I am a working mother of two children., originally from Taiwan. Back to the day of early 90s, being a student in a small town of the USA, authentic Chinese cuisines were not only unaffordable but also unavailable in any restaurants nearby. For the sakes of our picky tastes and limited budgets, joining a potluck party was a highlight in our graduate studies. Collecting recipes, sharing tips of modifying local ingredients and being a food critic for a dish were our main topics in the party. These events eased our homesick and created wonderful memories. After having my own family, I have become the “best and only” chef who is responsible for all meals in my household. I have gained so many grateful and painful experiences over the years. Plus I married a good food critic who is very picky with food’s textures and tastes although he would never admit it. He often points out the inadequacy and shows me the room for improvements which makes me a good chef in my friend circles.

我是一個兩個小孩的媽媽, 1990 初從台灣來美東一個小鎮留學，一直忙碌於學業或工作中，又有點挑嘴，想吃得健康美味，又不想荷包失血，再加上早期留學時，中國餐館的”美味“實在難以入口，迫使我們當年不得不鑽研食譜，定期聚餐，解解嘴饞及鄉愁。當然在聚餐中獲得讚賞，也是當年艱難求生(應該是求學)中，一個令人舒心，稍解鬱悶的時刻！加之食材匱乏，選擇簡單能替代的用料, 也成了一項必修課了。之後多年煮婦的實戰經驗，加上一個口味挑剔又不承認的老公，累積不少成功與失敗的故事，完成理想與現實的個人主厨成長的掙扎歷程, 也為我贏得”煮菜好吃‘的煮婦名聲。

I decide to write down my cooking tips and recipes for my friends, particularly for my two children. It is difficult to eat healthy and save money while eating out most of time. The aroma from home cooking is a satisfying feeling of warmth and happiness. This olfactory sense will increase your appetite and prepare your stomach to indulge the delicious foods. All these benefits can only make possible when food preparation is simple and workable after a long stressful work day. KHow to simplify cooking for tasty balanced meals for day to day living is the main focus in my cooking.

我決定將我的經驗及食譜寫下，因為許多朋友向我要食譜，也因為我兩個小孩。我希望他們不要總是外食，吃太多油膩油炸食物。自己在家掌勺，能吃的健康，也能多存點錢。再加上從小記憶中，家的溫馨總是來自廚房忙碌的身影，空氣中瀰漫的食物香味，讓人從心裡感到溫暖和滿足。只是在繁忙重壓的工作及生活之下，常常有心來預備食物卻無力實行。如何將食物的準備及清理步驟降至最低，將烹調方式化繁為簡，這是我想要分享的經驗與主題。

Energy saving tips for your home cooking 節省精力的家常烹調技巧

1. Prepare big quantities of food instead of one single meal then freeze the unused portions This will save time and energy for both set up and clean up. From my experience, preparing big portions of food is not adding too much work. The extra food can be stored in a freezer bag/container for one family serving with a label for name and date of the dish. It should be safe to eat for up to 3 months in a freezer. When you have an exhausting day, you can simply reheat your choice of frozen foods in a microwave and your dinner is served. How does it sound?

For Chinese cuisines, we like to make variety of soups with pork ribs. Before being used in soups, the ribs have to be prepared in a way to avoid their gamey taste. Cook the ribs in a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes and let them stand for anther 10 minutes. Then wash the ribs in cold water thoroughly. After draining, they are ready to be used in soups. To save time and energy, you can prepare a whole package (2-3 lb) of ribs at one time and freeze unused portions for later. I usually wrap them up for one single use in plastic wrap.

I also like to freeze chopped fresh herbs, such as green onion, parsley, basil, cilantro, garlic, ginger, etc. in freezer bags for convenience use in seasoning. Make sure to dry them well before placing them in bags so they won’t be a big ice chunk. You can drain them and then pat them dry with paper towels. If you have a salad spinner in hand, it is the time to make good use of it. The herbs usually last for a long while in the freezer.

In order to store all frozen foods for convenience of use, it is worth investing a chest freezer. I have one placed in a corner of my dinning room. It does not occupy too much room and looks good.

1. 少煮不如多煮，把多餘的食物凍起來 每次烹煮時，其實準備及善後都相當花費功夫。多清理一些食材並不會增加太多工作量，烹煮時間也類似, 若是煮一次能吃許多次，倒是相當划算。把多餘的食物用冷凍袋或容器，按照每餐的分量裝好，標上菜名及日期放入凍箱即可。一般而言，只要在3個月內吃完，不會有問題。想著某一個特別疲憊的一天，回到家後只要打開凍箱，選擇自己喜歡的菜色，用微波爐解凍加熱之後，即可享受晚餐，這是多麼美好的畫面啊！當然這也是之前辛苦所得的成果。

在中國料理中，用排骨煮湯是常見的底料。適當處理排骨，避免腥膻味，是排骨湯成功的第一步。首先將排骨放入沸騰的水中，煮約10分鐘，再靜置鍋中10 分鐘。之後放入冷水中洗淨瀝乾，就可以用了。為了節省時間精力及能源，可以考慮將買來的排骨（2-3 磅）一次處理好，再依據每次煮湯的量，用保鮮膜包好，放入凍箱中，方便日後取用。

我也喜歡把蔥薑蒜，香菜，九層塔這類調味香料處理切好之後放在凍箱保存，需要時取一些，非常省事方便。通常我會將他們洗淨，瀝乾，用紙巾吸亁水份，然後再切好收入冷凍袋中。如果有太多的水留在其中，容易結成一整塊冰塊，不好取用。如果你手邊有沙拉旋轉除水器，正是派上用場的好時機。因為每次烹調時，香料都用得不多，一次準備之後，一般可以用上好一陣子。

為了方便儲存冷凍食物，我買了一個冷凍櫃，就放在我們飯廳的角落，看起來並不會太顯眼，也不是太佔地方，非常方便。

2. Make use of frozen vegetables to reduce prep time It saves a lot of time and effort to use frozen vegetables so you don’t need to wash, cut or peel them before usage. Studies indicate frozen vegetables are as nutritious as their fresh counterparts. They usually freeze down when they are just harvested. Many vegetables freeze well such as spinach, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, corn, carrot, okra, string beans, etc. I usually defrost them in the microwave before cooking. I also add them to a soup straight from the bag, such as spinach or kale. You can easily find these vegetables in frozen aisles of a supermarket. However, in Chinese cuisines, many leafy vegetables used for stir fry cannot freeze well. I will plan this type of dishes when I have more time and energy for the day.

2. 多利用冷凍蔬菜來減少烹煮前的準備 當我們在烹調時選擇用冷凍蔬菜，可以省下不少清洗，削皮及切片的時間與精力。大部分根莖類的蔬菜，冷凍之後再煮食，並不影響食物的質感及美味。在我的凍箱裡常有的包括菠菜，羽衣甘藍，胡蘿蔔，白色及綠色花椰菜，雪裡紅，竹筍，玉米，豆子，四季豆等。我一般都在微波爐裏解凍後，按著新鮮蔬菜的作法使用。若事先計劃好，也可以在前一天先放在冰箱內解凍。如果是將蔬菜用來煮湯，例如菠菜及羽衣甘藍，就不須解凍直接放入滾水中即可。你可以在超市冷凍櫃找到這些冷凍蔬菜。其實冷凍蔬菜和新鮮蔬菜營養價值相當，甚至更為新鮮，因為他們是在產地附近直接急凍包裝的。不過我們吃的中國菜，大部分都是清炒葉菜類蔬菜，這類蔬菜就只能用新鮮的了。我一般會計劃在比較有時間的時候煮這類的菜。

3. Make use of slow cooker for stew In Chinese cuisine, we cook variety of meats in a stew style, i.e. adding meat, vegetables and water in a pot. In cooking 101, I learned this from my failed lessons – when raw meats are in contact of cold (even hot) water, it will produce an unpleasant gamey taste which ruins the dish. To prevent this from happening, the meats need to be prepared in two ways prior to adding in the pot. 1) Browning meats with oil in a frying pan. 2) Boiling meats in a pot of hot water then rinsing and draining them. It is a bit time consuming, especially if you are browning the meats for a big pot. I use a slow cooker to cut down this important step and save my prep time. Simply rinse the meats, pat them dry with paper towels and place them in the pot coated with oil. For browning effect, mix meats with some oil. Otherwise, just simply grease the pot to avoid sticking. Cook for 1 1/2 hour in high setting before adding any liquids, i.e. water or sauces. The cooking time of a slow cooker is long though , 2-3 hours for chicken, 4-5 hours for duck & pork and 6-8 hours for beef, depending on how the meat is cut and how tender the meat is done. However, the prep time can be cut down as short as 10 minutes in some recipes . This can be a good weekend or “work from home” project. The reward is delicious food and sweet pleasing smelling in the house.

3. 利用慢鍋來處理燉煮或紅燒的肉類 中國料理中，肉類常常會加醬油紅燒或滷的方式來煮食。我從最初的失敗經驗中學到，生肉不能和水（即便是熱水）同時煮食，除非是少量的肉放入一大鍋沸水中，否則會產生難吃腥羶味，再多的調料如薑葱酒都難以蓋住它。一般我們會在烹煮之前先用兩種方式來處理肉類，一種在煎鍋中加蔬菜油先將肉煎至焦黃，另一種是在一鍋水中煮到肉的表面已熟變色，再將水倒掉肉洗淨。之後再加調料配菜烹煮成一道美味。這樣預先處理肉類，其實蠻花時間的。我喜歡利用慢鋦來節省這些準備的時間，我先將慢鍋的鍋子塗一層油，將洗淨的肉用紙巾擦乾，放入慢鍋中。如果食譜中提到將肉先煎一下，可以考慮將肉拌入多一點油。用高的溫度先煮1個小時到1個半小時，之後再加水及醬油及其他用料。只是用慢鍋煮需要較長的煮食時間，跟據肉切的大小及煮後的軟硬度，一般雞肉需要3～4 小時，豬肉及鴨肉需要4～5 小時，牛肉需要6～8 小時。但是準備時間可能減少至10 分鐘，我可以一邊煮菜一邊做我自己的事。這會是很好的週末或“在家工作”的操作任務。等待的報酬就是美味的食物和滿屋子的飯菜香。

4. Use oven to roast vegetables and meats It is a simple way to prepare food in oven. I like to use low temperature roasting to preserve moisture in food and avoid mistakes from overcooking. Life is full of surprise and dramas. Ether from my child’s emergency or my friends’ exciting chats, I have forgotten my cooking in the kitchen so many times in the past. I found the neglect is easily forgiven in low temperature roasting if the food is attended to, within 20-30 minutes of projected cooking time . The food may be softer than usual and it is still ok to eat.

To roast vegetables, season them with oil, salt, pepper, minced garlic and herbs of your choice (parsley, Italian seasoning, green onion or cilantro). You can also add Parmesan cheese. Preheat oven in 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lay a foil paper on a baking pan for easy cleaning. Place seasoned vegetables in the pan and then seal it with a foil paper on top to keep moisture in. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Take out the pan, turn over vegetables to the other side. Place it back to oven uncovered. Bake for another 15-20 minutes. You can roast zucchini, summer squash, mushrooms, eggplant, string beans, green peppers, unions, squash, Brussel sprouts , asparagus, etc.

When roasting meats, I like to set oven temperature at 195 degrees Fahrenheit (90.5 degrees Celsius). Since the boiling point (evaporation) of water is 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100 degrees Celsius), roasting under this temperature will preserve moisture (water) in meats and make them tender and juicy inside. The down side is the long roasting time. After seasoning, simply place them in oven at 195 degrees F. The total roasting time for chicken is 2-3 hours and for ribs or duck 4-5 hours depending on the cut. For the last 30 -40 minutes of roasting, increase the temperature to 350 degree F. Turn the meats to the other side halfway to make even golden/brown color. At the last half hour, consider brushing the remaining marinade sauce on meats several times to create an even appetizing color. Skip this step if you don’t have time.

4. 善用烤箱來做烤肉或青菜 用烤箱來準備晚餐是很方便容易的方法。我喜歡用低溫烘烤來保持食物中的水分，不會煮得太過或是太乾, 也容易一次煮多量一些。在低溫烤箱烹調中，不論是遇到小朋友製造的混亂或緊急事件，或者與朋友分享資訊，閑聊八卦忘了注意時間，以我自己的經驗，只要誤差在半個小時之內，一般都沒有太大的關係。可能只是食物本身稍微軟一些，表面稍微乾一點。這也是我喜歡用慢鍋和烤箱的原因之一。

利用烤箱烤煮蔬菜時，先將烤箱溫度設在華氏350度預熱，將蔬菜洗切之後，用鹽、胡椒粉、蒜末、乾的調味香料（義大利調味料、香菜、洋香菜、九層塔、迷迭香等，依照喜好選用）再加上橄欖油，混和均勻備用。喜歡的話也可以加些起司粉。烤盤鋪上鋁鉑紙(方便清理），將調味好的蔬菜放在烤盤上，儘可能只鋪 1-2 層，上面蓋上鋁鉑紙並將邊緣封緊，放入烤箱中烤約20-25 分鐘。將烤盤取出，蔬菜翻面或是上層翻到下層，放回烤箱不需覆蓋鋁鉑紙，再繼續烤15-20 分鐘即可。烤的時間根據蔬菜切的大少和所含水量，可適當調整。我一般常用烤箱烤洋菇、中國茄子、西葫蘆、蘆筍、青椒、洋蔥、四季豆、抱子甘藍等蔬菜。

至於烤箱烤肉，我喜歡利用低溫烤肉法，將烤箱溫度設在華式195度(攝氏約90.5 度）因為水的沸點是華氏212度（攝氏100度），在低於沸點的溫度烤肉，水分不會流失，烤好的肉軟嫩多汁，只是烤的時間較長。將肉類依照喜好調味後，排放在烤盤上，於入預熱在華氏195 度的烤箱中，一般烤排骨，叉燒肉或鴨肉需要烤4-5 個小時，烤雞肉需要 2-3 個小時，最後30 -40 分鐘，將烤箱溫度調至華式350度，先烤15 -20 分鐘，翻面再烤15 分鐘即可，如此可將肉烤成金黃或棕色透亮。在這最後的階段，也可以將醃肉的醬汁塗在肉上數次，會使上色更均勻，成色更鮮亮。如果沒有時間及精力，可以省略這一步，味道仍舊不錯。

5. Make use of seasoning mix in the market. If you have a hectic life, running among work, sport fields and home, anything simple including using seasoning mix will work better for you. Just add the whole package or measure the required amount into a pot at a set time. When adding salt or seasoning, make sure not put in too much in the beginning, better less than more. You can easily add more salt and seasoning to your personal taste at the end of cooking. However, if you make your dish too salty, there is nothing much you can do. (Well, if you add some sugar in the dish, it may help a little – personal experience). The use of seasoning mix is also easier for other assistant chefs in your family to prepare meals under your or package’s directions.

5. 善用市售調料 在繁忙的日常生活中，奔忙於工作，家庭以及小孩的課外活動，任何節省時間與精力的方式，就是較好的方式，這是我個人的體會。只需要取用適量的調味包加入鍋中，再按照個人的口味稍做調整，即可上桌享受美味。不過在最開始加調味料，尤其加鹽時，切記寧可加少不要加多。在起鍋前試味道時，不夠鹹只要再加點鹽或醬油即可，太鹹的話就很難補救了。我個人經驗是可以加一點糖試試，但幫助不大，糖也不能加太多，：所以要儘可能避免這種問題。使用市售調味料這種簡化的方式，也容易交給家中的助理廚師 – 配偶或小孩來幫忙烹煮。

One big and unpleasant job of home cooking is the clean up. To decrease the use of containers for later washing, I like to use a glass container for cooking, serving and storing leftovers, all in the same one. Just make sure these containers are oven safe and microwave safe. If you get them with lids, you can even stack them up in the refrigerator.

I also recommend use dishwasher to save your time, energy and water. Believe it or not, it could sometimes save a marriage by not fighting over who and when to wash dishes. Well, this is how and why I started using a dishwasher and can’t live without one for now. To give you some data for a wise decision, I have done some research on dishwashers. It is said using your dishwasher is more earth-friendly. An energy star certified dishwasher can use as little as 3 gallons per load. The average faucet flows rate is at 2.2 gallons per minute. The electricity bill of running a dishwasher at 20 loads per month is around 4 dollars in U.S. Therefore, the use of a dishwasher is a smart decision in all aspects.

在家煮飯有一項最令人厭煩的工作是善後。我的作法是選用可以進烤箱、微波爐、餐桌和冰箱的玻璃容器，一個容器搞定，這樣可以減少使用和清洗盤子的量。若是選擇有蓋的容器，還可以疊在一起，節省冰箱的空間。

另外，我也建議使用洗碗機，來節省你的時間、精力和省水。信不信由你，這樣也可能挽救一樁婚姻，不用再天天為誰洗碗或什麼時候洗爭議不斷，少一點壓力多一點好心情。我也是因為這樣開始用洗碗機的，到現在變成我們廚房的基本配備。為了幫助你做明智的決定，我做了一些研究。據研究發現，使用洗碗機是更環保的。一台節能的洗碗機，每次操作可以做到只使用3加崙的水。而一般水龍頭的平均流速是每分鐘2.2 加崙。至於用電量，一台洗碗機以每個月跑20次的使用頻率，電費估計是美金4元。所以使用洗碗機是相當明智的選擇。

Home cooking is economical and healthy. It also creates a good appetite from sweet smelling of food. This is particularly important if you have a picky eater at home. The image of a parent busy in the kitchen and the aroma of cooking in the air create the sweetness and warmth of our childhood memories. To ease the burden of meal preparation in your busy life, you can consider using frozen vegetables, slow cooker and oven to cook food in big quantities. Freeze prepared food in a single meal portion, labeled with date and name of the dish for easy reference. Cook food over the weekend or in a easy day. Reheat a frozen meal in microwave and serve it for dinner when you have a tough day. Make cooking a family activity when possible to create joyful memories together.

在家自己煮菜不僅經濟健康，而且烹煮食物的香味飄入鼻中，可以讓我們的消化系統準備好接受食物，也使胃口變好。若有家人胃口不好，食慾不振，這樣對食慾特別有幫助。爸爸或媽媽在廚房忙碌的身影以及空氣中瀰漫的食物香味，是充滿在我們兒時記憶中的溫暖與甜蜜。在我們忙碌生活中，簡化煮菜可藉著利用冷凍蔬菜，慢鍋及烤箱，一次煮多一點的份量。把多的部分，根據每餐家裡使用的量，凍在凍箱中，標示日期及菜名，方便日後取用。利用週末或較為輕鬆的日子煮菜，在忙碌或疲憊時候，把凍好的菜用微波爐加熱，就可以享受晚餐。若有可能，把烹煮食物變成全家性活動，一起製造快樂永恆的回憶。