Quote Originally Posted by smilingcat View Post

And don't turn on the stove until everything is ready to go!!
Yep yep yep. Unlike TV, I have to be my own army of prep cooks, but everything still works mostly the same way. A collection of small bowls is indispensable for measuring out spices and prepared ingredients. Mince the garlic first, for health reasons; chop the onions last so I still have some eyesight left! For ingredients I'll be using in larger quantities (soaking beans, chopping vegetables), I'll use a sealable container that I can just rinse and re-use for the leftovers.

The exception would be ingredients that go in during the last few minutes of cooking, like chopped greens or minced herbs, that I can prepare while the rest of everything is cooking.

For everyday, I'm not particular about stock. All my vegetable scraps and Parmesan rinds go into the freezer, and when I have enough to fill a big pot, I'll make stock, then freeze that in 3 to 6 cup containers. It's different every time and not what you'd want to use when the stock is really critical, but it adds some depth to my soups and risotti, and makes me feel like I'm getting everything I can out of my veggies.