A shout out to all the home-cooks out there, and to quote Ina Garten, sometimes ‘store-bought is fine’. If you love to cook, then surely you love feeding people just as much.

The one issue I often have however is time.  Between work, family and life in general, there sometimes isn’t enough time to get things done.  So occasionally, I like to cheat, and today I am sharing some of those with you:

• Rotisserie Chicken: Sure, roasting a chicken is easy enough but it can be time consuming, and I have found the store-bought version to be quite delicious, so why not?
• Puff Pastry: Hands down the most tedious thing to make, in my humble opinion. So, if a recipe calls for phyllo or puff pastry, then it’s straight to the store I go!
• Frozen French Fries: Whenever I try to make fries at home, they come out a little bit flimsy. Being partial to a crispier French fry, I now opt for a bag of McCain and call it a day!
• Dried Pasta & Ravioli: Because who has time to make fresh pasta? Just compensate with a delicious homemade sauce and you’re all set.
• Cooked Crab: Occasionally I like to make a crab salad, dip or even a delicious crab curry. But there is no way I am cleaning that thing myself! If you guys lack the patience too, just head over to the supermarket and get a tub of pre-cooked crab meat.
• Pre-Prepped Ingredients: We all know it’s not so much the cooking that is time consuming, but more so the mise-en-place. So if you’re strapped for time, just buy all your vegetables, herbs and aromatics pre-chopped.
• Stock, Cube or Boullion: I’m a little bit on the fence about this, as nothing beats the taste of a homemade stock, but turning to these alternative cheats every once in a while, works great in most dishes.
• Sauces & Condiments: Though many of these contain processed and sugary ingredients, certain condiments are not to be questioned. For me it’s ketchup, sriracha, mustard and mayonnaise.
• Desserts: Make your life easier and put out a fruit platter and some ice cream!

Would love to hear your thoughts on these and please share your cooking hacks and cheats in the comments!

For more tips on How to Get Juicy chicken breast check out our blog post on the topic.