I recently learned about a concept called mise en place. This is a French term that translates literally to “put in place.” It refers to the prep work that happens before a chef’s shift.
For example if you (the chef) are making Salmon on Spinach with Caramelized Onions you will need some prep work to be done before you can even put the salmon in the pan. For starters this would include cutting the salmon into serving size pieces and then rinsing, drying, and seasoning it. You’ll also need to clean and chop your spinach (10 minutes of work) and slice and caramelize the onions (2 hours of work).
In a true gourmet French kitchen, all this “pre-work” would be done by someone other than the chef. But in your home, it’s done by you (the cook). My guess is that you would probably end up doing it the same day you make the meal, which is why you might spend 3 hours in the kitchen to make this meal.
The true essence of this is to do the mise en place in advance as it should be. Then, when you get down to the business of making dinner, the hard stuff is already done. All you have to do is heat some things up, cook the salmon, and then arrange it on the plates. Then you sit back and enjoy your family’s exclamations of “Wow you did all this in 20 minutes? You are a goddess!”