Almost all of the chefs, including Divya Alter, founder of Divya’s Kitchen in New York City, agrees that a sharp, quality chef’s knife can cut down on cooking time tenfold.
“I’m not a fan of collecting single-purpose gadgets that fulfill the role of a sharp knife,” Alter says. “I don’t like cluttering my kitchen with garlic choppers, mango and avocado slicers, etc. Rather, I’d suggested investing in a good quality chef’s knife and taking a knife skills class. Both will stay with you for life.
From there, she recommends planning your meals ahead of time, prepping veggies up to 12 hours before using them, and making staples, like ghee or spice blends, once a month to have handy. “For a 15-minute meal fix, choose quick-cooking vegetables that do not need peeling, such as zucchini, asparagus, fennel, cabbage, leafy greens, green beans, cauliflower, or broccoli. You can have these pre-chopped,” Alter says. Noted.