Dinner on a deadline
Michael Ruhlman ruffled a lot feathers when he called bullshit on people who can’t find time to cook. To be sure, there are people out there making poor choices, watching hours of TV yet kvetching they can’t put any energy into feeding themselves or their families. But leaving this (admittedly large) group aside for a moment, I also know there are many smart, thoughtful people who simply can’t spend even an hour every day in the kitchen.
Take our household, as one example. I honestly don’t think anyone could question our devotion to good food and home cooking. We go to the farmers market every damned week, even when it’s pouring buckets. We grow a lot of our own produce, though it would be far simpler to buy it. And we preserve both our own harvest and foods we buy in season. We cure our own meats, from time to time. We spend whole days — whole weekends, even — focused on putting real food on our table, and sharing it with people we care about.
But even though I love nothing more than spending hours in the kitchen, the realities of my job and my life mean it’s a luxury that I can’t have all the time.
I know Ruhlman loves to stir the pot — and god love him for that, the world needs more agitators. I also know that his reality is different from mine, and probably yours: This is a man who works at home and devotes his professional life to food. His bread-baking is integrated into his bread-winning in a way that few of us could manage. But for many people, even his simple roast chicken is too much work. Hell, on some particularly craptacular nights, roast chicken is too much work for me. I’m not proud of that. But on the other hand, I don’t beat myself up about it. As Cameron often says: “We eat better at home than most people do in restaurants.” And I think that’s true even when we’re defrosting, reheating, and MacGyvering our way to the table.
We (by which I mean all of us who care about food, and health, and community) need to teach people to make good food in whatever time they have available, not heap scorn on those who think that 30-Minute Meals are the answer. I can make dinner — organic, local, balanced food — in 15 minutes if pressed. It may not be pretty, but it’s real and it’s delicious.
I’ve been cooking since I was old enough to reach the countertop, though, and a lot of what allows me to make those on-the-fly meals happen is the result of hard work at some point days or weeks earlier. Cooking on a daily basis requires planning. It also means relying not necessarily on convenience foods, but convenient food. It’s equal parts planning ahead, stocking your larder, and knowing your limitations — things that can take years to master by trial and error. We shouldn’t expect people to come straight to the kitchen knowing what they need to do.
I realize, as I write all this, that in a way I’ve been part of the problem.
I rarely mention, much less post, our quick-and-dirty weeknight meals. They’re often less-than-photogenic specimens, and they’re usually the sort of food you don’t really need a recipe to make. When I do resort to posting something unglamorous, it’s usually because I’ve signed on for a challenge, and the deadline is looming. I always feel odd, writing about a dinner that isn’t picture perfect, because it feels like I am shortchanging my readers. But on the other hand, I think (hope!) you all realize that we don’t eat beautiful food seven days a week.
So here’s my commitment: Every week, for the next 12 weeks, I’m going to write about a trick I use to get dinner on the table quickly. I’ll also give you a little homework: Something simple enough that you can do it while your partner washes up after dinner, or in an hour or so on the weekend. And each post will include a recipe to show how to use the week’s tip in a real-life setting, usually a tried-and-true supper we actually eat on a regular basis. I’ll answer questions in the comments, and hopefully we can all learn from one another.
When I get to the bottom of my bag of tricks, I’ll throw it open to you. We’ll have a roundup event, where you can either use my tips to create your own weeknight meal, or post a time-saver of your own. By August, you’ll know what I know, and you’ll have put it into practice so you can riff on it yourself.
I may be preaching to the choir here; if you’re reading this blog, you may be doing these things already. On the other hand, a quick straw poll of my food-loving pals tells me there’s value in this exercise, even for the veterans. But fear not: I’ll keep things simple enough that novice cooks will be able to put the tips to use, too.
So, who’s with me: Who wants to play along?
Comment by Adrienne
I think this is a wonderful idea. Many folks need help in this department. And I could always use some fresh input.
Posted on 05.02.10 at 4:29AM
Comment by Lauren
Thank you thank you thank you thank you
Posted on 05.02.10 at 4:46AM
Comment by wendy
What a great idea! I’m definitely on board and will be doing this on my blog too. I’m glad I saw the link to your post and blog n lastnightsdinner!
Posted on 05.03.10 at 4:53AM
Pingback by Mushroom Leek Pasta « The Whole Kitchen
[…] of Married with Dinner, crafted the perfect response to Ruhlman, which you should go read immediately (or, as soon as you […]
Posted on 05.03.10 at 8:11AM
Comment by Karen
Thank you so much! What a well-worded response to Mr. Ruhlman, and I’m so looking forward to your series — I’m a novice cook and tend to be a slave to recipes and am eager to learn more about managing my pantry/kitchen to get good meals on the table when I’m pressed for time.
Posted on 05.03.10 at 10:50AM
Pingback by Market Scene: Spring at the Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market in San Francisco | Recipes for Everyone
[…] organized market shoppers and home cooks I know. For the next twelve weeks, she will be running Dinner on a Deadline, a project to get us all cooking quick, well-planned, weekday meals with our local produce. […]
Posted on 05.03.10 at 11:11AM
Comment by renee ~ heirloom seasons
Hi Anita, This is your cousin Renee! I found out about your blog a while ago, really love it, I like to go back and read your posts about Grandma and Grandpa.
I sure do understand the no time to cook thing, however, I have made dinner for my family just about every single night for more than a decade. We never eat out, (seriously never, occasionally a meal at a friend’s house), we never eat pre-made packaged meals, I love to prepare good food for my family, but yeah, it’s not as nice when you don’t have the time. (At least I work from home, but still, two jobs, homeschooling, etc…)
I’m seeing that my comment is very long but I just have to leave it. So happy to see you here, would love to have chats with you about local food goodness, Grandpa, childhood memories… Lots of love, Renee
Posted on 05.03.10 at 7:04PM
Comment by NelsonW
Knock ’em dead Anita!
I am looking forward to your series.
Posted on 05.03.10 at 7:17PM
Pingback by Rethinking Weeknight Dinners — Last Night's Dinner
[…] Anita’s Dinner on a deadline post is still percolating around my brain, and it has been interesting to follow the responses her post has received so far. This last week has been a bit of an anomaly for us in the kitchen, with Mike fine-tuning his pizza recipes for food52’s Week 47 challenge, and me working on some cooking and recipe-testing projects of my own, but we’ve still had to get dinner on the table, and when it hasn’t been pizza or one of my works-in-progress, it has most often been something as simple as pasta. And as much as I’ve griped in the past about how I can’t bear to post another darned pasta dish, I’ve decided that I’m really okay with pasta being something we eat as often as we do, whether it makes it to the blog or not. […]
Posted on 05.05.10 at 5:55AM
Comment by Aleta
What a great idea. Everyone needs a bag of tricks for quick, tasty dinners. I can’t wait to dig into yours. For my part, I usually just smear Dijon mustard over chicken breasts, sprinkle them with panko and pop them into the oven while I make a salad.
Posted on 05.06.10 at 9:14AM
Pingback by Married …with dinner » Blog Archive » Dinner on a Deadline: Week 1 – Get organized
[…] post is the first of 12 installments in the Dinner on a Deadline series, a project designed to help you get thoughtful meals on the table quickly without resorting […]
Posted on 05.07.10 at 7:00AM
Pingback by Jasmine Brown Rice with Mushrooms and Leeks | Literary and Culinary Delights
[…] also have the Whole Kitchen to thank for referring me to Married with Dinner, whose comment on the failure of food bloggers to admit that the food they cook isn’t always […]
Posted on 05.08.10 at 7:48AM
Comment by The Raven
Definitely count me in. I’ve been trying out meal planning for the last several weeks and things really are going well. How could I not have done this before???
Posted on 05.10.10 at 10:16AM
Comment by ruhlman
this is a great post. thanks for adding to the conversation in such a productive way. I love your dinner on a deadline tag line, not emphasizing quick and easy, only the reality that we don’t always have time. Your first post is also excellent in its focus on planning rather than compromise. Continued success! I’ll be reading!
Posted on 05.11.10 at 5:26AM
Comment by Chris
Love it–looking forward to reading and participating, Anita. I’m in!
Posted on 05.11.10 at 8:28AM
Comment by Cathy/showfoodchef
Sounds fabulous- I just had one of those meals last nite where you don’t bring out the camera cuz it’s no lovely dish,but not a crumb is leftover. Great idea, Anita!
Posted on 05.11.10 at 9:03AM
Pingback by chorizo & potatoes in a sherry broth, and the ruhlman standard « simmer down! (a food lover’s blog)
[…] thoughtful response to this which pretty much sums up my feelings. She is doing a series called Dinner on a Deadline, in an attempt to provide realistic solutions for people who want to find time to cook after […]
Posted on 05.15.10 at 10:46AM
Comment by Ann B
Late to the table (yes, bad pun intended), but I’m in! Great idea …
Posted on 05.18.10 at 3:20PM
Comment by Eleanor
It’s almost the end of week 2 and I only just discovered you.
I’m in!
Working full time and studying part time means I have to plan out my meals. Otherwise I get fat and I have the data to prove it.
Posted on 05.19.10 at 9:15PM
Comment by Kitchen Butterfly
I think it is a great idea to share tips and tricks for getting speedy dinners to the table. I’ll read when I can and maybe share what I’ve learnt from experience (having a fulltime job + 3 kids)
Posted on 05.23.10 at 5:03AM
Comment by Kristin the Brooklyn Forager
I’m definitely in! I just found this, but I’m all about getting good food to the table on a deadline and I could use some work 🙂
Posted on 05.23.10 at 2:51PM
Comment by molly
I’m new here, but won over, immediately, by this idea. It’s so true, that to cook is a habit, with all the tricks and tips that implies. Love this. Will be checking back.
Posted on 05.24.10 at 7:39PM
Comment by Liz
I love this idea, and am looking forward to catching up on what you’ve written so far. This fits nicely with our blog’s theme – feeding our family of 5 as well as we can given limited time and money!
Posted on 05.24.10 at 7:39PM
Pingback by Mom, What’s For Dinner? Is Meal Planning Really Gonna Be the Answer? « Family Foodie Survival Guide
[…] with food as you are. I recently found my way to Married with Dinner, and am really enjoying her Dinner on a Deadline series. And given that what she is proposing makes complete and total sense, and given that I’m […]
Posted on 05.29.10 at 9:29AM
Comment by xine
late to the party, but am on board. can’t remember how i found you but am so glad i did at this time! just starting to learn real cooking and even started a balcony veggie garden. help wanted! thankyou!
Posted on 05.31.10 at 9:02PM
Pingback by Pasta with Tuna, Tomatoes and Olives
[…] well-stocked pantry can be a busy cook’s best friend, as Anita writes in her Dinner on a Deadline series. (And check out this well-stocked, well-organized pantry — it makes my Virgo heart happy […]
Posted on 06.22.10 at 1:36AM
Comment by Jenny Lu
What happened to getting an update every week?
Posted on 07.06.10 at 9:53AM
Comment by Brenda
Hi Anita,
I feel kind of silly just commenting on a post from April. But I saw your blog on Gluten Free Girl and the Chef and as I was rummaging through your older post I saw this dinner on a deadline commitment. I was like what is this and how do I learn more? I love the idea and I think it is a wonderful challenge. I’ll be following you from now on.
All the best,
Brenda
Posted on 02.01.11 at 3:34PM
Comment by Nicole -Recipes with Leftovers
There seems to be something called cooking burnout. With a little bit of planning and not too high expectations, you can make cooking a lot more do-able. I always expect too much from myself.
Posted on 06.06.11 at 8:54AM