We all know how stressful putting a meal together can be, but you can make it easier by prepping ingredients beforehand. First things first, get that shopping list going & write out everything you need for the week. You may also want to check out local farmer’s markets because they tend to have great, fresh produce there.
After you’ve completed your shopping & you’re back home, leave out all the produce & herbs in order to clean & then properly store away. For example, you may want to cut onions & bell peppers in advance & place them in containers where they’re ready to go when you need them. If you cut enough, they may last you a week, but usually, they go pretty quickly in my house! It’s also a good idea to take cloves of garlic with the skin on & soak them in hot water for a bit. You’ll see how easily they peel when soaked.
For herbs like cilantro, parsley, and dill, it’s best to rinse them in cold water & pat them dry. Salad spinners work great to get most of the water out and then air dry the herbs on kitchen towels on the counter. After that, grab some Ziploc bags & a dry paper towel to put everything away together. The paper towel is a great trick to remove moisture from the herbs in the bag. You’ll want to make sure you take out all the air from the bag though!
This technique of prepping is called “mise en place”, a French culinary phrase meaning “putting in place” or “everything in its place”. One of the many things I picked up interning & working in kitchens & restaurants in NYC is prepping makes a difference & makes things easier to cook if you’re on a time crunch.