Dirt Don't Hurt: Fooding at the speed of life
Fast food. It all started in 1921, when the first White Castle opened in Wichita, Kansas. From that very first French fry, the fast-food business exploded with royalty and golden arches and redheaded girls and bells that must sound like the glorious crunch of a taco.
But what about the speed of food at home, without the convenience of a deep fryer machine and a crew of trustworthy teenagers to run it? It may not be served with little packets of ketchup, but the food we eat at home all has a speed. And often, the decision of what to eat is decided by the speed at which the chef prepares, which is based on how much time the chef has. Don’t believe me? Ask your mother.
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Slow meals don't only come out of a slow cooker
The slowest food of all is usually served at special occasions such as favorite birthday celebrations or multi-course holiday dinners. Some meals even take days to prepare, especially if you include the time needed to thaw a turkey or elaborately decorate a cake. These meals are, thankfully, few and far between.
Deceivingly faster but possibly just as lengthy are slow cooker meals. These “set it and forget it” eats allow the chef to dump, stir, plug in, and say little prayers all day that the chicken thighs don’t turn into rubber. Usually simple but hearty, and there isn’t a soccer mom worth her snacks out there who doesn’t have a few good recipes.
When life doesn’t allow you to make meal preparations 8 to 10 hours before dinner, you can always rely on home-cooked fast food. These are the quick meals, ready in 20 minutes or less, or your meal is free! (We wish.) Think: spaghetti and a jar of sauce.
Fast foods: Slap a sandwich together, grab the cereal
But sometimes, there’s not even that much time. Faster food at home is a go-to plan when you’re supposed to have been somewhere 5 minutes ago and you’re trying to put your shoes on and eat at the same time. Slapping some bologna on a piece of bread or a bowl of cereal are great examples of true home fast food.
There is one more category that is often overlooked by chefs, soccer moms, and tardy people extraordinaire. The fastest food. These single-ingredient foods are grab-and-go when you’re running out the door or when you’re just too tired to even find the expiration date on the milk.
These fastest foods span the food pyramid and the colors of the rainbow, from eating peanut butter directly out of the jar with a spoon to squirting whipped cream in your mouth. A pouch of tuna, a piece of cheese, or maybe a handful of carrots without any dip.
So many times, we’ve heard to stop and smell the roses, but a few meals of peanut butter might also remind you to stop and enjoy a slightly rubbery chicken thigh.
Reach Karrie McAllister at mckarrie@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: It takes time to decide what to team; oh, so much depends on time
