You know when you just want some Chinese food on a lazy, rainy day? Make sure you stock up on a few items and you can turn leftover plain rice into delicious fried rice in no time.

You know how butternut squash is super hard to cut open sometimes? Do yourself a favor and poke a few wholes in the squash and toss the whole thing in the oven for 15-20 minutes to soften it just slightly. It will be much easier to chop and peel.

So, we don’t know why Rachael Ray calls it “Late Night Bacon” because it seems like just…bacon. But we love it! Here’s the famous chef’s ‘recipe’ for a tasty, lazy, late night treat.

Who doesn’t love caramel? And who doesn’t love homemade caramel? Well, you could either stand over a hot stove whisking sugar, cream, and butter making sure it doesn’t burn. Or! You can just toss a couple of cans of condense milk into boiling water and let it sit for three hours. The result? Caramel sauce aka dulce de leche!

When you aren’t the most motivated person but still want to make sure you’re eating healthy, turn a banana into ice cream! No, literally – all you need to do is freeze a banana (either whole or sliced in a plastic Ziplock) and then mash or blend it up for a delicious frozen treat for almost no effort! Why not add some peanut butter for good measure?

Don’t want to spend your time separating egg yolks? “Crack an egg into a shallow bowl, then hold the mouth of the bottle near the yolk and gently squeeze. When you release the squeeze, the yolk will be sucked out, and you can deposit it into another bowl,” says Reader’s Digest.

Lots of times we just toss the ends or heels of our bread when really, we should be holding onto it. Our future lazy selves will thank us when we want to have breadcrumbs in a jiffy.

Turn one-pan meals into your best friend if you don’t want to clean up a giant mess in your kitchen later.

“Put thinly sliced chicken, bell peppers and onion on a foil-covered and greased cookie sheet. Season with taco seasoning and you have one-tray fajitas. You can also do this with chicken and stir-fry veggies and cover with teriyaki sauce,” explains Half Blood Princess.

Need to throw a quick salad together for dinner but don’t want to do a lot of chopping, dicing, and mincing? Try this hilariously easy recipe from Robin Miller.

Want to peel your garlic in a jiffy? Try the microwave trick! Just toss the cloves in your microwave for 20 seconds and the peels will slip right off.

Don’t want to worry about cooking throughout the week? Why not spend Sunday meal prepping and storing food in containers for the rest of the the week? Then, you can just heat them up when you need to! A little effort now allows for a lot of laziness later.

Save yourself some time when cooking pasta and skip the “rinse” step. Instead, skip the washing and spread the pasta out on a pan to cool. Save that pasta water to use in the sauce!

Baking a recipe that calls for a rolling pin but you don’t own one? That’s okay! Just grab that bottle of wine sitting right next to you and use that instead. Problem solved!

If you want to make it seem like those “homemade” brownies you made are super elevated, replace the water in the brownie mix recipe for coffee instead. You’ll have a delicious mocha chocolate brownie instead.

You guys. Paula Deen wants us to buy two dozen Krispy Kreme donuts and then soak them in a stick of butter, a pound of sugar, and rum. The “recipe” is far too easy not to at least try.

Is your fridge or pantry lacking a few ingredients and you’re baking a cake? Save yourself a trip to the store and break out the soda instead! Usually, cake calls for butter, egg, and oil – swap those three ingredients for your soda of choice. It will provide a yummy texture and some fruity flavors!

If you love cooking but hate all the prep, you might as well just put in some extra effort now in order to avoid prep later. For example, “you can stock up on herbs, chopped them up, put them in ice cube tray, cover them in olive oil and freeze them. Next time you are cooking something, just drop a cube in and have yourself a treat,” says Lifehack.

If you broke a cake and don’t have any time to bake a new one, that’s okay! Just salvage it and turn it into a trifle instead. Layer the broken cake pieces with fresh fruit and whipped cream or vanilla pudding. No one will be the wiser!

Satisfy your sweet tooth with this super easy-to-make dessert. It just takes three minutes!

• Crack an egg in a measuring cup and mix
• Split the egg between two mugs
• Add five heaping tablespoons of Nutella in each mug
• Now, add two tablespoons of flour
• Mix, microwave for 30 seconds, and enjoy!

Frozen broccoli can be roasted! Did you know that? Instead of wasting time waiting for it to defrost, you can just just go right to the oven!

De-seed the pomegranate by cutting it before soaking! “This was life-changing! I’ve always loved pomegranates, but didn’t eat them much because they’re such a pain. The seeds separate out so amazingly easy after being soaked for just a few minutes,” shandeezy told Buzzfeed.

In case you needed an actual ‘recipe’ for the simplest fruit salad you’ve ever seen, look no further. It pretty much leaves all the work to your guests. Perfect for the lazy host! Hey, I mean, you did provide the ice.

If you want to shred chicken way faster than you could by hand, break out your hand mixer! Just put the cooked chicken in a bowl and then mix away! The chicken will be perfectly shredded in seconds.

Growing fresh herbs in your garden is great but sometimes, it’s dried herbs that you need. And, of course, you can dry your own fresh herbs but it takes forever! If you need them now, just toss your herbs in the microwave in 20-second intervals, turning them over each time until completely dried.

You just cleaned the kitchen but now it’s time to cook dinner. Prevent yourself from making another mess by placing all the ingredients and items you need on a cookie sheet on the counter. Now, there will be no need to wipe it down when you’re done.

Whipping cream can be labor-intensive when you’re whipping the cream by hand. Save that energy and shake it instead! All you have to do is pour the heavy whipping cream into a frozen mason jar, add your powdered sugar and a little bit of vanilla, seal the jar super tight, then shake until it’s become fluffy!

Everyone hates when the yolk breaks when you’re trying to fry the perfect egg. Instead of practicing the art of egg frying over and over, use a little bit of help with some onion. Just use the onion ring as a ‘mold.’

You know how a perfectly medium boiled egg tastes absolutely amazing in a bowl of ramen? It even tastes great with instant ramen! Here’s the trick: crack the egg into the noodles while they’re partway cooked. By the time they’ve finished cooking? The egg is perfect!

Show off your “cake decorating skills” with this hack. Okay, I guess you can call this straight cheating and not so much of a recipe. But, hey! Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

Save yourself from burning your grilled cheese with this deliciously easy hack. Instead of using butter to grill each side of the sandwich, use mayo instead! It sounds weird but it will grill to a golden brown without you having to do much at all.

Another egg hack, folks! “Boiled eggs are sometimes notoriously difficult to peel, but that’s just fresh eggs. Week old eggs are perfectly fine to eat, but they are incredibly easy to peel, so make sure you buy eggs well in advance and let them sit in the fridge for a while before boiling them,” says Lifehack.

“As you cook, toss scraps, eggshells, and other garbage into a large bowl. This will contain messes and save time if a trash can isn’t readily accessible. Line the bowl with a plastic bag to make cleanup even easier,” says RD.

You know when you open up a tin or aluminum can and you reach in to grab the lid and before you know it, you have a cut on your finger? Keep your hands cut-free by using a kitchen magnet to lift up the lid once you’ve opened it.

If you want to cook bacon without making a mess in your kitchen, bake it in the oven! Just line a cookie sheet or baking pan with some tin foil, spread out the bacon, and bake it until it’s cooked the way you like it. Just toss the tin foil afterward.

Scrubbing your blender after using it is such a pain. Save your time and the chances of you getting cut with this easy hack. “Fill it one-third full with warm water and a few drops of dishwashing liquid, recommends Woman’s Day. Run it for ten seconds. Rinse and dry,” recommends RD.

This Twitter user shared a cooking hack that will make slicing raw meat so much easier. Now, you don’t have to worry about accidentally shredding it to pieces.

If you want to speed up your mashed potato process, cut up the potatoes and leave the skin on before you boil them. It will save you time and add a lovely flavor and texture to your taters.

Paula Deen is here to help you with the easiest, laziest, and tastiest recipes around. Like this “Pour Butter on Peas” recipe! The best part? You literally need just two ingredients – butter and peas.

If you ever find yourself in a hotel or motel but don’t want to leave the room to go eat? Make sure you buy a cup of noodles and use the hot water from your coffee maker in the room to heat it up. So handy!

Don’t want to wait for your beer to cool off in the fridge? Just place a wet paper towel around the bottle and throw them in the freezer for a few minutes. It will cool off in a jiffy.

Julienned veggies or super small diced pieces always look nice in a dish but…what if you just don’t want to go through all that effort? Just use a cheese grater! It works great for garlic, ginger, and onions too!

Every lazy cook needs a go-to coleslaw recipe! It’s perfect for BBQs, picnics, and family gatherings. This lovely Twitter user came across a gem of a recipe because it’s so easy to make – and you can use that cheese grater hack from the previous slide.

Remember that ridiculous bacon recipe that Rachael shared with us earlier? Well, she’s done it again, folks! She’ll walk the novice chef through the fine technique of a “Ham Steak.” Might be a good option for when it’s the only thing left in your fridge and you don’t want to go anywhere?

Maybe there are so many fun egg hacks for lazy people is that they always seem to be the staple in the fridge that’s always in stock. Want to peel a hard-boiled egg in a couple of seconds? Just drop it in a jar or glass of cold water, seal it tight, and shake vigorously for a few seconds. The shell falls right off!

If you have an egg slicer, do you really even use it that often? Probably not, but you should! On other things! Like mushrooms, strawberries, and whatever needs quick slicing.

Looking for another quick and yummy dessert that was basically meant for lazy people? We have one that will absolutely melt in your mouth. This is such a good idea!

To make onions a whole lot easier to peel, toss them in some hot water for a few minutes and the skin will peel right off. Another perk? It also helps (somewhat) with those onion tears.

Do you happen to have a waffle maker in your house? Cheat your way through breakfast and throw some potatoes in there for some quick and easy hashbrowns. They’ll be golden brown and cooked through evenly.

Lifehack says, “If all you’ve got is a baguette or a loaf of bread that is getting a bit stale, but you don’t have time to run to the store and get some more, just run it through some water and put it in the oven for 5-10 minutes. You can also wrap it in a damp towel and then pop it in the oven. It will be fresh and crunchy like you just baked it.”

If there’s ever been an invention for a lazy cook – it’s the Instant Pot.

“I know it seems super trendy but trust me. I live alone and I have a serious habit of making way too much of whatever I’m cooking. I got mine for Christmas a few weeks ago and I’ve made almost every meal in it since. You can make anything from rice to stews to even yoghurt (haven’t tried that yet but the setting is there) and it’s ridiculously fast! I never thought anything would make cooking easier than a crockpot but alas!” sarahn445946f86 told BuzzFeed.