You might have your go-to weeknight dinner—black bean quesadillas with rice, perhaps, or simply sautéed chicken breasts with steamed vegetables. These kind of dishes are quick, easy, healthy, and on the table in less than 45 minutes. But what if you could make restaurant-worthy meals after work? Great news: You can! All you need is a little planning, some shortcuts, and the right high-quality appliances from Miele to transform your weeknight meals into simple-yet-impressive dinners—from prep to cooking to cleanup. Miele’s MasterChef programs completely take the guesswork out of menu preparation and empower you to explore new cuisine, even on weeknights.
Shop Ahead of Time (Yes, Even for Seafood)
Better dishes start with better ingredients. And the best cooking starts with the best refrigeration. So on Sunday, hit the market in search of in-season produce, fresh meat and fish, and any pantry ingredients you might need. Then leave the rest to Miele’s MasterCool™ Refrigeration Series. An intuitive, user-friendly interface takes the guesswork out of food preservation, ensuring the precise temperatures for your foods.
Even seafood is safe in your fridge, so you won’t have to stop at the grocery store the night you want to cook up some salmon or shrimp. This simple shrimp curry with chickpeas and cauliflower is a dynamic dish for a Monday or Tuesday, with its aromatic flavors and added spice. With all those delicious and fresh ingredients on hand, you can rest easy knowing your fridge will never fail you: Miele offers RemoteVison™, a 24-hour WiFi monitoring service, which constantly tracks your fridge and its performance
Dress Up a Quick Pasta
Pasta is a classic weeknight option—but you’re not the kind of cook to open a jar of pre-made sauce, toss it with spaghetti, and call it a night. To add a special touch to your meal, skip the penne and the spaghetti and opt for a more unexpected pasta shape, like pappardelle. Although these pasta ribbons love a long-simmered Bolognese sauce, that’s not the only option: A lighter (but still luxuriously creamy) treatment works just as well, like this recipe for pappardelle with mushrooms and prosciutto. Miele’s M Pro Dual Stacked Burners will help you get your pasta water boiling quickly. Once it’s al-dente, save some of the salted pasta water to help bring your satiny pasta sauce together–allowing it to heat through to a gentle, even simmer with Miele TrueSimmer functionality. Load the pappardelle up with a menagerie of mixed mushrooms like chanterelles, maitake, oyster and crimini, shallots, thyme, a splash of heavy cream, and crisped prosciutto—and you’ve got a dish you’d probably order at a restaurant on a Saturday date night.
Make Steak (Really!)
It might seem like a weekend indulgence, but steak deserves a spot on your weeknight menu plan. You don’t even need to fire up the grill to get it perfectly charred—you can get a great sear right on your range. Miele’s Dual Fuel Range heats up to an impressive 19,500 BTU, which is hot enough to get a great crust on the steak’s surface using a cast-iron pan. With a temperature that hot, however, there will be some smoke. That’s not a problem for Miele’s professional range hoods, which will filter the smoke right out of your kitchen—no more standing on a chair to disable your smoke detector. Most consider a steak dinner too fancy for an after work meal, but the truth is, with the right tools and delectably fresh ingredients you’ll have a mouthwatering meal on the table in just over 30 minutes. This skirt steak with shallot pan sauce is the perfect recipe to master and have in your repertoire to impress last minute dinner guests, or simply treat yourself to something special. Pro tip: using the same skillet you cooked your steak in to make the pan sauce makes the most of all the residual fats (aka flavor), and elevates a simple sauce into something spectacular.
Cut out Unnecessary Steps
When it comes to making more decadent dishes after work, figuring out a few hacks to cut your cooking and cleaning time will make your life easier. One of the best tricks is making a creamy, silky macaroni and cheese—but not taking the time to boil the noodles first. Not convinced? This recipe uses a thinner béchamel sauce, which the noodles absorb as they cook. It brings an even richer, creamier flavor, and guarantees that the macaroni is perfectly cooked. Another step you can skip? Scrubbing the cheese off all those plates. With a Miele dishwasher, rest assured your dishes and cutlery will come out sparklingly clean—with no trace of your decadent dinner.