© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015 Managing time

Lesson objectives To explain the benefits of managing your time when preparing and cooking food. To identify strategies to help with time management. © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

Being creative with time! Often the amount of time you have will determine the recipes that you cook along with who will be eating and the occasion. Being organised will help you manage your time. © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

Be organised Read the recipe carefully before you start. Check that you have all the ingredients and equipment needed. Plan ahead – if an ingredient is frozen, make sure you leave plenty of time for it to defrost thoroughly in the fridge. Weigh and measure all your ingredients before you start. Gather all the equipment you will need before you start and check whether it is clean. © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

Be organised Read through the recipe and identify if any component part needs to be prepared first, if it takes longer or needs time to set, e.g. a bread dough base for a pizza might need time to prove (rise) before the pizza is assembled and cooked. If you are making more than one dish, consider which one should be made first - could the dish, or part of the dish, be made and then refrigerated until needed. If appropriate, ensure that any reheated dishes are steaming hot and reheated only once. © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

In the classroom Effective time management and organisation in the practical room is essential to ensure that dishes are finished on time. Make sure you: start the lesson quickly – know and follow the routine for getting ready to cook; keep your area tidy, put rubbish in the bin and peelings in a bowl ready for composting; keep your area clean and wash up regularly – don’t leave it all to the end of the lesson. © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

In the classroom Also consider: sharing oven space or baking trays; hob management – be aware of how many pans will be needed to cook the recipe, perhaps share with a partner, e.g. cook pasta in one pan rather than two. © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

During cooking Read the method carefully – make sure you follow each stage. If the oven is needed, pre-heat before you start to prepare your ingredients – this will ensure that it is the correct temperature when required. Get water onto boil for pasta, rice or stock before you need it. Do not get distracted- ignore your phone! © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

Bulk cooking Why not cook more than you need and then either reheat it the next day or freeze for the future? Remember: store left overs in the fridge and use within 48 hours; reheat food only once and make sure it is steaming hot; defrost frozen food thoroughly and reheat until steaming hot. © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

Acknowledgement For further information, go to: © LMC 2015 © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015