Saturday, November 17, 2007

October/November Poll Round Up: Time Spent Cooking

Sixty of you voted in our last poll! Thanks for your participation!

The poll was about how long you take on a typical night to cook dinner. Many moms don't have hours to spend in the kitchen cooking from scratch, but many convenience items are too high in fat or salt. 65% of voters spend 30-60 minutes cooking dinner. This is also the category I fall into, although I tend to prefer meals that require little active preparation. I also store shredded cheese and prechopped peppers and onions in my freezer for those nights when I don't have a lot of time. 15% of you spend more than an hour, another 15% spend 15-30 minutes cooking and just 3 voters chose the 'less than 15 minutes' option.

My co-blogger Jen says, "I spend about 30-45 minutes usually. Sometimes as little as ten. I always try to cook extra chicken, then I refrigerate it to use in a casserole later in the week. That cuts down on cooking time. Same thing with rice, cook extra and your casserole is easier tomorrow.I glance over my meal plan to be most efficient. I start thawing meat in the microwave while I clean the kitchen (I cook faster in a clean kitchen). Cook noodles while grating cheese/cutting veggies, etc. I never do just one thing at a time, and I recruit [my husband] and the kids to do whatever they can."

Jen38 says, "I love my crock pot. After my DH complained that the roasts weren't big enough, I bought the 8 quart Kitchen Aid Deluxe Model! I usually spend 20 - 30 minutes cooking for the dinner meal. I always try to make extra for lunch the next day. Rarely do we have leftovers anymore!"

Kelly says, " My husband is often away for work, and I work full time, so I rely a lot on convenience type food. Not really the healthiest stuff, but it comes together quick and that is what I need. I probably spend less than 15 minutes a night cooking dinner." Be sure to check out this post on healthy convenience products, Kelly, and thanks for stopping by!

Don't forget to vote in our next poll and look for a round up next month!

No comments: