A Few Chef Hacks to Save You Time

Do you know the difference between a chef and a cook? Mindset. And many years of being underpaid, overworked, and underapperciated. But mostly mindset and knowing how and when to work smart rather than hard.

We all have dishes and preparation items that we dread — some are because the task is difficult, some that the task is arduous, time consuming, fiddly or straight up boring. These situations are where having a bit of knowledge and experience come in very useful!

Some of the best tips I've learnt over the years are also some of the most simple, so I'll share with you some tips that have saved me time and effort many times!

Topping & Tailing Green Beans

This is one of those jobs that, in a working kitchen, is given to whomever has angered the chef! Owing to the quantities used, it can take ages, which is where this little hint proves useful. Rather than slice a small amount at a time, take half the quantity you need, wrap in cling film, tap against a chopping board so the ends are all approximately even and, using a (sharp) knife, slice both ends off. Using this technique, you can power through even the biggest amounts in a very short amount of time.

Cooking Large Pieces of Meat

Aside from vegetarians and vegans who are noted for disliking such things, who doesn't enjoy a big juicy pork chop or a chargrilled chicken breast? These things are what makes meat eating worth it!

This is also one of those things that can really jam up service speed in busy kitchens, or delay the eating of your food (which is pretty much why people cook) when you're at home.

The way I'd recommend if you're in a hurry, cooking for a lot of people, or just want to save time is to do what is known as "butterfly" the piece of meat you want to cook. You achieve this by laying it flat on a chopping board, placing one hand flat over the top of it and use a sharp knife to make a cut halfway in the height/thickness of it. You don't want to cut all the way through, but almost. You then open the now-sliced item and, hey presto, it will vaguely resemble some form of meat butterfly, allowing the item to cook quicker and look bigger on your plate. As a side note, DO NOT use this method on steak unless you "enjoy" your steak medium or above!

Mornay Sauce (Cheese Sauce)

Traditional Mornay Sauce is made from a roux, a white sauce made from flour, butter, and warm milk. This is a sauce I've seen experienced chefs get wrong and home cooks absolutely slaughter. It doesn't have to be that way!

To make a tasty and quick cheese sauce, place into a good saucepan a pint of milk, 250g of (preferably real) butter and heat gently. Whilst this is heating, place into a bowl approximately 200g of plain flour and add a sufficient amount of water until you get a batter that has the constituency of thick cream. Once the butter in your saucepan has melted and the milk is starting to simmer, remove from the heat and slowly pour in the flour mixture until the sauce is visibly thickened but not quite as thick as needed. Return to the heat and whisk gently as it heats to avoid lumps. After around five minutes, using a clean teaspoon (or finger if you're at home), taste the sauce, you're tasting to make sure the flour has "cooked out" so the sauce will be bland but won't taste powdery. If the sauce thickens too much, add some more milk. When the flour has "cooked out," you can start to season the sauce and & add cheese. I recommend a generous amount of salt and pepper (to taste), a small amount of either Mustard powder or Mustard, a pinch of nutmeg (trust me, it really brings out the flavour of the cheese) and obviously, some really good quality Cheddar cheese or Red Leciester (most cheeses work really well here, so experiment)

You can use this sauce to top a lasagne if you're not a fan of plain white sauce, make cauliflower cheese or for any number of delicious dishes.

Cooking for yourself or family should be a relaxing experience (that may very much be a personal view). Try your best and don't be put off when you fail. Learn from your mistakes and you'll become an excellent cook.

I will probably do another article with more hacks and tips depending on how this one goes down. I hope you've enjoyed it and maybe learnt something new or useful.