For any homemaker who values their time, organizing kitchen processes efficiently is crucial. This is especially important for working moms who must carve out time for their children and personal needs.
Our editorial team suggests preparing homemade semi-finished products that can be turned into a healthy, hearty dinner in a matter of minutes.
Investing in a multicooker is a great time-saving solution. Imagine this: you take a bag out of the freezer in the morning, leave it to defrost on the bottom shelf of the fridge, and when you return from work, you simply load the contents into the device and press a button! While it’s cooking, you can even prepare a side dish.
Quick dishes for a multicooker:
Keep in mind that you’ll have to do a lot of peeling and chopping! However, by spending 1 hour on this process, you’ll have 10 virtually ready-made dishes. You’ll also need freezer bags with closures (available at a household goods store).
Layer the contents in the bags: vegetables at the bottom, sauces and spices in the middle, and meat on top. Don’t forget to label the bags with the date. These mixtures can be stored for approximately 3 months. Please note that the cooking times mentioned are approximate and may vary depending on your specific multicooker settings.
Sweet and Sour Pork with Vegetables
3 servings, cooking time in “Stew” mode – 50 minutes
- 1 can (14 oz) of canned pineapples (chunks)
- 1 lb (450g) of diced vegetables (carrots, onions, celery)
- 2 tsp of soy sauce
- 2 tsp of sugar
- 3.4 fl oz (100ml) of tomato paste
- 1 tbsp of starch
- 1.1 – 1.5 lb (500-700g) of chopped pork
Chicken with Tomatoes and Basil
3 servings, cooking time in “Fry” mode – 15 minutes (separately for the fillet) plus 20 minutes in “Stew” mode with the addition of tomatoes and herbs.
- 2 tomatoes, sliced into wedges
- 3-4 sprigs of basil
- 9.8 oz (280g) of tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- 3 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 3 halves of chicken fillet
- Salt and pepper to taste
Chicken Chili with Bell Peppers and Corn
6 servings, cooking time in “Stew” mode – 35 minutes.
- 2 large bell peppers, diced
- 1 can (14 oz) of canned corn
- 2 tomatoes or 1.8 oz (50g) of tomato paste
- Chili pepper to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1.5 lb (700g) of diced chicken fillet
Chicken in Lemon-Honey Sauce with Butternut Squash
3 servings, cooking time in “Stew” mode – 35 minutes.
- 10.6 oz (300g) of diced butternut squash
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- 1 tbsp of honey
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1.5 lb (700g) of chicken fillet
Turkey Tacos with Bell Peppers
4 servings, cooking time in “Fry” mode – 15 minutes for vegetables and 15 minutes after adding the ground turkey. Serve on tortillas or lavash.
- 1.1 lb (500g) of assorted sliced vegetables (bell peppers, leeks, carrots, green peas)
- Black pepper to taste
- Paprika to taste
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp of tomato sauce
- 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 1.1 lb (500g) of ground turkey
Beef Stew with Vegetables
6 servings, cooking time in “Stew” mode – 1 hour.
- 1.3 lb (600g) of diced assorted vegetables (zucchini, carrots, onions, bell peppers, asparagus beans)
- 1.5 lb (700g) of diced beef
- Salt and favorite spices to taste
Vegetable Soup
6 servings, cooking time in “Fry” mode – 10 minutes for vegetables, followed by cooking in “Soup” mode (after adding water). Add the meatballs after the water boils and cook until done.
- 10.6 oz (300g) of fresh or frozen peas
- 1.3 lb (600g) of diced assorted vegetables (carrots, celery root, leeks, bell peppers)
- 7 oz (200g) of frozen or fresh Brussels sprouts
- 18 beef meatballs
- Salt, spices to taste
Beef with Mushrooms in Aromatic Sauce
4 servings, cooking time in “Stew” mode – 1 hour. Serve with rice or egg noodles.
- 1.1 lb (500g) of sliced beef
- 1.1 lb (500g) of sliced mushrooms
- 1 onion
- 0.5 cup of apple juice
- 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
- Salt, spices to taste
- 1 cup of water (for cooking, not for freezing)
Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
5 servings, cooking time in “Fry” mode – 20 minutes for meatballs, plus 25 minutes in “Stew” mode after adding tomatoes and minced onion. Serve with spaghetti.
- Meatballs made from 1.5 lb (700g) of ground beef
- 1.1 lb (800g) of diced tomatoes
- 1 onion
- 2 tsp of dried Italian herbs
- Salt to taste
Stir-Fry
5 servings, cooking time in “Stir-Fry” mode – 1 hour or “Stew” mode – 45 minutes.
- 1.1 lb (500g) of eggplant
- 1.1 lb (500g) of sweet peppers
- 3-4 tomatoes
- 1 carrot
- 2 onions
- 1 fl oz (30ml) of vegetable oil
- Salt, pepper, herbs to taste
Of course, you can come up with your own combinations of frozen ingredients, adapting them to your family’s favorite dishes. As you can see, you can prepare a lot using this method.
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