Get Dinner on the Table Faster
Time it right! Photo credit: StockFood / Johnér
You had such an ambitious plan. There was going to be mole poblano—you had all afternoon to simmer all 21 ingredients together, and you hit the farmer’s market yesterday, so you should have been great. You were gonna cook rice to go alongside, and do a simple green salad. And then you were thinking of whipping up a quick dessert.
In reality: You ended up serving your guests dinner at 9:30. On a Sunday night. The rice scorched at the bottom of the pot while you all drooled waiting for the mole to finish. The “salad” comprised a few paltry leaves of arugula you scattered on the entrée in desperation. For dessert, you sent a friend running to the bodega for a pint of cheap ice cream.
The best-laid plans go awry for even skilled cooks, so we turned to Joel Gamoran, who teaches novices and pros alike how to cook better (and more efficiently!) for Sur La Table. Gamoran is extremely passionate about timing a meal properly, so that everyone eats on time and no one goes home hungry. As is true of many chefs, he encourages you to do as much in advance as you can, but we made him dial into specific tips for us. Here are our favorites:
Own two timers. Gamoran admits to only owning one (being a pro cook is nice!) but advises us civilians to own two. “You can have something on the stove and something in the oven at once, and have both covered.” It’s a good way to avoid super-crisp rice scenarios.
Consider a braise. Now that the dog days have passed, it’s time to revive the oven from its summer slumber. “The ideal meal for timing out something perfectly is a braise,” says Gamoran. Since the meat cooks in liquid, it’s “almost impossible to overcook, unlike chicken.” Plus, he says, “you can do it so far ahead of time and re-warm it for dinner—most braises can be reheated at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.” Gamoran goes for brisket or short rib braised in a warm, syrupy sauce. (See the video below for one good-looking braise!) This entrée looks impressive when you serve it, so you can easily serve no-brainer sides such as farro or pasta to soak it up. Need greens? Sautéed kale or chard. Boom.
Sear your meat in advance, and finish it that day. It’s counterintuitive to most home cooks, for whom freshness is paramount, but “you can sear a thick cut of meat, whether it’s a ribeye or a giant chicken breast, on both sides up to two days before you serve it.” Gamoran will chill it in the fridge until he needs it, at which point he’ll plop it on a rack in a sheet pan and finish it in a 375-degree oven.”
Poach eggs ahead of time. Super-fans of poached eggs will rejoice to know that you can do this in advance. (“Poaching eggs for one can be freaky,” laughs Gamoran says, laughing. “Poaching eggs for 20 is madness.”) Poach eggs as you usually do, then plunge them into an ice bath. Store in cold water, refrigerated, for up to 24 hours and dip back into poaching-temperature water for 30 seconds when you’re ready to serve them. Plop on salads, on rice, on toast, whatever.
Keep a warm water bath at the ready. To keep hollandaise warm that you don’t want to accidentally scramble, a gravy you want to be ready in a flash, or to melt rock-hard butter, the chef suggests that keep a “big, round, shallow pot on medium-low heat and fill it halfway with water; place another heat-safe bowl, plate or plastic container in it to stay warm.” It works for mashed potatoes, too: “If you’ve ever re-warmed mashed potatoes, you know you get a film in the bottom of the pan that’s impossible to clean. That would never happen with this method.”
Risotto: You can do it! This is one of those foods that “everyone thinks is so hard to pull off, but it’s actually one of the easiest!” Gamoran advises cooking your risotto to the 85 to 90 percent point of doneness. “You should be able to chew the rice at this point, but it should be a good 3 minutes from al dente.” Spread the risotto in a pan; chill for up to two days. When you’re ready to serve, place it back in a pan, add a couple of ladles of hot stock, and finish with Parmesan and salt to the recipe’s specifications. Serve. Enjoy the comments about how hard you worked.
So go forth, and be timely.
