5 ways to become a faster cook

Busy days and nights can make it tempting to reach for takeout or just a mishmash of random snacks in lieu of a home-cooked meal. Anyone else ever just eat hummus for dinner? *sheepishly raises hand*

Whipping up a nourishing, delicious meal doesn't have to be a drag. Become a weeknight dinner warrior with these simple tricks and save the hummus for snack time.

Try to have a couple of things going at the same time — but don't drive yourself nuts. For example: Make sure your oven is preheating or that your pot of water is heating on the stovetop while you prep your ingredients. If you're planning on roasting veggies as a side, make sure those are in the oven while you sear your protein on the cooktop. Efficiency is key.

Riff on familiar favorites so you know exactly what to expect as you're putting together the meal. Swap out beef for pork or broccoli for Brussels sprouts. Save the experimental recipes for nights when you have a little more time to concentrate.

Gather up all the ingredients and tools you'll need before starting the recipe so you're not scrambling as things are cooking. (And so you know if you're missing anything and have to improvise.)

In that same vein, if you are using a new recipe or one you don't have memorized by heart, read it through a couple of times to make sure you understand the order of the steps. It'll also help reduce the number of times you need to stop what you're doing to consult the recipe.

Place dirty tools in the dishwasher or sink as soon as you're done with them to get them out of your way. Also, put ingredients back in the pantry or fridge once you've taken what you need. The less cluttered your countertops, the quicker you'll be able to navigate your kitchen and keep things moving along. Plus it’ll make the after dinner cleanup much less painful.