#203 When everything you’re cooking gets done at the same time

Neil Pasricha

Toast gets cold fast.

I’m reminded of this nearly every morning after I toss a couple scrambled eggs onto a plate and then mindlessly chomp into the cold and crumby jam-smeared bread that’s been lying around for a couple minutes.

Do you have issues like I have issues?

Hands up if you’ve ever watched your veggies get cold while the pot roast kept roasting, or served some hot, piping garlic bread before waiting thirty minutes for the lasagna to finish. Yes, eating the side dish long before the meal ranks up there on 1000 Annoying Things, that non-existent netherlist that also includes #983 Peeling off a band-aid that’s stuck to your arm hair, #982 When full hugs meet side hugs, and #981 Clogging someone else’s toilet.

And that’s why it’s so great when everything you’re cooking gets done all at once. When microwaves ding and ovens chime and everything is ready all at the same time, well that’s an itty bitty moment of bliss and a great big feeling of

AWESOME!

Big news, everybody! Thanks to all your support The Calendar of Awesome is coming out this month and The Book of (Holiday) Awesome is coming out this Fall! More details soon.

Photos from: here and here

46 thoughts to “#203 When everything you’re cooking gets done at the same time”

  3. I work in a restaurant, and it is SO great when our chef gets everything to sync up, and all the meals at a table can come out at once.

    Hope to hear more details about the new book soon! (:

  4. My hand is up. I do have issues like you have issues. I try to time it out perfectly, but usually don’t quite succeed. *sigh*

    SO PUMPED about the holiday book! WOO! Also, I can’t wait for my calendar, either … I pre-ordered it with my Books of (Even More) Awesome. Congratulations!

    1. My biggest problem is when I’m cooking thick steaks. For some reason I think it’ll take the same amount of time as a thin steak, so I start cooking everything else too early. All the sides are done and getting cold and the steak is still really red in the middle.
      I also ordered the calander, but I had to cancel it. I will buy it soon, though. It was one of the hardest decisions I had to make. I actually canceled it yesterday. I had no idea there was going to be a holiday book!! How excited am I now?? Hopefully by the time the book comes out I can get the calander too.

      2. Awwwwww, poor calendar :( Yeah, I’d say (unless it starts in August 2011 and goes to August 2012) you’ve got plenty time to get the calendar!

        1. I’m pretty sure its a 2012 calendar. I’m going to make up for cancelling my order and get two when I get to order it next month. I’m going to give one to my bff for her wedding/birthday gift.

    2. My hand is up SO HIGH. This is the main reason I don’t like cooking, and that I’m not very good at it. The multitasking is too stressfull! I think part of my problem is that I also like to clean up as I go, since my kitchen is small and I don’t like working in a mess.

      Yes! Very excitiing news about the new awesome products. Bold move to come out with a calendar in July. ;)

      1. My kitchen is big and I share it with a lot of great people. Let me tell ya, we make an awesome moussaka! When dinner is over, and frankly I’m never quite sure when this is because it takes hours if you count desert and coffee, but, after it’s over, there are so many hands working together to wash up that the place is clean in a jiffy!

        1. I miss sharing a kitchen! When you have that many hands, you never have to worry about dishes not coming out at the same time, cause there’s always someone there to clean up or cut tomatoes for the salad or make the side dish, so you never start too early cause you know you have plenty of time :)

          But as for bread, whether it’s breakfast bread or garlic bread, I always do it wayyyy last, like after the other food is ready. I figure by the time I have the dishes out and in bowls and on the table, my bread will be ready!

      2. Oooooh, maybe that’s part of my problem, too! I ALWAYS clean as I go. It freaks me out when there are so many dirty dishes and surfaces all around. And really, is that a PROBLEM? So our meals aren’t exactly perfectly timed out to arrive on the table in unison … our kitchens look darn good by the time we’re finished! ;)

  5. That picture of the eggs and toast just made me hungry! I really think eggs and toast are so hard to time perfectly together!

    1. So true! I have eggs and toast a lot, and it’s always a sad thing when the eggs are too hard, or the toast is gone cold. But when the timing works – yum!

        1. You speak/type the truth! My favorite way to enjoy crisy bacon is beside some eggs. Yum! =)

  6. I plan how I’m cooking so this happens all the time. I can’t stand to have something finish cooking long before something else, it’ll get cold.
    And yes…you just made me kinda sad that I didn’t have eggs and toast for breakfast.

      2. We always called it “bupper”, for breakfast and supper combined. For some reason my mom always called dinner “supper”.

        1. Oh and I forgot to add that “bupper” nights were AWESOME! Eggs, waffles, bacon, home fries….yum! Those nights were usually movie nights afterwards and we’d curl up on the couch together under a blanket. *sigh* Nothing better.

          1. We always called it B.F.D. = Breakfast For Dinner.. And I agree that it is super awesome..

            It was later in life that I found someone use the term B.F.D. to mean something much less awesome.. Big F’ing Deal.. but those people are jerks, and they don’t understand how awesome it is to eat pancakes, eggs and bacon at night.. :)

      3. I love brinner and I cook it often. Actually we are having brinner on Friday. Eggs, bacon, biscuits, gravy, hash browns… mmmmmm……

  8. So true, so true. It is rather glorious when a complete meal is ready all at once. I’m not sure how many times I’ve experienced it though =(

    “When full hugs meet side hugs.” lol! That’s so awkward/annoying.
    “Clogging someone else’s toilet.” Oh, the shame!

  9. Speaking of issues, I have one. What to do with all that caprese salad (tomato and cheese) neighborhood kids keep feeding my lovable sheep dog under the table? ;p

    1. Feel what you need to, (as I keep being told I must), and then dive into solution: there’s a scrumptious recipe for black bean quinoa soup on line; just toss them all in there! Crumble taco chips and dollop sour cream on top and voila, your problem and today’s post solved, every time!!!
      In addition to this, you get a wee tear duct, sinus and colon cleanse too, so unless she needs it, do not let any kids feed this to your beautiful dog!
      *I have to run, my grand son has digestive/spinchter issues and needs this soup, NOW!

  10. When there’s team work in the kitchen it’s divine…meals synchronize and bells of bliss chime, “These are the days that we must savor…His timely grace is our treasured find.”

  11. Here’s a related trick:

    Have you ever noticed that when you serve a dinner at home, it gets cold SUPER fast, but when you’re at a restaurant it stays warm for much longer? The trick they use in restaurants is they they pre-heat your plate, so they serve your hot food on a hot plate and it stays hot for much longer. When you put hot foot on a cold ceramic plate, a ton of the temperature in the food is immediately sucked into the plate to warm it. Bummer!

    There are a bunch of tricks you can try to employ, including putting your plates in the oven for a little bit, or microwaving them with some water or wet paper-towels on them.. but it works like a charm at keeping food warm at the table while you’re eating it.

    1. I’ve even seen some dishwashers with a plate warmer setting! I should really look into trying some of these tricks. I’m a slow eater so my food is always cold midway through my meal =(

  12. As a former chef myself, I can say that timing a meal is one of the hardest things to learn. And for those of you who find it hard to do at home, take heart! Even the best chefs out there have this trouble too!
    And a chef in a restaurant has the resources of extra help and hours, upon hours of prep in advance time that really is the key to timing a meal. No home cook can truly achieve that. I can’t when I’m just doing it all myself at home either.
    So pat yourselves on the back for your good intentions and best efforts!

  13. It might be just me, but I’m really liking this imaginary 1000 annoying things list (i really hate those full to side hugs too!)

    1. I think once he’s finished the official list, he should start on the annoying one, like #981: Accidentally spitting on someone when you’re talking to them. D: Happens all the time.

  15. I know exactly what you mean! Cooking eggs and toast is a science for me and I always strive to have them all come out ready at the same time. Sometimes I just leave the buttered toast on top of the toaster so they stay warm. My tip to you. :)

  17. Yet another thing on this list I have never accomplished. As hard as I try it never works out. I swear the stars would have to align and Halley’s Comet would have to be in the sky for me to get all my dishes finished at the same time. I accept defeat….for now.

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