Cooking in today’s times are much different than our parents. In fact, most busy young professionals are parents leave the cooking to the pros — and in today’s world, that means meal kit services or restaurants. But adding some cooking short cuts may help ease meal prep. While meal kits offer the benefit of a fully assembled, gourmet meal, and may fare better in the nutrition department, you’re still in the kitchen doing the cooking, just with less prep time.
According to a survey by Money.com, roughly 29 percent of millennials and 26 percent of Gen. Xers have tried meal kit services, compared to 12 percent of those over 45. The same survey said while many try the services, they quit mainly due to the expense, and those most apt to try meal kit services brought home more than a$100,000 a year.
We’d venture to say that not every millennial is bringing in that kind of money. Kitchen.com compared meal kit pricing and decided the prices for the ingredients at the grocery store were negligible. But we ask, are you able to spend $24 per meal (roughly $15 per meal, plus a $9 delivery fee), seven nights a week? For two people, that’s over $1,300 a month just for dinner. For many people, that’s rent!
Use Cooking Short Cuts To East Prep Time
Since you’re cooking anyway, don’t let the perceived time it takes to make a great meal dissuade you. There are several shortcuts to help ease those time crunches — crock pots, Instapots, microwaves.
Grocery stores today are increasingly aware that cooking is a time-consuming matter for most busy young adults. That’s why many have added pre-prepared meals, pre-cooked meals, shop-at-home and delivery options, as well as pre-cut onions and other vegetables in the produce aisle.
Incorporate Pre-Prepared Veggies Into Your Cooking
Onions are a great example. Nothing strikes fear in the heart of many a younger at-home cook than having to dice an onion. When cooking with onions in your meals, you get that awesome flavor and solid nutrition, but you don’t have to do the chopping or slicing yourself. The produce aisle is a great place today to find pre-cut and pre-sliced options on many of your favorite vegetables. You can even find pre-cut onions in the freezer aisle. Time is at a premium today. But today’s shortcuts can make cooking less daunting. By devoting a little time to planning out your meals, you can make great and nutritious meals at home, without the expense.
