Top 7 Food Prep Tips to Save You Time

These are my very best food prep tips. Last week I shared a beginner’s guide to food prep. I went through all the benefits and gave you a basic plan to follow that will have you prepping like a pro in no time flat. If you haven’t read that post, you can get it here.

Today I’m going to share my top 7 tips for food prep. These are things that will help you make the most of your time in the kitchen and get your food prep done more easily than you ever imagined.

Prep for Food Prep

This might seem a little redundant, but you’re going to do these things anyway so getting them done in the right order before you’re ready to food prep will keep you on track.

Make space for new food

Clean out your fridge before you go grocery shopping for the week. I recommend doing this the day before. Not only are you creating space but you can use this opportunity to take inventory of what needs to go on your grocery list.

Have your containers ready

Put your containers in the dishwasher before you go to the grocery store. Chances are, if you cleaned your fridge out the day before, this is already done. But if you bring your groceries home to dirty containers, you’re just multiplying the amount of work you have to do before you can actually food prep. Have them ready.

I personally have some of these containers that I love but these work perfectly, too.

Have your sink cleaned out

The first thing I do after bringing groceries in is fill a sink with cold water and start soaking produce. Using a good fruit and veggie wash will help get everything good and clean. I clean out my sink right before I leave for the grocery store because I don’t want to give anyone enough time to fill it up again.

Are you seeing a pattern here yet? If you get things ready for food prep first, you can get home and get to it. No waiting and it goes so much faster when everything is ready.

Set colanders on the counter

Putting your colanders on the counter before you leave the house will give you immediate access to them as soon as you get home. It’s much easier to pour berries, grapes, and other smaller items into colanders amd rinse them separately from other produce.

Don’t let your food prep go to waste

Air dry produce before storing

The best way to dry produce is on a towel on the kitchen counter. Bath towels are great for this because they are thicker and will absorb more water. Too much moisture can cause your produce to go bad quickly. Drying before cutting and storing will help keep your food good longer.

• If produce stays in your fridge longer than you intended toss it into the freezer. You can always use it later and frozen fruit is perfect for making smoothies.

Produce first, meat last

This is mostly common sense. You’ll be using the same knives, cutting boards, and sink for food prep so prepping meat last will make sure there’s no chance of cross-contamination. Definitely store your meat in the fridge to keep it cold until you’re ready to prep it.

Food prep lettuce properly

If you plan on prepping lettuce, always tear it instead of cutting it. Cutting lettuce with a knife causes a chemical reaction that makes the edges of the lettuce brown very quickly.

• TIP: Place a dry paper towel in the bag/container with your lettuce. It will absorb moisture and keep lettuce good longer.

Food Prep Pros

Following these food prep tips to make sure everything is ready before your grocery trip is definitely a pro move. It will save you time and sanity in the long run. And of course, the more you’ve planned the less stress you’ll have later.

Have a great week friends.

Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.

Proverbs 24:27 ESV