My husband, Rich, just had full knee replacement surgery. And first off, I just want to publicly praise him for how heroic he’s been with the excruciating pain that this surgery offers (those of you who’ve had this procedure, smile and nod).

But the point of this article is really to talk about how important it is for a primary care-giver (that would be me, right now) to have some time-saving SOPs in place prior to an event such as this.

I’m specifically talking about time-saving SOPs around meal-making. Oh, how earth-shatteringly important a good meal becomes to a patient who needs some distraction from what they’re enduring. But oh, how exhausting care-giving can be (I’m not complaining, honest; I’m just reporting the news). So the easier it is to put a scrumptious meal together, the better!

With that groundwork laid, I share my favorite fifteen tips for saving time and energy in the kitchen. Many cooks have reported these ideas have also saved them quite a bit of money, so look ‘em over and see if there isn’t something here you could integrate into your everyday life. (You never know, too, when YOU might become a care-giver. Won’t you be glad to have some time-saving practices already in place!)

1. Bacon: Reduce shrinkage by running cold water over it before frying.


2. Beans: Stop gas attacks by adding a tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda in a big pot of beans while they are soaking.


3. Boiled Eggs: Add some vinegar or a little salt to the boiling water when boiling eggs. This basic cooking tip will keep the egg in the shell if it cracks.


4. Ripening Fruits and Vegetables: Put your unripe fruit and vegetables in a brown paper bag and place the bag in a dark cupboard for few days. Using this tip is an excellent way to save money on fruits and vegetables that has to be ripened.


5. Salads: Cut your iceberg lettuce into wedges instead of tearing salad greens to save some time making a salad.


6. Spaghetti Sauce: Add a small pinch of bicarbonate of soda to your spaghetti sauce to lower the acid taste from the tomatoes.


7. Corn: Place the corn directly into boiling water, and do not add salt. Do not boil corn for more than three minutes. Overcooking reduces the taste level.


8. Frozen Vegetables: When they are stuck together, simply run boiling water over them.


9. Grating Cheese: Freeze for twenty five minutes before grating. It will shred so much easier.


10. Pancakes: Use a small amount of sugar in the batter and they will brown more quickly.


11. Pie Pastry: Substitute one teaspoon of vinegar for one teaspoon of the cold water called for in the recipe and the pastry will be much flakier.


12. Quick Sauces: Use condensed cream soups such as cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, cream of tomato, cream of celery, to make fast and easy sauces.


13. Quick Tenderizer: Use vinegar as a meat tenderizer. Add a tablespoon to water when boiling meat or ribs for stews. This will help tenderize even the toughest meat.


14. Wilted vegetables: Soak wilted veggies in two cups water and one tablespoon vinegar to help bring them back to life.


15. Wooden Skewers: Soak all your wooden skewers in cold water for twenty minutes to prevent them from burning.

If you add these SOPs to your other smart Cook’n habits of “prepare once, eat twice” and “big batch cooking,” and using the “5 Day Meal Plans,” you’ll be in good shape if ever the time comes that you need a little extra energy and time to give care and extra love to someone!