Whether you have a family to cook for, or are just cooking for yourself, you know as much as we do that the current loadshedding schedules are not doing us any favours when it comes to preparing our meals during the times that we’re used to, especially when it happens just as you walk into the house after a hard day of work at the office.
To help, we’ve put together a list of some great tips that you can use to keep cooking great meals, even when loadshedding interrupts your cooking time.
Let’s take a look:
1. Use your slow cooker
Actually, any cooking appliance that switches off automatically by using a timer will work. Chances are you have one of these appliances somewhere in your cupboard and you hardly ever use it anymore. Well, now is the time! Throw in your meat, veggies and spices and put on your timed appliance when you leave the house in the morning. Your food will be ready when you get home.
2. Save time by planning ahead
Sometimes you only have limited time to cook something spectacular before the power goes out. You can save precious time by cooking some elements of your meal beforehand. Things like rice, or spaghetti that take longer to cook can be stored in the fridge until ready to use. This way you save an extra 20 minutes of cooking!
3. Summer meals
We’re talking anything from salads to other delicious meals that can be served cold. Salads are both healthy and filling, and often doesn’t require any electricity to make (depending on your preference of course). If you opt for a salad or cold meal containing meat, you can plan ahead and prepare your meat beforehand and store it in the fridge until ready to use.
4. Good ol’ braai
Nothing beats a good old braai. Embrace your Africanacity by lighting up the fire and making anything from tasty braaibroodjies and grilled veggies to crispy meats. You can even become creative and make some delicious desserts on the fire. Feel free to brag a little and share your meals with the community on our Facebook pages!
5. Restaurants
Some restaurants have purchased generators that allows them to carry on operating during loadshedding. If you’re not in the mood to cook, why not support local? You can even check your delivery app to see if these restaurants will deliver, so you won’t even have to leave your house. Convenient, right?