LPT: Add a 5-minute 'reset' step to your recipe notes so next time cooking is actually faster (update)

Update: when I tried cutting convenience foods, the thing that actually stuck was changing how I write recipe notes.

LPT: When you cook something you want to make again, add a short 'Next time' section to the note right away listing the exact friction points and how you solved them. Recipes look simple on paper but often feel annoying in real life, and that is what pushes you back to takeout or packaged food.

What I do now (takes about 5 minutes while the pan cools):

1. Open the note and add three quick lines:

- Prep: what to wash or chop first and what you can skip

- Tools: which pan, which cutting board, which container for scraps

- Timing: what to start first and what can cook unattended

2. One sentence on leftovers: best container size and how many meals it will make.

3. If I changed something (less salt, more lemon, different oven temp), I only write the final version, not the whole story.

Example from my garden meals: I kept forgetting to preheat the oven early and would end up standing around hungry. My note now starts with 'Turn oven on, then wash greens.' That tiny cue cut my average weeknight cooking time more than any gadget I bought.

Since I started doing this, I make meals again much more often because the second time is actually easier, and I waste far less produce because I stop procrastinating.