few months on learning good knife skills (you can watch YouTube videos) and now I am very fast with a knife. Not like Gordon Ramsey fast or anything, I can't quite get the finger curl correct to go that fast, but if I forget to cut something up before starting to cook and say suddenly I need a diced onion for the next step, I don't worry about burning or whatever while I get that done really quickly. I know I can do it very quickly and easily.

Get your knives SHARP before you work on this though so you don't risk injuring yourself. A honing stick is not a sharpener, it just straightens out the very edge of the blade. You should take your knives and get them sharpened.

If you have the budget and can take the time to do so - go to a really good kitchen supply store and test knives. Figure out which weight and dimension works for your hands. I thought a standard 7" chef's knife would work for me so bought without testing while I was in the middle of learning my knife skills. It doesn't work for me - I need a 5" blade to have better control. I am able to use a 7" but it doesn't feel right and takes me more time to do the same task as a 5" blade. Seems silly and little, but it really isn't. Having one good knife you know is exactly the right fit for your hand makes a HUGE difference in cutting skills, time, and mental energy. Splurge as much as you can afford and get 1 good knife. Personally, I like Wustoff brand for home use. They often go on sale at kitchen supply stores. I can explain why I like this brand - I spent weeks researching blade densities and forging techniques of various brands, but that may be a little more than anyone cares to hear about. One correctly balanced, good quality knife is honestly enough to cook anything except maybe skinning fish. A fish knife comes in handy there, but we don't eat fish so I don't run into that problem.

Another quick point this made me think of is to work on mis en place, that is just pre-measuring and cutting up everything before starting to cook. It really does make a big difference in getting things going. It not only keeps you moving quickly once you start cooking but it helps your brain think through what are all the steps and ingredients I'm going to face as I cook this meal. It is almost like a practice run of the whole meal going through and measuring things. I'll be honest, I don't always measure everything so I don't create too many dishes to clean later, but I get out all the ingredients and any measuring supplies I will need, and on complex dinners, line them up in the order of use and measure at least a few items for times when I know the cooking will be faster paced. I do try and cut up everything that needs to be cut before hand even if I don't measure out everything.

[RealLifeMama]

I was just talking to DH about this today. It used to be such a struggle for me when I first started cooking to have everything ready at basically the same time. We have always liked to have people over for dinner, and it was such a huge obstacle to have stuff done while still cooking other stuff and let it grow cold.

A lot of stuff stays fine on the stove. I always start rice first, and as soon as it starts to boil, I actually put a lid on it and actually turn off the heat. Then, I can just forget about it until everything else is done.

If I am heating up a frozen veggie, I just do it while the table is being cleared/set. If I am roasting a veggie, I cover it with foil on the pan to keep it warm. I actually have a warming drawer, and if I really messed up and the veggies cooked way sooner than I thought they would, I might use the drawer. Or, I will just turn off the oven and leave them in there. I also have one of those red heating lights on the range hood, but I don't use it because it hurts my eyes.

I think it is just practice, and also just making a mental note of what takes longest, and starting it first. Also, I really only will do one complicated dish at a meal. So, if I am doing something like scalloped potatoes (which I find labor intensive), I will likely just do a pork tenderloin or a roasted chicken that doesn't have a lot of ingredient and can just be left alone. I make salad fixings and dressings ahead.

[heartofjoy]

Meal kit delivery services come with recipe cards that basically tell you what to do at what time for it to come out all perfectly.

You can Google the name of a meal kit company and a recipe you think might work like:

"Hello Fresh Meatloaf recipe" and see what pops up. All the recipes are on Google somewhere you just have to know how to search for them.

If they use an ingredient like "spice mix" you'll have to use your own spice mix or if they use a bouillon packet plus water you'll have to figure out how much bullion or broth to use. After 25 years of cooking, this is easy for me but I know not everyone can easily do this.

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---------- Post added at 12:50 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:46 AM ----------

Oh and even though I consider myself an experienced cook, I still get the timing off!

I try to make sure whatever is the worst thing to reheat, like chicken breast or steak, comes out last. If the rice is a little cold or the green beans, I just reheat them! Casseroles and soups stay warm a long time while you make bread or a salad.

Eat a lot of salad

Sheet pan dinners are good for timing. Just look for recipes that tell you exactly how to do it.

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[Little Forest]

I suggest making a time sheet in 15 min blocks listing prep and cook times for all the dishes you are planning. Allow more time than you think for anything. And then you can see what is done/cooking when and then try to do it. Eventually you can progress to doing that in your head automatically.

[Mother of Sons]

Look at all the recipes for your meal and figure out which one takes the longest including prep. Add a few minutes to it because they always underestimate. Then you can stack the rest of the recipes within that time frame.

Once you have them in order and have started the longest dish you can tell your phone “remind me to start the rice in 10 minutes” or whatever.

The biggest help imo though is to do all prep ahead of time. Either earlier in the day or days in advance. For example if I know I’m going to cook several meals with that call for diced onions I chop all the onions at once and store them in the fridge. Same with meat etc. even if you just do it earlier in the day it saves energy at dinner and it frees your mind to concentrate on what comes next. If you don’t want to premeasure spices you can set the jars you will need on the counter so you aren’t frantically looking for something.

[ViolaMum]

Timing is hard. When I was first living on my own, I loved have friends over for dinner. One friend in particular would tease me incessantly about not having everything ready at the same time. I felt so horrible about my hosting skills that I started making detailed every-minute-accounted-for schedules days in advance if I wanted to have friends over. But I learned how to time dishes! It definitely takes practice and evaluation.

When planning, I start at the end and time things backward. Meal time is set first.

Whenever possible, I prep ingredients for multiple dishes at the same time - veggies first, raw meat always last so that I don't have to stop to clean as much in the middle. If you have two dishes that need onions, for instance, chop enough for both at the same time. It saves time in the long run. I also lay items out in the order in which I need them - least messy veggies first. Same with spices - I pull out all the spices I'll be using on the right, they go to the left when I'm done with each one.

For things like steamed veggies, they get prepped and go into the steamer immediately so that I just have to turn the heat on and set the time 10 minutes (or whatever the time is) before dinner.

There are lots of appliances that are helpful. I make rice in a rice cooker or Instant Pot, which gives me a lot of leeway in timing. Sofrito gets made in the food processor.

If you wanted to post a couple of menus, I'd be happy to help you figure out timelines.

Derdsgirl has really good advice about knives. Pre-kids, dh and I took a knife skills class at a local culinary school and it was has paid off in spades. If you can spend the time learning to chop, slice, and dice quickly and accurately it will improve your cooking.

We have Wusthoff knives, but they're expensive. Several years ago we bought a knife to travel with from Victorinox. It's inexpensive but a great knife for the money. It's a little lighter than my Wusthoffs and the handle is plastic, but it glides well and is well-balanced. I've even given them as gifts. I have the matching paring knife, too. If you keep them sharp, you will get great use out of them for years. We sharpen our own knives, which means they get done more often. Dh uses a whetstone, but that can be a little tricky and time consuming. We have one of these things as well (we keep on at my IL's vacation home and one tucked away at my parents to sharpen their knives when we visit) as well as an electric sharpener (the easiest, but takes more metal off the blade than the other methods).

[SewingGreenMama]

Thank you ladies, I'm reading through and considering how this will look for me, am I going to use paper, or am I going to use something like click up.
Just thinking things through. Thank you so much for giving me ideas and tips that are working for you.

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[arelyn]

Undiagnosed ADHD here. One big thing I've learned is: DO NOT LEAVE THE KITCHEN. Cause my problem is I start the meal, go help someone with something and forget to finish cooking dinner.


derdsgirl nailed it with leaving your sides on the stove or in the oven on warm. Also, cold sides can be made way ahead of time and sit in the fridge.


Rice pots keep your rice warm and you never have to worry about burning the rice. Also, (and this may be a very S Asian hack that doesn't apply to Western cooking) if you need to add a boiled potato to a dish, you can just quarter it and toss it in your rice pot when you start cooking your rice. Then you make your curry (or whatever) and when the rice is about done the potato will be perfect. Just fish it out, chop it up and stir into the waiting sauce. This has been a total game changer for me (I always under estimate how long it takes the potato to cook and crunchy potato is gross).

[SewingGreenMama]

Originally Posted by arelyn

Undiagnosed ADHD here. One big thing I've learned is: DO NOT LEAVE THE KITCHEN. Cause my problem is I start the meal, go help someone with something and forget to finish cooking dinner.


derdsgirl nailed it with leaving your sides on the stove or in the oven on warm. Also, cold sides can be made way ahead of time and sit in the fridge.


Rice pots keep your rice warm and you never have to worry about burning the rice. Also, (and this may be a very S Asian hack that doesn't apply to Western cooking) if you need to add a boiled potato to a dish, you can just quarter it and toss it in your rice pot when you start cooking your rice. Then you make your curry (or whatever) and when the rice is about done the potato will be perfect. Just fish it out, chop it up and stir into the waiting sauce. This has been a total game changer for me (I always under estimate how long it takes the potato to cook and crunchy potato is gross).

I'm going to have to look at some S Asian recipes. That sounds interesting. I used an instant pot for rice currently, but I've considered getting a rice maker

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[Peaceful Meadows]

A friend of mine creates a weekly list of each day's meal for the week that she posts on her refrigerator with a magnet. The list includes the dish and how long it takes to prep it. She finds that very helpful. I haven't tried that because the thought of it seems overwhelming to me.

I prepare extra each time I cook and put them in the freezer for days when I don't feel like cooking and need something quick and don't have time to prep. Then I just pull them out a few days before and let them thaw and reheat or defrost in the microwave. But what I do doesn't help with timing and such so probably isn't very helpful.