How to Stick to 15 Minutes

Let me just get this out of the way: I love caramelized onions. My sister-in-law once joked that I should write a cookbook called, First Start by Sautéing Some Onions. So I am not delusional when it comes to the flavors that can develop from cooking something a long time. Slow roasted meats, simmering stocks, and, yes, deeply caramelized onions are all very dear to me.

But some days just do not have enough time for that—and that is A-okay. Quick meals do not mean you have to inevitably compromise on flavor; they just mean you can’t get some flavors. And since we don’t need every flavor every day, there’s no downside to having many of your meals take only fifteen minutes. Yes, caramelized onions are delightful, but does it beat fresh summer corn cooked for two minutes on a grill? Of course not. It’s different. But there’s no shame in handling different ingredients differently.