Healthy Kitchen Hacks for the Home Cook

This month’s hack comes to us from Sara Moulton, a chef who was among the first crop of Food Network stars and the host of the PBS show Sara’s Weeknight Meals.

Dust off your food processor, insert the grating disk and use it to “chop” your veggies. Vegetables can take a significant amount of time to prep and even more time to cook—especially root vegetables. For example, beets take 45 minutes to cook if you steam or boil them and 1 hour or more in the oven to get tender. However, they cook in minutes when grated and sautéed.

By grating carrots, parsnips, beets and other veggies in your food processor, you can cut the cooking time (not to mention prep time) by more than half. Even better, when veggies are finely grated, they’re a lot easier and more palatable to eat raw. So if you’re really pressed for time, just toss the raw vegetables with a little bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, then sprinkle a handful of nuts on top. It’s an instant, delicious and healthy side dish.