Timing is Everything

The hardest aspect of cooking to master is timing. I've heard this from a lot of friends, family, and co-workers, I've experienced it first hand, and I've seen it when cooking with other people - timing is tough.

SO HOW DO YOU GET BETTER AT IT? MAKING A GOOD MEAL IS 99% LOGISTICS, YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS, COOKING AT THE RIGHT TIME, ADDING, MIXING, AND STIRRING ALONG THE WAY TO CREATE THE PERFECT END RESULT.

Start by practicing time estimation:

Pay close attention to how long it generally takes different things to cook: most recipes will give you a time and temperature to cook something at, so start by actually using a timer and checking on the food periodically to make sure the colour, consistency, smell, juices, etc look normal. Everyone's oven and stove is also a little bit different in terms of how they distribute heat and how hot they actually get. You will see the next point is temperatures and conversions - I'll provide more guidance there. You will also tell by photos, of a recipe for example, what generally the food is supposed to look like in the end result, it sounds simple, but referencing a picture is a big help when you're first starting out.

Make mental notes, for example: how juicy and tender are pork chops when you cook them at 350 degrees Celsius in your oven? Are they dry? Are they too pink? How thick are they? Pay attention to all of the attributes each time you cook them. And each time, you will be better at planning out how you are going to cook a full meal by being able to estimate the time each component takes to prepare - so that everything finishes at the same time and in the perfect way!

Set yourself up for success:

The very first thing I do when starting meal preparation is time out each step in my head, and I will always start with the component that takes the longest to cook. This sounds like a no brainer but I'm always surprised that this isn't everyone's first instinct.

IT’S ALL ABOUT LOGISTICS BABY - AND THIS IS ESSENTIALLY A CRITICAL PATH - IF YOU’RE FAMILIAR WITH THE OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY.

For instance if you're making a power bowl with chicken, chances are that cooking chicken is going to be the longest step in the preparation - after you season it and put it in the oven, you now have roughly 25-40 minutes to do the rest of your prep.

Some recipes will require multi-tasking, if that's the case try to do some of the prep work before you actually start cooking. For example, if you are making a stir fry and you have the sauce cooking, preemptively set the rice up on the stove so that all you have to do is turn on the stove once you are in the groove of cooking your meat and sauce. This skill is especially important for tasks that shouldn't be left alone for very long.

Do the same thing with your vegetables, pre-cut them so they're ready to be tossed into the stir fry as you need them. Try to start each task strategically so that each portion of your meal is complete at the same time. This task management is the hardest part of timing to master - and is mostly just developed through experience and time in the kitchen. If you are following the first two tips: time out each step beforehand, and do your prep work - then you will eventually understand how to start each step plays together and how to give your attention to the right steps at the right time.