Think of assembling food rather than cooking and you’ll be more motivated to cook a meal. Dishes such as burgers, sandwiches and salads are all easier and faster to “put together”.

Try our simple but delicious Ultimate Beef Burger recipe.

Photo: Rob Shaw/Bauersyndication.com.au

Not everything can be microwaved, but if you need to bake dishes like stuffed potatoes or vegetables, doing it in the microwave is faster than in the oven which can help cut your cooking time by half.

Looking for a good microwave oven and other kitchen appliances to ease your cooking chores? View our list of Domestic Diva Awards 2017 winners.

Buy bags of washed, cut and diced vegetables from your supermarket as this can save you prep time. Some vegetables also require minimal preparation, like cherry tomatoes, baby carrots and asparagus spears. Save the chopping and grating for ingredients like onion and garlic, which are best prepared fresh.

Some sauce preparations in your recipes might seem daunting, but don’t be put off by them as most of these sauces can be replaced by store-bought ones. There are now many varieties and brands of all types of sauces in supermarkets here, and some are so good you can’t even tell they are bottled sauces.

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Domestic Diva Awards 2017: Add These Award-Winning Sauces And Condiments To Your Pantry

Nobody says you must cook the entire meal from scratch; you can cheat with some store-bought items, especially if they are too tedious to prepare. These can be your smoked salmon or grilled chicken breast for your salad toppings.

Try our easy-to-make Smoke Salmon And Potato Salad recipe.

Photo: Rob Shaw/Bauersyndication.com.au

Before you get cooking, look in your fridge to see if there’s anything which might help you save cooking time. Chances are if you cook the day before, there’s some leftovers like veggies, pasta, broth or sauces you can use in your new meal.

READ MORE:
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We all love to bake up something nice for dessert, but baking takes even more time and effort than cooking. And if you are short of time, think out of the box with your sweets, and go for simple and healthy, like Greek yoghurt with berries or go for a low-fuss fruit salad consisting of bananas, grapes and apple slices.

Try this 10-minute recipe of Strawberry Mousse for dessert.

Photo: Rob Shaw/Bauersyndication.com.au