Chefs reveal the time saving tips they swear by

Because we want to spend less time cooking and much, much more time eating

Time is the enemy of any reluctant cook. We could slave at the stove for an hour - or we could swipe a few times on an app and just wait for a delivery driver to arrive at our doors.

But cooking at home can be much healthier and satisfying. Besides, chefs prove it's possible to whip up mouthwatering meals in the blink of an eye. To find out how, we asked some top chefs for their time-saving cooking tips.

Andrew Dargue, the head chef of vegetarian restaurant Vanilla Black in London

(Vanilla Black)

If you are rolling out pastry do so between two sheets of parchment paper. This will save you having to clean the surface afterwards. Also, when roasting vegetables line your tray with parchment so that you don’t have to scrub the tray afterwards.

Lee Skeet runs a self-titled pop-up restaurant. He is based in Cornwall

Lee Skeet (left) and friend Dan Harding pictured at a pop-up at The Shop in Kensal Rise, London.

If I'm filleting mackerel I've got a technique I've developed where I can fillet and clean the fish by making eight knife strokes. It's not the standard way to fillet, it's just something I've got comfortable with and I do it religiously. Plan ahead, find a method of working that suits you and refine it over time.

Tilesh Chudasama, founder and chef at London’s Indian street food restaurant Chai Naasto

Cook once, eat twice. Make extra so that you can freeze a meal, use it the following day or make something new from the leftovers. Great during the week, when you have to work.

Chop and freeze. If you can’t resist a veggie bargain or the fruit you thought you were going to eat starts to look like its seen better days; chop it up, whack it in a freezer bag and save it for another day. Time and money saver.

One-pot meals. Casseroles with an Indian twist are my favourite. It’s a great way of making a hearty meal packed full of veg and goodness, without spending hours standing at the stove, or the sink!

Read over speed! If you’re making something new from a recipe book, read it from start to finish before you lift a spoon. You’ll save yourself a whole lot of time and hassle if you do.

Cook and clean. Who can face a mountain of dirty pots, pans and dishes after cooking a culinary masterpiece?! Clean as you go and the mountain will look more like a molehill.”

Tom Cenci, executive head chef of Duck & Waffle, London which specialises in British cuisine with continental European influences​

When you need a lot of garlic soak the cloves in warm water the skins are super easy to peel off.

Mary Sue Milliken the co-chef and owner of Border Grill restaurants and trucks in Los Angeles

Buy one sharp expensive chef’s knife made from high carbon stainless steel- I like Japanese - and keep it dry and clean at all times. Never put it in the washer, and learn how to practice good knife skills, and that will save you more time than any other thing you could do.

Shrimoyee Chakraborty is the owner of the Calcutta Street Bengali restaurant

Invest in a really good pressure cooker. It will save you hours. It's a bit of an old Indian grandma technique, but they know best, and it works.

Daniel Fletcher, head chef at Fenchurch Restaurant, in Sky Garden, London

"The tin foil trick". When your tin foil roll is nicked and you can’t unroll the roll, take another piece of tin foil and rub up and down on the roll and all the tin foil will magically unwrap. It saves that annoying 20 minutes picking away at a roll to untangle it.

Claudio Cardoso, executive chef of Japanese-Brazilian-Peruvia fusion restaurant Sushisamba in London

If you baking are making your favourite Sunday roast, first thing to do before anything else is switch on your oven!