How Long Does It Take To Cook? (Be FASTER!)

Cooking food is a process that can vary anywhere between 30 minutes to 2 hours. The time really depends on the type of dish you are trying to make.

People who don’t know how to cook can easily get scared about cooking time. However, not all dishes require hours of preparation and cooking time.

There are a large variety of dishes that can be made within a few minutes only. You can make countless dishes in 30 minutes depending on the recipe you have selected.

While most chefs and professional cooks spend hours making their food, normal day-to-day cooking can be very easy and fast.

If you are someone who is new to cooking and don’t know the basics about it, this article will be of great help. I will explore various dishes and the varied cooking times required to make them at home.

How Long Does it Take to Cook Food?

Cooking food can take anywhere from 30 minutes to hours at an end. Depending on the complexity of the dish and your own experience, the timings may change.

It is rather difficult to say for sure the exact time it takes to make food. For example, roasts and barbecues can take hours and an end including marination and prep.

On the other hand, one-pot meals can take around 30-40 minutes to cook and are the easiest to cook. Salads on the other hand can also take very less time to cook since it only requires you to boil and fry veggies and meat.

Additionally, cooking time can vary depending on your experience and skills. People Who Cook on a regular basis will take a considerably short amount of time to make a dish.

However, amateur or inexperienced cooks can take longer to finish cooking an item simply due to a lack of skills and practice. It is important to note that not every dish requires a lot of finesse so you can make a dish in 30 minutes even if you are an amateur.

Personally speaking, I used to take a considerably long time in cooking pasta and roasts when I was starting out. Now that I am a professional chef with my own cafe, I have become a pro at my job.

How Long Does it Take to Cook Dinner?

Cooking dinner usually takes around 45 minutes to an hour. The entire cook and prep time will depend on the type and variety of dishes you want for dinner.

For simple one-pot dinners, only 30-40 minutes is more than enough. You are simply going to prepare your ingredients and toss them in a pot and place it on the stove to cook. 

Since there is no need to individually cook each item, the total cooking time is significantly reduced. You would only require to toast some bread or make some mashed potatoes to go on the side.

On the other hand, making elaborate 3 or 4-course meals will take you a significantly longer time to cook. Since you need to prep and cook each item separately, you will easily spend somewhere between an hour or two to complete the entire dinner.

For example, imagine making Thai curry, rice, and dumplings for dinner. The entire process will require you to make all these items separately hence increasing the overall time.

Desserts also take much longer to cook. Adding a dessert dish with your dinner may increase the overall cook time by 40 minutes or an hour.

How to Learn Cooking in a Month?

To learn cooking in a month, you have to be consistent in your approach and make food every day. You also need to keep trying and rectifying your mistakes instead of giving up and ordering takeout.

I know it is tempting to throw out everything and order takeout every time something goes wrong. However, this won’t allow you to learn cooking in a Month.

Developing culinary skills may be extremely hard for many people. However, if you work on it regularly and polish your skills daily, you will be a pro in no time.

You need to start out by trying simple recipes like scrambled eggs, pancakes, pan-seared chicken, and sauté veggies. When you have mastered these, you can try out more difficult items like pasta, pizza, tortillas, and burritos.

Do not try to start with difficult dishes as it may affect your confidence without obtaining any result. Always have someone experienced guide you in person or virtually so that you have some support and knowledge about what to do.

What is the Simplest Thing to Cook?

The simplest thing to cook would be grilled chicken and eggs. Eggs are very versatile and don’t require a lot of finesse when cooking them.

Grilled chicken is a staple food in many American households. It is one of the best meat preparations which doesn’t have a lot of calories or fat. 

Making a grilled chicken will require a cook time of 30 to 40 minutes in total. Here is a quick recipe on how to make the perfect grilled chicken:-

• Take a large bowl of water and add salt to the water to dissolve. Add 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts and place them in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.

• Prepare your grill and keep high direct heat on one side. Alternatively, you can use a grill pan and set it over medium-high heat on the burner.

• Take out the chicken breasts and pat them dry to remove excess water. Coat each side of the chicken breasts with olive oil, pepper, salt, and paprika.

• Brush some olive oil on the grill and then start placing the chicken breasts on the hot side. Grill the chicken and turn it over after 10 minutes to see if the side has browned. 

• When one side is browned, turn them over, and let the other side finish. Cover with a lid to help cook it thoroughly. 

• After roughly 30 minutes, remove the lid and move the chicken around in the oil. Poke into the chicken or make a cut to see if it’s cooked thoroughly.

• Take the chicken off the pan and add it to a plate. You can also fry some veggies like carrots and beans by adding a little oil and salt to the pan.

Making eggs is even simpler than making chicken. All you have to do is take a bowl and crack in your eggs with a little salt and pepper. 

In the next step, whisk the egg and spread the even mixture on a hot pan with oil. Wait for 4 minutes for one side to cook and then slowly roll over from the side to finish the cooking. 

For scrambled eggs, you can start cutting and spreading out the mixture just when it’s beginning to solidify a little. Sunny side up can be made by directly cracking an egg on a hot oiled pan and then cooking it on medium heat on one side only.

Final Remarks 

Cooking is not very difficult if you are willing to learn and put in the effort. You can easily make a great dinner or lunch within 40 minutes if you practice daily and keep sharpening your skills.

You can also follow numerous recipe books that are available in the market for amateurs. Always remember that mistakes will happen but you need to keep practicing till they become a rare occurrence.

Here is a quick recap about cooking times as I’ve discussed.

It can take about 30 minutes to 2 hours to prepare food. Cooking time, however, depends on the dish you choose, the complexity of the recipe, your experience, and the number of dishes you will be cooking.