Good morning. Learning to efficiently nest your cooking tasks is one of the most important skills for home cooks, yet it's often overlooked.

Understanding which tasks take the longest and which can be done concurrently will completely change how you spend time in the kitchen ⬇️

TECHNIQUE BREAKDOWN🤯

How to nest tasks

By properly nesting your cooking tasks and cleaning up as you go, you can cut down your cooking and cleaning time significantly.

1 — Start with the ingredients that take the longest

Begin with dishes that take the longest to cook. Whether it's rice, pasta, or roasted vegetables, timing these items to finish with your proteins and main dishes ensures everything comes together.

2 — Only “mise en place” when you need to

At home, there are times when prepping as you go (while another component is cooking) is actually a more efficient way to cook through a recipe than mise-en-place (having everything prepped, chopped, etc before starting).

• Yes, having ingredients prepared in advance lets you focus entirely on the cooking process, which makes sense for quick cooking dishes like stir frying where you can’t pause.

But often recipes have multiple steps that are slower, like waiting for something to brown or simmer, which you can get started and then prep other components in the meantime — just keep an eye on things and learn to multitask as your confidence grows.

3 — Clean as you go

Wash cutting boards, wipe counters, and clean dishes during natural breaks in cooking. This prevents a daunting pile of cleanup when you're tired after the meal.

Want to learn more? In a main channel video, Ethan demonstrated how to efficiently cook and clean up a steak dinner for 3-4 servings in about 40 minutes, with almost all the cleanup done and the food plated and ready to serve.

RECIPE RECOMMENDATIONS ✅

Multicomponent recipes

Ready to level up? Try out your cooking efficiency by nesting tasks as you cook through these recipes that have multiple components:

FOOD TRENDS 🚀

Erewhon Kale Salad

Why is this kale salad all over my feed?

If you haven't heard of Erewhon—the upscale LA grocery store chain—this kale salad has took the internet by storm. No need to book a flight to and spend $18 though, it’s pretty simple to recreate at home. 

But why do people like it so much? It’s popular for its:

1 — Taste & texture

Crunchy kale, creamy avocado, hearty white beans, and nutty seeds, cut by a with a lemon dressing makes for an interesting intersection of textures and contrasting tastes.

2— Health benefits

The already green kale salad gets extra fiber & protein from the white beans + sunflower seeds.

3 — Simple & easy to make preparation

Minimal ingredients, no cooking required, and ready in minutes with items you can find at most grocery stores. Add an extra protein to it and you can bulk it up for a full lunch or dinner.

So—is it worth the hype, or is just riding the Erewhon mystique? You decide:

READER Q&A 🧠

On sale meats

Answer: Go for it! Just make sure to quickly use up or freeze the meat since the sale sticker usually means the “freeze by/use by” date is coming up.

• Shopping the meat section deals, then figuring out what make, is one of the best ways to shop affordably and efficiently. Check out how Ethan did this with a pork shoulder he found on sale.

If you want to freeze the meat you bought, here’s our recommended method, which also makes defrosting way quicker or even lets you cook straight from frozen:

1. Make the protein as thin as possible (butterfly, pound to flatten, or thinly slice)

2. Separate the protein into portions; add to freezer gallon bags in a thin layer.

3. Remove as much air as possible from the storage bag. Lay flat in the freezer.

4. Ideally, use within 2 months.

Have a culinary question? Reply to send it in for a chance to be featured and get your question answered.

WINNING READER SUBMISSION 🏆

Quinoa salad

This week’s dinner winner is Quentin L., who made quinoa salad, greek yogurt and orange dressing, roasted carrots, & parsley oil. The plating and photography are fine dining worthy!

Reply with your best home-cooked food photos for a chance to win & be featured!

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: The role sushi has played in Ukraine's fight for independence

In a minute or less: Comparing kitchen aids

What we’re watching: Making every kind of grilled cheese

Food science: Alcohol

The Cook Well app is happening: Get in on early subscriptions

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