Savvy mums’ tips: cooking shortcuts

Try these three great suggestions for everyday tasks in the kitchen:

Shenz says:
‘A quick way to thicken a sauce when time is short is to add a little instant mash to it. Works for soups and casseroles as well.’

Jodie says:
‘Mix sweet mashed potato with normal mash to encourage the kids to try new flavours.’

Louise says:
‘When making shortbread biscuits remove some of the flour and replace it with semolina – it gives the biscuits more of a crunch. I have been doing this for years and I always get loads of good comments on them!’

Editor’s tips:
• Add a mustard kick: if you’re making a flour and butter roux as a base for a cheese sauce or a vegetable gravy, use half flour and half mustard powder for a richer flavour.
• Lemon veg: if you want to soften onion and other vegetables for a casserole instead of sautéing, squeeze a lemon over the prepared vegetables, cover and simmer for a few minutes. It adds flavour without using any cooking oil.
• Long-life cream on standby: even if you tend to get fresh cream or other toppings for puddings, a pot of long-life cream in the fridge lasts for months and is perfect for impromptu baking, oomphing-up your pasta sauce or to create a quick classy dessert topping (melt chocolate pieces in the cream on the hob then pour over ice cream and banana or crumbled biscuits).

Savvy tip
Share your ideas with us! Go to the supersavvyme Facebook page.

Pass it on – Great dishes with 3 ingredients
Check out Easy as 123– our savvy recipes for 10 meals you can make with just three ingredients.