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The Cook Up with Adam Liaw
series • cooking
PG
series • cooking
PG
As a recipe developer and editor, over 10,000 recipes have gone past my desk over the last decade, and I often wonder why recipe writers focus so heavily on prep and cook time, but never dishwashing time. The time-sink of the lengthy clean-up post cooking can often turn people off cooking entirely, causing them to miss out on the major health and cost benefits of cooking from scratch.
Fortunately, good cooking can be achieved without requiring every utensil you've got. Several tips and tricks help reduce time spent washing dishes.
Some of my top tips include using food that requires less chopping, such as minced meat instead of fillets (which often require slicing for dishes like stir-fries), frozen, chopped vegetables and baby spinach leaves, or pre-crumbed chicken schnitzels to make dishes like chicken parmigiana.
Good cooking can be achieved without requiring every utensil in the home.
Techniques like cooking pasta directly in the sauce saves on a second pot and colander. Tray-bake and air-fryer meals save multiple pots and pans if you add the ingredients in the correct order. For no-mess crumbing, try pressing seasoned panko crumbs directly onto fish and chicken fillets to oven-bake, reducing the need to mix flour, egg and breadcrumbs in endless bowls.
For my latest, favourite minimal-washing recipes, tune into The Cook Up. Here are some some the recently finished Season 6 , which was jam-packed with achievable recipes from around the globe, with many minimising clean-up time.
The Cook Up Season 6, episode 2
Utensil count: 3
Reardon not only makes the salad by directly layering ingredients onto plates, she uses a mandolin instead of a knife and board for perfectly shaved carrot and cucumber slices. Finally, she pan-fries pepitas in rendered salmon fat, instead of using utensils to make a dressing – brilliant!
The Cook Up Season 6, episode 7
Utensil count: 3
This simple fisherman's lunch recipe from Adam Liaw takes inspiration from the humble ploughman's lunch, requiring very little cooking. It involves serving sliced smoked salmon and tinned mackerel with pickles, toasty bread, cheese and apple slices for a hearty meal.
The Cook Up Season 6, episode 38
Utensil count: 4
This simple but flavoursome poached barramundi recipe utilises tinned cherry tomatoes and coconut cream for flavour with little effort. While there's a little chopping required for aromatics, the barramundi fillets are cooked whole, cutting down on hands-on preparation work.
The Cook Up Season 6, episode 38
Utensil count: 4
You only need a knife, board, frying pan and wooden spoon to pull together this delightful chickpea dish in 25 minutes.
Credit: Jiwon Kim
The Cook Up Season 6, episode 56
Utensil count: 5
Ready in 15-20 minutes, this chicken salad only needs a pan, tongs, bowl, board and knife to make a salad dressing of apple cider vinegar and chicken-resting juices that goes directly onto the salad instead of a separate jar or bowl.
The Cook Up Season 6, episode 59
Utensil count: 4
These richly spiced kheema pavs will be gone in a flash, and luckily, so will the dishes afterwards.
The Cook Up Season 6, episode 63
Utensil count: 4
This decadent but speedy crab omelette requires no chopping and only four utensils: a bowl, whisk, wok and spatula.
Ready in just 10 minutes, this impressive egg dish can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
The Cook Up Season 6, episode 70
Utensil count: 5
This one's for the vegetarians after a satisfying and hearty one-pot meal.
With just 15 minutes of hands-on preparation work, this biryani simmers away to perfection in 20 minutes before it hits the table.
Credit: Jiwon Kim
The Cook Up Season 6, episode 80
Utensil count: 4
This clever Mauritian cassoulet recipe uses tinned tomatoes, two types of beans and baby spinach for easy prep requiring only a board, knife, pan and wooden spoon.
Credit: Jiwon Kim
