It’s about 5 minutes recipes… Really? How many times have you heard “this recipe is very quick, your lunch ready in 5 minutes!, here’s the recipe for those who don’t have time to cook”… and so on?

Actually, it’d be 5 minutes if

• someone else has already cooked for you. Like you arrive, sit down and the waiter (who already knows what you want, otherwise he definitely needs more time) serves you right away the dish you had in mind (maybe it’s the one you usually order).
• Between 5 and 7 minutes if you are Benedetta Parodi (TV personality) dealing with the pressure test, and even in that case the ingredients are prep-ready on the table.
• About 7-10 minutes for a panino at an Italian bar, if you want it toasted and the bar is empty.
• You have aide at home, or a partner who cooks, that you’ve phoned earlier to giving the precise time of your arrival (?) There, that’s 5 minutes!

[And NO, heating ready meals in the microwave doesn’t count. Here we are talking about recipes made from scratch]

If, however, you are a mere mortal like me, a new recipe (from a to z) will take at least half an hour. And I have an advantage point, ’cause I cook professionally, and i’ve acquired a bit of speed.

Why 5 to 30 minutes (or more) are to be expected, with a fair nonchalance? Because recipes don’t start from the pan on the heat, but from the thought of what we would like to eat. From triggering the mental search for either an already tested recipe or a brand new, likely taken from the web.

“…recipes don’t start from the pan on the heat, but from the thought of what we would like to eat…”

At this point there are to options:

1. You have all the ingredients at home – continue with the preparation;
2. You don’t have all the ingredients then:
   • a. go shopping (recommended);
     • b. omit or replace with what you have at hand (it’s risky but a creative choice).

• Furthermore. If you have to use the oven you must know its performance, otherwise it’s either overcooked or not cooked enough.
• For a pan, remember that it will not be the one used to test the recipe, so be careful not to burn everything.
• If it’s a raw food recipe, you’ll likely need to marinate or dry something (time consuming!)… And I could go on and on.

In the end, there are so many variables.

“[And NO, heating ready meals in the microwave doesn’t count. Here we are talking about recipes made from scratch]”

Overall these notes are not to discourage you, on the contrary, they are an encouragement for you to continue, because if you see that a “quick” recipe doesn’t “perform” in 5 minutes, it’s not your fault!

Cooking, folks, is like reaching for an orgasm: it takes time and you have to dedicate yourself! In the end what counts is the outcome, isn’t it?

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Welcome to “Apriti sedano!” [Open celery!] Simona Scarone’s monthly newsletter on recipes and unsolicited advices, plant-based made in Italy. The original version it’s published in Italian on ottimoblog.com – here’s in collaboration with appetibilis.net, hopefully well translated 😉

Per la versione originale in italiano, cliccate su “Ci vogliono 5 minuti… davvero? Apriti sedano!” e buona lettura.