John Myers
Cooking fresh is time-consuming and exhausting? It can, but doesn’t have to be. A cheap and healthy meal can be prepared very quickly. recipes and tips.
Many Germans no longer cook themselves: not even half of the German population is at the stove every day. According to a current GfK study, every sixth kitchen user is a “warmer”: He or she doesn’t like to chop, preferring to warm up ready-made products instead. According to a study by the Robert Koch Institute, 5 percent of single women and 18 percent of single men never cook. how come
Finished products are mostly unhealthy
“No time” or “too complicated” is the most common argument, also: “It’s not worth the effort for one person.” Freshly prepared food is demonstrably healthier because the fresh ingredients contain significantly more nutrients than industrially processed finished products. Most ready-made soups, sauces, and dressings contain unhealthy trans fats, sugar, fillers, flavor enhancers, preservatives, and too much salt. Even though organic or health food products are not free of them, the list of permitted additives is just a little shorter. It is also often cheaper to cook for yourself.
Well organized – this makes cooking child’s play
A time-saving factor is of course routine – everything that you are used to is easier to do. Use these tools and tricks to save even more time:
- Write a weekly menu and plan your shopping. Then you have all the necessary ingredients in the house.
“Meal Prep”: Plan your meals in such a way that you prepare several portions in one go – for example, pre-cook twice the amount of rice or pasta for the following day or prepare breakfast the night before (e.g. overnight oats). - Use grocery delivery services (supermarket, organic box, etc.), these services are becoming more and more affordable.
- Buy frozen goods in advance: Frozen fish and vegetables (pure, not with sauce) are at least as good as fresh goods in terms of nutritional content. And you don’t have to clean or chop anything anymore.
- Invest in good quality kitchen gadgets: sensible knives and chopping boards, appliances such as a food processor with a multi-cutter, stand mixer, bread maker, or steam cooker.
- When purchasing kitchen utensils, make sure that they are easy to clean and dishwasher safe.
- Pre-cook soups, sauces, or stews in multiple quantities and freeze them in portions.
- You can also pre-cook side dishes such as rice, potatoes, or millet, they will keep in the fridge for several days.
Warm or cold kitchen?
If you want to eat healthily, you don’t necessarily have to cook and eat warm every day. The decisive factor is the content of fresh ingredients such as vegetables and fruit, and every main course should contain a source of protein (fish, meat, eggs, dairy products, legumes). Cold dishes such as salads or sushi are also very nutritious.
You can also try cream cheese, avocado, or pureed olives as a spread. Always combine fruit and raw vegetables with sandwiches.
However, not everyone can tolerate raw food in the evening – a vegetable soup or an omelet with a side of vegetables is generally easier to digest than a raw vegetable salad.
Fast food classics: recipe ideas
Scrambled eggs on wholemeal bread, omelets with mushrooms or shrimp, pasta with tomato sauce: these dishes are tasty and quick to prepare. You can also prepare the sauce for the pasta and freeze it in portions, which makes it even quicker. A couscous or bulgur salad with spring onions, tomatoes, cucumber, and yogurt sauce can also be conjured up in no time. A clear broth with pasta and frozen vegetables is warming and ready in less than ten minutes. Jacket potatoes with quark and linseed oil also do little work.
