10 Genius Ways to Prep Ingredients in Minutes
Ingredient prep is often the most time-consuming part of cooking — but it doesn’t have to be. With a few smart techniques and simple tools, you can cut prep time dramatically and make cooking feel faster all week long. These genius shortcuts help you get ingredients ready in minutes, not hours.
Here are 10 fast prep tricks home cooks swear by.
Use a Food Processor for Bulk Chopping
Instead of hand-chopping onions, carrots, or cabbage, pulse them in a food processor. It handles big batches in seconds and saves serious knife time.
Pre-Cut Veggies Right After Grocery Day
Wash and chop sturdy vegetables like peppers, broccoli, and celery as soon as you get home. Store them in airtight containers so they’re ready to cook or snack on.
Freeze Fresh Herbs in Oil
Chop herbs, place them in an ice cube tray, and cover with olive oil. Freeze and pop out cubes whenever you need instant flavor for pans and sauces.
Grate Cheese in Large Batches
Shred a full block (or several) at once and refrigerate or freeze portions. It melts better than pre-shredded and saves repeated prep during the week.
Peel Garlic All at Once
Separate a whole head of garlic, place cloves in a jar with a lid, and shake hard. The skins loosen quickly, letting you peel multiple cloves at once.
Use Kitchen Shears Instead of Knives
Shears are faster for cutting herbs, trimming meats, slicing tortillas, and snipping green onions directly into dishes — with less cleanup.
Batch-Cook Grains for the Week
Make a large pot of rice, quinoa, or farro and portion it out. Having cooked grains ready turns bowls, stir-fries, and sides into quick assemblies.
Buy and Portion Family Packs of Protein
Divide large packs of chicken, beef, or fish into meal-size freezer bags. Add simple marinades before freezing so they’re prepped and flavored when thawed.
Use a Mandoline for Uniform Slices
A mandoline slicer creates fast, even slices of potatoes, cucumbers, and onions in a fraction of the time of hand-cutting.
Create “Recipe Kits” in Containers
Group prepped ingredients for specific meals into single containers — veggies, aromatics, and proteins together. When it’s time to cook, everything is ready to go.
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