Multithreaded cooking?

This post is about how I try to apply some time saving techniques in the kitchen, inspired by watching my mom cook a three course meal for 6 people in half an hour. Some of the following are from my mom, and some are my own unique twists to what I saw her do.

1) Pulses/Dhal in pressure cooker - Usually takes the longest, so I start this process even before I start cooking.

2) If there is a vessel I need to start making the next dish and it is unwashed, this is the time to clean it. Cutting veggies happens in parallel too. I soak the greasy vessel in hot water and dishwasher liquid, then start cutting veggies. By the time I am done cutting it only takes a few seconds to clean the vessel since I soaked it hot water.

3) The 30 second saver - Most Indian curry dishes start with heating a little oil in a pan to add mustard, asafoetida etc. Now when I am cutting veggies, I leave the last piece off to start heating the oil, by the time the oil is heated and the mustard seeds crackle, I am done cutting the last vegetable, so there is no time wasted waiting for the oil to heat. This might save only 30 seconds, but every second counts as far as I am concerned. ;)

4) Seasoning herbs - I chop herbs like cilantro, dill leaves as soon as I buy them from the grocery store and store them in airtight containers. Not only do they last longer, but this also saves a few seconds when they have to be used. All I do is take 'em out of the container and sprinkle on top of the finished dish. I usually do this chopping either watching TV or listening to music, so it is not too boring. I did try reading a book and doing this once, but that didn't work out too well. Ask my cilantro encrusted copy of 'Rebbecca'!.

5) Tomatoes vs onions - It takes a lot less time to chop onions than tomatoes. Anytime I make a dish that involves both these items, I do the onions first, start sautéing them on the saucepan and only then work on the tomatoes. I can directly add the tomatoes to the pan once the onions are done. This saves time compared to cutting both onions and tomatoes even before turning on the stove to start the sautéing process. Same goes for potatoes vs cabbages/bell peppers.

6) Cleaning counters, replacing items - I do this when I have to be around the kitchen to stir the dish/ oversee something boiling etc. Much easier and when you are done cooking (by that I mean you turn off the stove), you truly are done because you don't have to spend the extra time cleaning up.

I am always looking for more ideas, so if you have any feel free to add them here.