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Cooking Shortcuts

By Betty Crocker Kitchens
Created January 10, 2017
Keep these food items in the refrigerator and pantry for fast meal prep and you’ll never come up short.
Cooking Shortcuts

Meat Shortcuts

  • Pre-cooked beef roast, roasted whole chicken, fried chicken pieces and smoked salmon (slice and use for fajitas, soups, salads, sandwiches and casseroles)
  • Canned salmon, clams, tuna, shrimp and oysters (use in jambalaya, casseroles, fried rice and appetizer recipes)
  • Frozen meatballs, chicken nuggets, fish fillets, minute steaks and pre-formed hamburger patties (meat and freezer aisles)
  • Skinless, boneless chicken breasts and thinly cut beef and pork for stir-fried (meat aisle)
  • Betty Crocker Complete Meals®, including Chicken & Buttermilk Biscuits, Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo, Ham & Au Gratin Potatoes, Homestyle Dumplings & Chicken and Stroganoff (bake in the oven, skillet or microwave)
  • Pre-assembled vegetable and meat kabobs (in the meat aisle
  • Pre-cooked shrimp (seafood case)
  • Thick-sliced deli ham, turkey and roast beef (deli aisle)

Vegetarian Shortcuts

  • Frozen vegetarian seafood, including salmon, tuna, crabs and shrimp (soy-based)
  • Frozen meat substitutes, including ham, steak, lamb, chicken breasts and nuggets, hot dogs, turkey, pork chops, BBQ ribs, bacon, sausages, beef chunks, ground beef and egg-less fried eggs (soy-based)
  • Tofu and tempeh (soy-based)
  • Shelf-stable meat substitutes, including vegetarian turkey and chicken (soy-based)

Vegetable Shortcuts

  • Pre-cut vegetables and stir-fry vegetable packages (produce and frozen aisles)
  • Pre-washed vegetables from grocery salad bar, including pea pods, Chinese cabbage, bok choy, bean sprouts, baby carrots, celery and miniature corn cobs
  • Minced garlic in a jar
  • Bagged salads and lettuce
  • Canned, seasoned tomatoes (diced, stewed, and whole)

Sauce & Seasoning Shortcuts

  • Dry packets of seasonings, sauces and salad dressing mixes (stroganoff, taco, sloppy joe, spaghetti, white sauce, gravy, hollandaise, Alfredo, pesto, honey-Dijon and Caesar)
  • Bottled sauces, marinades and salad dressings (teriyaki, stir-fry, sweet-and-sour, barbecue, mesquite and lemon dill)
  • Ethnic tomato sauces

Dairy Shortcuts

  • Pre-shredded cheeses (coarse and finely shredded)
  • Shelf-stable milk in cartons
  • Pasteurized eggs (can be safely used in meringues and eggnogs)

Bread & Pasta Shortcuts

  • Quick-cooking meat- and cheese-filled pasta in dairy aisle
  • Betty Crocker Bowl Appétit!® rice and pasta bowls, ready in 5 minutes (Pasta Alfredo, Three Cheese Rotini, Homestyle Chicken Flavored Pasta, Cheddar Broccoli Rice, Herb Chicken Flavored Vegetable Rice and Teriyaki Rice)
  • Corn and flour tortillas for fast meat and veggie wraps (can be frozen)
  • Pocket pita bread and submarine sandwich rolls (can be frozen)
  • Instant rice, potato, couscous and pasta mixes