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12 New Shortcuts in the Kitchen

Whether you want to save time, have less dishwashing, save some money, avoid food waste or all of the above, shortcuts in the kitchen are always super helpful. With these new tips, you’ll be able to make great meals while being efficient. Ready, set, go!

1. Speedy Assembly

For this pasta dish, go for an easy shortcut: use store-bought ravioli. As you would for dumplings, boil them in water, then fry them in the same pan with onion powder and sesame seeds. All that’s left to do is add garnishes, then savour the delicious result. It’s as easy as making a bagel with smoked salmon!

2. Easy Samosas

The trick here is to fold tortillas efficiently to transform them into samosa dough, which usually requires a very long prep time. Then simply cook them quickly in a skillet. The result? A slightly spicy golden samosa that practically makes itself, perfect to take your mind somewhere else for one dinner.

3. Egg Rolls in a Bowl

Everybody loves egg rolls, but stuffing the dough and then cooking the little pouches can seem complicated and long. In this bowl, you’ll find all the ingredients you love in egg rolls: pork, ginger and oven-cooked cabbage to make it super soft. Just top it all with crispy noodles. It’s the same great taste, without any of the long prep or frying.

4. Fish Express

Weeknights are always ready for a fish recipe. You’ll get everything you want out of this stew-type dish. Poaching cod in a flavoursome broth makes it both beautifully flaky and firmer. You also remove one step from the recipe by cooking it from frozen! Make good use of the kernels from your last corn roast or opt for frozen corn to go even faster.

5. A Tip of the Hat to Bao Bun

Revisit this lovely sandwich with this reinterpretation of a bao bun (a steamed bun of Chinese origin) by replacing the bun with white bread, making it quicker to prepare. Once the carrot is in ribbons, the cucumber is chopped and the precooked Exceldor chicken breasts are sliced, just assemble the sandwiches. You’ll always save time by having a ready-to-use protein at hand.

6. Beef Bourguignon Two Ways

The slow cooker and the pressure cooker are among our favourite small appliances for affordable, effortless meals. In this case, we’re giving you the two options to make beef bourguignon. Thanks to these tools, this great classic can be transformed into a weeknight dinner. Put all the ingredients in the container and let the magic happen! One hour in the pressure cooker instead of two and a half in the oven? Sounds good to us!

7. Clean-Out-the-Fridge Dish

Let’s be creative and use up what’s left in the fridge. Avoid spending time at the grocery store after work; that’s also a shortcut! Forgotten veggies and seasonings from the pantry come to life in a versatile side dish and sauce that can be served with pork, chicken or vegetables. Save some money by not wasting anything.

8. All Veggie Sheet Pan

According to Brigitte, our president, this is THE best tofu salad. Plus, you make it on a sheet pan, this oh, so convenient and indispensable kitchen accessory! The vegetables and tofu are coated in a marinade that creates a lacquered effect and the garnishes put the finishing touches to this delicious, effortless meal. Serve it family-style, putting the pan in the middle of the table. It also makes a great lunch.

9. Subito Presto Flavours

With this classic Roman dish, you’ll satisfy that need to eat well when time is short. Beat the egg, grate the cheese and add the lemon zest to the hot broth. It’s light and incredibly nutritious, not to mention disarmingly simple. Whether you make it for one or four people, it’s the quintessential quick soup. Simply multiply the ingredients as needed.

10. Reduced Dishwashing Mission

The “one pot” trend, cooking everything in a single dish, has no end in sight with the infinite possibilities and reduced dishwashing it offers. In this recipe, we’ve turned an Italian rice casserole on its head with seasonal vegetables. An impressively easy recipe with concentrated flavours. Plus, cooking everything in the same pot frees your mind for other prep to take care of at the same time!

11. Superfast Tacos

This easy taco recipe uses shrimp that take less than 5 minutes to cook and a colourful salsa that combines frozen corn and green peas. Much less work! And while we love the idea of making everything from scratch, buying ready-to-use products, such as a store-bought barbecue sauce, reduces the number of steps to prepare the meal.

12. Meatless and Hassle Free

We all know just how versatile legumes are. So we put our efforts on the easiest and fastest to cook, the red lentil. This dish falls somewhere between a curry and a soup. Yogurt, store-bought pre-cut sweet potato spirals and spices give texture and richness to the dish. An excellent saviour for a meatless meal.

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