Discover Your Kitchen Character

What sort of cook are you? Do you choose to get up early to prep the evening meal? Are you basically also crazed to even believe about dinner until immediately after work? Or are you a single of these who are able to come across a balance in among?

These are some of the questions I ask in "Kitchen Life," my new book in which I quiz readers to enable them identify what sort of cooks they are. I've created recipes and methods that go along with an individual's cooking and kitchen management style.

The quiz outcomes show me that lack of time is the largest barrier in the kitchen. The perfect tools, although, can enable with that.

Among my prime five time-saving kitchen essentials is a vacuum-packaging appliance. My favorite is created by FoodSaver. No matter if you are attempting to preserve meals you have prepared in advance or preserve the fresh-cooked flavors and textures of leftovers, this appliance is an straightforward way to get significantly more out of your time in the kitchen.

As you program your meals, you can save a lot of time if you appear for recipes that let you to use your leftovers. I call these recipes "kitchen workhorses" since a single batch can yield various numerous meals.

When preparing a recipe to eat now and use later, the key is vacuum-sealing the leftovers to preserve freshness and prevent freezer burn. Take my Chili Shepherd's Pie with Buttermilk Potato Topping, for example. I begin with my Kitchen Workhorse Chunky Beef Chili. The chili is fabulous as a stand-alone, but it really is also a key ingredient in various spin-off recipes.

Then, I vacuum-package the additional chili with my FoodSaver appliance and freeze the remainder in controlled sizes to use later for other recipes, like my tasty Soft Beef Tacos or Chili and Macaroni Casserole. Voila! From a single meal, most.

CHILI SHEPHERD'S PIE WITH BUTTERMILK POTATO TOPPING

(Makes 4 servings)

two pounds Yukon Gold

potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

two tablespoons unsalted butter

1/two cup buttermilk, preferably at space temperature

1 quart Kitchen Workhorse Chunky Beef Chili (discovered on page 150 of "Kitchen Life"), heated

1 1/two cups fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels

1/3 cup (about two 1/two ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil an 8-inch square baking dish.

Spot potatoes in a medium saucepan and add adequate cold, lightly salted water to cover them by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook potatoes until tender, about 20 minutes.

Drain potatoes and transfer to a bowl. Add the butter. Mash potatoes with a masher or an electric mixer on low, gradually adding the buttermilk. Season with salt and pepper.

Mix the chili and corn in the baking dish. Spread the potatoes on prime of the chili and sprinkle with the cheddar. Bake until the cheddar melts and the topping is tinged with brown, 15 minutes to 20 minutes. Serve hot.

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