Cook like a pro
The Food Network’s Sandi Richard shares key strategies for cooking well—fast
Sandi Richard knows a thing or two about being stressed about dinner. With seven children and a full-time job, she was once the "chicken finger queen."
"I was overwhelmed," says the popular host of the Food Network show, Fixing Dinner. "That's why I kept going back to the box." So Richard made changes and instituted a meal-planning routine. Below, she shares tips so you can stop with the chicken fingers, already.
What are the biggest obstacles to making dinner?
Usually, there are two things: "I forgot to take something out of the freezer" and "I don't want to think about it."
So how can families make changes to overcome these?
At my website, you can download our meal-planning sheet. Post it on your fridge for an entire week. This takes the thinking away.
How can people save time during meal preparation?
Anything that you can do double of, you must do. If you have to brown ground beef, brown two pounds, because it doesn't take any extra time. Then you have a pound of hamburger sitting in your freezer.
Should families set a regular time for dinner?
No. Our lives are too busy. I'm a big believer that we can't always prep, eat and go. Dinner can be anywhere between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. And if it's 7 p.m., it's ok.