I learned to cook from scratch by doing it the wrong way.
Picture this. It was 4pm and it was going to be taco night. I thought I had it all planned out perfectly.
- Beans had been soaking since the night before, so they were ready for me to turn them into refried beans.
- The chicken was cooked and shredded. All I needed to do was reheat and season it with taco seasoning.
- My tortillas had finished their second rise and were ready to be rolled out and cooked.
- I had the makings for fajita veggies. I’d chop them in a free moment while waiting for something else to cook.
- The Mexican rice would cook in the oven while I made everything else on the stovetop.
I thought I had it all planned out perfectly, but when 6pm rolled around and my hungry husband and very hangry toddler came calling, dinner was not on the table.
Not even close.
I was pulling my hair out and trying not to lose my mind as I juggled the whole thing.
When dinner finally hit the table, it was delicious. At least my husband tells me it was.
I was too frazzled to enjoy it and our toddler had spoiled his appetite on the snacks that we were plying him with to tide him over.
Why cook a nice dinner from scratch if it ends in disaster?
What Went Wrong
While I thought I had dinner prepped (beans soaked, chicken cooked, tortillas ready to cook, ingredients assembled), what I failed to account for was the difficulty of doing so many things at once. There were two major mistakes that I made.
1. Too many balls in the air
There were too many components and I didn’t have a clear plan (or enough hands) to get everything done. That’s often the case when you begin to cook from scratch.
When it was time to drain, season, and blend the refried beans that had been boiling, the rice needed attention too. This took me away from the tortillas that I was rolling out and cooking. I never chopped the fajita veggies because that “free moment” I had anticipated never came. There wasn’t really room for them on the stovetop anyway.
2. No grace time
I also had mistimed everything.
The chicken cooked faster than I expected and was at risk of drying out. The beans took a bit longer than I had anticipated, and the rice took much longer than I thought it would. We didn’t even eat the rice with dinner – it ended up being leftovers the next day. What (on paper) looked like it should all work out ended up being a mess when things didn’t quite go to plan.
That taco night from scratch was a bust – but not because it’s not possible or because I’m not superwoman. With a different battle plan, it’s as easy as can be. Now, I cook all sorts of dinners from scratch every night!
How to Cook from Scratch and Keep Your Sanity
Cooking from scratch is all about proper prep and planning. Once you get that down, it’s truly a breeze and dinner happens without a second thought.
How to Cook from Scratch When You Have Limited Prep Time
If you’re crunched for time or aren’t home much, simple meals are your best friend.
When I’m busy, I like to make one-pot meals because they’re not fussy at all. They usually incorporate all the elements of a dinner so you don’t need to plan sides or other parts of the meal. Prep ahead by chopping your veggies and measuring out your seasonings in advance. You can also use a pre-cooked meat, like shredded chicken or pork that you made in bulk or canned fish. Ground beef also cooks quickly and can be an easy option.
Recent One-Pot Meal Recipes
With limited prep time, you don’t want a meal with a lot of moving parts. If one-pot meals aren’t your style, keep either the main dish simple or sides to a minimum (at least at first). I’ve found that frozen vegetables and/or leftover rice or beans are ideal sides when I’m putting all my energy into a more time-intensive entree. If dinner is a roast or something hands-off, chopping some vegetables to roast with it at the end or making something like refried beans on the stovetop isn’t a big deal.
How Cook from Scratch When You Have Sporadic Prep Time
If your schedule is more flexible, cooking from scratch can mean that you’re almost always making something in the kitchen that can be used later. As long as you plan your meals well in advance, you can always do something in a spare moment. For example:
- If I’m making beans one night as a side or to go into a chili or something, I prepare an extra pound to turn into refried beans. Since refried beans heat up well, I can heat them up for a side dish another night. Same thing with rice.
- If I’m chopping vegetables, I’ll chop some more for a meal later in the week. It’ll take less time to set up and clean if I do it all in once session, and once I’m in the groove, I can chop pretty quickly.
- When there’s a good sale on meat, I buy it in bulk and prep it all at once, especially shredded chicken or shredded pork shoulder. I also freeze ground beef flat in one-pound portions. This makes it easy for me to quickly defrost one or two later. Sometime I also freeze 1/4-pound portions of pureed liver with each pound of ground beef for ready-made hidden liver.
- It seems like I always have something sourdough fermenting, whether that’s a loaf of bread or some tortillas. Fresh-milled sourdough baked goods make great sides or other meal components – they’re filling and have so many health benefits!
It may look different for you. However, when you plan your meals ahead of time, you can see when there’s something that you can do (or need to do) in advance.
How Cook from Scratch When You Have All the Time in the World
Lucky you! Here’s where you can go all out and not worry too much about the prep. However, do keep in mind that many recipes take longer than they say they will – in prep, in cooking, or in both.
If you’re planning a complicated meal, write down a rough (or detailed) timeline of when and how you will prep and cook everything. Build in some grace time – you will be grateful for it whether or not you need it.
While not a situation where I have unlimited time, this is my strategy for Thanksgiving (which I also make from scratch). It’s also very helpful when hosting any larger meal or dinner party because you’ll have peace of mind, knowing that everything will be done on time.
How do you stay sane when cooking from scratch? Share your best tips in the comments below!
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