How Long Does It Take to Fix Dinner?

[TinyTim]

Recipes often list prep and cooking time. Usually they lie. In my experience as neither a hare nor a turtle at putting dinner on the table, it takes me roughly twice as long as the time listed. For example, I was making a dinner that included roasted sliced potatoes, roasted broccoli and meat loaf. I did all this from scratch: washing and peeling the spuds, preparing bite-size florets from a head of broccoli, assembling the meat loaf to include diced onions, parsley, garlic and bread crumbs. The estimated time allotment given was 45 minutes. It took me an hour and a half to get dinner prepared, cooked and plated. This is typical for me.

What is your experience?

 

[Dobric]

Pouring cereal to a bowl, around 3s
Pouring milk to a bowl, round 2s
Total prep time 5s


Tbh, real lunch/dinner takes around 1h to make if you are organized and you are multitasking, 1.5h if you are not.

Pasta with meat sauce, 30 min
Chicken soup + baked potatoes and baked chicken 1h

Depends on meal, but multitasking reduces time to about 50%

 

[lasta]

Pouring cereal to a bowl, around 3s
Pouring milk to a bowl, round 2s
Total prep time 5s


Tbh, real lunch/dinner takes around 1h to make if you are organized and you are multitasking, 1.5h if you are not.

Pasta with meat sauce, 30 min
Chicken soup + baked potatoes and baked chicken 1h

Depends on meal, but multitasking reduces time to about 50%

You are a very efficient eater!

It takes me 2 hours to make pasta with "meat sauce". 6 hours for my melt-in-your-mouth beer braised pork knuckles!

 

[Dobric]

You are a very efficient eater!

It takes me 2 hours to make pasta with "meat sauce". 6 hours for my melt-in-your-mouth beer braised pork knuckles!

Put onions meat and carrot in deep pan, 5 min after meet is brown, add tomato sauce an water an spices , simmer that for 25 min and it's done
Meanwhile boil pasta in pot.
Cut meat in small cubes or use minced meat

 

[musicman1951]

You are a very efficient eater!

It takes me 2 hours to make pasta with "meat sauce". 6 hours for my melt-in-your-mouth beer braised pork knuckles!

It doesn't take me any time at all because my wife makes it (something about half her Italian/Irish heritage). But the sauce cooks for half a day with the meatballs and sausage in there, so she would call 2 hours very efficient.

 

[lasta]

It doesn't take me any time at all because my wife makes it (something about half her Italian/Irish heritage). But the sauce cooks for half a day with the meatballs and sausage in there, so she would call 2 hours very efficient.

You are a lucky man!

And yes, you are right! Half day dish for sure, 2 hours is with a pressure cooker!

 

[Tirvine]

The actual prep and serve time for something like chicken piccata, risotto, and steamed asparagus will run about twenty minutes if you are moving at restaurant kitchen speed. You just cannot make things like risotto cook faster than that. I typically put together meals of that sort which have protein, starch, and vegetable with similar cook times and start whichever has the longest first. Obviously things like braises and ragus are going to take a lot of time cooking slowly, usually with minimal attention. Things on the stove and things covered and in the oven differ a lot in the amount of attention they take. The prep time can vary wildly. Tossing a few chicken thighs, some chunked up vegetables, and spices into a tagine takes only a few minutes. Things baking or roasting may take a good while and definitely require attention. Last night we had roast pork loin and Brussel sprouts. Putting seasoning on the roast and halving the sprouts and tossing them in oil, herbs, and salt and pepper only took a few minutes, but knowing when to put the sprouts in to roast took time to figure out. Towards the end of the cook I was watching the sprouts and checking the roast with an instant read thermometer. Ironically, a simple meal like meat loaf and mashed potatoes takes the longest of these various things to put together: peel, quarter, and boil the potatoes in salted water until soft; mince onion, carrot, and celery and cook in oil until soft, make a panade of bread and milk, mix the mirepoix with the meat, panade, an egg, and desired seasonings, shape the loaf, top with tomato paste and panko, and bake; sieve the potatoes and mix in crema; add a vegetable and/or salad along the way. It all takes just under an hour. Most weeknight dinners are between twenty minutes and an hour. I also have a few very fast and reliable dishes. Cacio e pepe with a salad takes fifteen minutes not counting heating the water to boil the pasta. So the answer is largely driven by cook time. Tossing a frozen pizza in the oven is faster than making a bowl of cereal, but it is not ready to eat nearly as quickly. I tend to ignore prep/cook times in recipes. They are almost always wrong. Likewise for estimated number of servings. However, most home cooks look to that guidance because they just have not got enough confidence in what their experience has told them.

 

[Doc4]

What is your experience?

Generally, it depends on the answer to the question ...

"Honey, when's dinner gonna be?"

 

[ctr]

Depends on the menu, the kitchen setup, and your efficiency. Typically anywhere from 20 - 40 minutes.

Roast Beef is one example of an involved meal. Say the menu is roast, boiled potatoes (roasted vegtables would add about 12 minutes to the total time), green beans and carrots.

First thing is pre heat the oven, get the panned lined, pull ingredients and setup the counter. Maybe 5 minutes.

Work the potatoes and pot them, 5 minutes.

Carrots, a couple of minutes.

Green beans about a minute.

Salad substitution adds about 10 minutes or so.

Roast preparation, trimming if any, adding gravy and seasoning rub, thermometer, and wrap about 5 minutes. Cook time around 45 minutes to an hour.

So an hour + preheat time for the meal.

Will set the table and prep for hot tea while the roast is cooking. Any bread would have been made earlier in the day.

About 30 minutes before I expect the roast to be done the burners are lit under the carrots and potatoes on the lowest setting. Once the thermometer starts to move it is go time.

Carrots are boiling 20 minutes before serving time. Potatoes 15 minutes boiling. Green beans about 7 minutes. Tea is started about the same time.

Roast is pulled, gravy poured into server, roast carved. Food is plated and goes in the oven for charging. Tea is set and plates are served.

About an hour and a half total time. Can push it by 30 minutes using convection but prefer not to do so. Everything in my kitchen is within reach or no more than 2 steps away. Pantry supplies are pulled before work begins, everything in reach.

To recap, menu specific setup, efficiency, and speed.

 

[Lightcs1776]

A lot of good answers. I will also add that it depends if you are familiar with making the particular meal or if it is your first time making it. I am much faster if I have made a dish a few times in the recent past.

 

[Old Hippie]

Depends what I'm making. Tacos? Well...

Sort/clean corn: 30 minutes
Boil corn with cal: 1 hour
Soak corn: 16 hours

Next day...

Grind corn: 30 minutes

Then later in the day...

Mise en place for fillings: minced onion, shredded cheese, shredded cabbage, sauces, other toppings: 20 minutes
Press and cook tortillas: 20 minutes
Cook meat filling: 20 minutes

Open a beer: 0.5 seconds
Eat sufficient tacos: 10 minutes
Clean up: 20 minutes

One thing I absolutely know about myself is that while I can multitask in the kitchen it's going to be much better if I concentrate. Old guy with a few challenges; I enjoy cooking so I don't rush.

I both prep large amounts of stuff and have it ready for whatever I'm doing and tend toward large batches of stuff so I have leftovers. On average I don't spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

O.H.

 

[Tirvine]

Depends what I'm making. Tacos? Well...

Sort/clean corn: 30 minutes
Boil corn with cal: 1 hour
Soak corn: 16 hours

Next day...

Grind corn: 30 minutes

Then later in the day...

Mise en place for fillings: minced onion, shredded cheese, shredded cabbage, sauces, other toppings: 20 minutes
Press and cook tortillas: 20 minutes
Cook meat filling: 20 minutes

Open a beer: 0.5 seconds
Eat sufficient tacos: 10 minutes
Clean up: 20 minutes

One thing I absolutely know about myself is that while I can multitask in the kitchen it's going to be much better if I concentrate. Old guy with a few challenges; I enjoy cooking so I don't rush.

I both prep large amounts of stuff and have it ready for whatever I'm doing and tend toward large batches of stuff so I have leftovers. On average I don't spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

O.H.

I like it that you like cooking and therefore take your time. I pick up whatever implement goes first and am instantly transported to half a century ago in a hard working kitchen, moving at a frenetic pace, taking delight in each time shaving maneuver, thinking of synchronizing elements, and just knocking it out with the only slow down for taste and correction. I am 73 and still get off on going fast.

 

[Chef455]

It takes as long as it takes. Similar to shaving I find cooking to be, most of the time, a soothing meaningful activity.

Occasionally I'm not in the mood to put forth the effort. Hence a seasoned piece of fish gets popped into the air fryer and some veggies are sautéed with oil, S&P, and a splash of something. Same could be said of a quick shave. Shave stick, synthetic, tech, one pass wtg. Done.

Generally speaking dinner takes a minimum of half and hour and I can knock out some pretty nummy stuff in that amount of time. But that's stove and knife work. Obviously some things take a greater amount of time. If LOTH and I are cooking together, I could care less how long it takes. There's a bottle of wine being shared, music, conversation, laughs.

Quality over speed... but I'm still pretty quick

 

[Chef455]

I like it that you like cooking and therefore take your time. I pick up whatever implement goes first and am instantly transported to half a century ago in a hard working kitchen, moving at a frenetic pace, taking delight in each time shaving maneuver, thinking of synchronizing elements, and just knocking it out with the only slow down for taste and correction. I am 73 and still get off on going fast.

I had the opportunity to step back into one of my old kitchens when I was between jobs several years ago. Just working as a line cook. Production, service, clean up and go home. What a fun 3 months. A well honed brigade is a beautiful thing to be a part of.

 

[DoctorShavegood]

Lemon Capellini tonight. All of 20 minutes.

 

[someguyontheinternet]

Depends on the dish and amount I'm preparing. Average I would put around 40-45min, with the quickest around 10-15min. I usually prepare for 2-5 people so times can vary a lot. If I cook only for myself, it can take as little as 5-10 minutes. If I can afford to, I like to go at a more relaxed pace though.

 

[Luc]

I should start with "it depends" like many others. A typical meal is 30 mins (fast) and 60 mins (normal or longer).

I try to do 30 mins meals during the week and take more time during the weekend. Depending on what I have to do (outside the kitchen) or how tired I am (I'm getting old eh?!).

Anyways, a lot of those can also be looked at:
-are you including cooking time in your prep time? Meaning, If I cook a pork shoulder on the bbq for 6 hours, does it take 6 hours of my time? No, more like 30-45 mins, time to set up the smoker and check on the piece here and there.
-If I eat tacos, I would typically press my tortillas. I started doing double batches or tortillas as it doesn't take much more time to press 16 tortillas and cook them compared to my regular 8 tortillas. I save more time with 1 session of 16 versus 2 sessions of 8. I started making my tortillas during the weekend and we eat the other half during the week.

I try to cook a larger quantity where I can use the leftover to make a new meal (and save time cooking a new piece of meat for example).

I would make a roast during the weekend, the leftover meat will be used in a stir-fry during the week. If I have too much meat, I will freeze it. I would then use those freezer packs the week after (ideally). It's a matter of organizing a rotation so everything moves in there.

 

[Three_Bravo]

it entirely depends on what's on the agenda!

 

[GR5233]

it entirely depends on what's on the agenda!

Pretty much what I was going to say

 

[jrberry55]

My routine is almost always...

1-1.5 hours pre and cook
15 mins eat
1-1.5 hours cleanup

This is when cooking from scratch. There are some nights where I have already prepped and basically it is the same minus about an hour of the pre and cook time.