Not all of us are naturally gifted in the kitchen. Most of us struggle in cooking while some shy away from their kitchen because they find the process of preparing food and cooking a bit overwhelming.
If you are a student living alone or a parent looking after the family, you totally need some good kitchen hacks to make your life easier and less stressful.
The great news is that there’s a lot of great tricks that can help you improve your cooking game. Here are 75 of them.
1. Keep cutting board from slipping with a damp towel.
A cutting board that’s moving is both frustrating and dangerous. To stabilize it, all you’ll need is a dish towel. After running it under the sink, ring out as much water as possible. Finally, put it underneath your cutting board.
2. Soften butter by cutting it into cubes
After cutting the butter, leave it at room temperature for about 20 minutes. By cutting the butter into smaller pieces, you won’t have to wait that long to soften the pieces.
3. Use egg cartons to freeze single-serving sauces.
Don’t throw away your egg cartons. You can use them in freezing small portions of your favorite homemade sauce. You can just thaw the sauce whenever you need it.
4. Use your oven for proofing bread.
For this hack, you’ll need to place a glass baking dish on the bottom part of your oven. Then, fill it with boiling water before putting your dough on a higher rack. Remember to shut your oven’s door to allow the boiling water to create the steamy environment your dough needs for a good rise.
5. Use your Lazy Susan to stay more organized.
It’s always nice to have everything you need within easy reach when you’re baking or cooking. For this, you can use your Lazy Susan to hold your spices, sugars, and even sauces.
6. Use an apple slicer to make French fry wedges.
For this, you’ll just need to use the apple corer on your potato like you would on an apple. In case your potato is big, you can cut it into half first.
7. Use mason jars to organize spices.
Mason jars make it easy to see what’s inside them because they’re made of glass. With airtight lids, they also work well in keeping the spices in good condition.
8. Keep cookies soft with a piece of bread.
The cookies zap all the moisture from the slice of bread, keeping them soft. You can leave the slice overnight so you can enjoy your cookies the next day.
9. Make shredding chicken quicker with a hand mixer.
This hack is meant to reduce the time you spend on shredding your chicken. However, if you prefer the unevenness of hand shredded chicken, you can skip this hack.
10. Add a carrot to your tomato sauce to counter acidity.
Is your tomato too sour for your tastebuds? Add carrots. With their natural sugar, you’ll be able to remove the acidic bitterness in your sauce.
11. Hull strawberries with a straw.
You don’t need any fancy tool for this. Just your regular straw is enough to hull strawberries in a flash.
12. Get more fresh lemon juice by microwaving it first.
For this hack, make sure you don’t cut your lemons in halves. Doing so will allow heat to soak up the lemon’s moisture. Just pop the whole lemon into your microwave.
13. Install hooks to maximize storage space in your kitchen.
Need more space for your lids and other kitchen items? Install a few hooks on the inside part of the cabinets.
14. Use cupcake liners to organize lunch boxes.
The cupcake liners are great in separating each food item. They can make your lunch box look neat and clean.
15. Use an immersion blender to make tiny servings of whipped cream.
If you’re in a hurry, simply get your immersion blender and a bowl or glass with tall sides.
16. Use a stand mixer to knead your dough.
The first step is to place all your ingredients in the mixer bowl. Attach the dough hook and use the lowest setting of the mixer. Let it work for about one to two minutes. You can make adjustments based on how the dough is turning out. Check this guide to know more.
17. Use your ironing board as a cooling rack.
Need to make a big batch of cupcakes soon? Remove the cover or your ironing board and use it as a makeshift cooling rack. You can also use it as extra counter space.
18. Spray oil on your cheese grater to keep the cheese from sticking.
Skipping grated cheese because of the mess? Use a bit of cooking spray on the grater first to prevent the cheese from sticking.
19. Store your peanut butter jar upside down.
With this simple hack, you won’t have to stir your peanut butter each time you need to use it. When it’s right-side up, the oil will rise to the top and your peanut butter will be easier to scoop out.
20. Use rubber bands as labels.
Rubber bands offer a cheap way to label sandwiches. Plus, they’re quite good in sealing them, too. And the best part about them? You can also reuse the rubber bands to label the mason jars in your kitchen.
21. Bring eggs to room temperature quickly.
Don’t worry if you forgot to take your eggs from the fridge. You can just put them in a bowl of warm water to bring them to room temperature quickly.
22. Get that perfect golden color with your air fryer .
Before popping your food into your air fryer basket, quickly spray it with a small amount of cooking oil. Just do a very light coating of oil to getthe perfect golden color.
23. Chill your bottle of wine fast.
Serious Eats has found a quick way to chill wine: Fill an ice bucket with two cups of salt, four pound of ice, and just enough water to cover your wine. Twist the bottle’s neck as if spinning the bottle, lift it out of the water and set it back down. Your drink will be ready in less than 5 minutes.
24. Keep a stir-fry vegetable pack in your fridge.
It’s always a good idea to stock up on food. One of the best ways to preserve garden vegetables is by freezing blancked stir-fry vegetables in resealable freezer bags. This way, you can enjoy them even during winter. To know how you can do stir-fry vegetable freezer packages, you can check out this guide.
25. Keep appetizers cold.
Get a large bowl or bucket and fill it with ice. Crushed ice works best for this hack. Ice cubes may work, too. Cover the bowl with lettuce leaves and place your appetizers on top.
26. Level up your crumb crust.
There’s nothing wrong with regular cookies when making your cookie crust. However, if you want to take your recipe to a whole new level, consider getting a specialty flavor cookie.
27. Cut cheesecake without a mess.
Before cutting your cake, dip your knife in hot water first and dry the blade with a towel. This should help you get nice and clean slices.
28. Make flavored butter.
Making flavored butter isn’t as hard as you think. All you need to do is add your herbs and lemon juice to your butter. Here’s a recipe you might want to check out.
29. Use your butter wrapper for mess-free melting.
See that wrapper? You can use that as a cover for your bowl or dish before you pop it into the microwave. It offers a good way to say goodbye to splatter.
30. Try a pork-beef mix for that juicy meatloaf.
If you’re not a fan of the gritty texture of an all-beef meatloaf, consider adding pork. It has more fat which can make your meatloaf juicier.
31. Cook fish in parchment paper.
Cooking your fish in parchment paper isn’t just healthy. It’s also one way to seal in the flavors. Check out this guide on how to do it.
32. Keep your ginger fresh.
Cover any leftover ginger root in a resealable bag. This should help keep it fresh for next use.
33. Fix a salty soup.
If you accidentally added more salt than necessary, you can toss a few pieces of potato or raw apple. They can help bring back your soup’s flavor. Just don’t forget to allow the soup to simmer for about 10 minutes before removing the wedges.
34. Make your own broth to save money.
Stop buying store-bought broth. You can make a huge batch and just refrigerate. You can keep your brought refrigerated for three days. If frozen, it can last for 6 months. Here’s an easy recipe you can follow.
35. Cut herbs faster with a pizza cutter.
With your pizza cutter, chopping up herbs would no longer feel like a drag. Just roll your cutter back and forth and you’ll end up with finely chopped herbs.
36. Make your herbs last longer.
This site offers a clever way of keeping your herbs like cilantro fresh for weeks. First, you have to cut the cilantro stems about 2 inches from the base. Get a glass and fill it with water. Put your cilantro in the glass and place a plastic bag on it. You can use a rubber band to secure it.
37. Keep apples from browning.
For this hack, get your apple wedges and put them in a big bowl. Add a teaspoon of salt and stir until it dissolves. Then, place your apple slices into the salt mixture and let them soak for about 5 to 10 minutes. Drain and rinse.
38. Skim fat from stocks easily.
One Good Thing by Jillee suggests that you wrap a couple of ice cubes in paper towel. Use it to fish out the excess fat from your stews, stocks, and soups.
39. Scrape ginger skin with a teaspoon.
Take your metal teaspoon and scrape the skin from your ginger. Remember to use a small amount of pressure.
40. Use a bundt pan to de-kernel a cob.
Place the pointy end of your cob on the center of the pan. Make sure that the pan is facing up. Then, carefully slice your knife downward.
41. Open stuck jars with rubber bands.
Wrapping a couple of rubber bands around the ring should give you enough gripping leverage. If you don’t have rubber bands, you can put a rubber glove on your hand.
42. Flatten your dough without creating a lot of mess.
Put a sheet of wax paper underneath your dough just before you start rolling. It should help keep your dough from sticking to the countertop.
43. Evenly reheat pasta in the microwave.
Before you pop your sauced pasta in the microwave, flatten it first and leave a hole in the middle. The shape should look like a donut. The hole can help you get even warming.
44. Freeze your nuts to make them last longer.
This hack‘s quite easy. Simply put your nuts in a plastic freezer bag and put it in your fridge. You can do double bagging to make sure they don’t end up picking other smells in your freezer.
45. De-crust your microwave with a sponge.
Get your sponge and soak it in water. Put it in your microwave and heat it for about a minute. Apart from loosening the caked on stuff in your microwave, this hack also helps disinfect the sponge.
46. Keep wooden cutting board clean and fresh.
Sprinkle coarse salt on your cutting board. Then, use half of a lemon to scour its surface. As you go, you can lightly squeeze the lemon to get some juice out. Let the juice sit on the surface of the board for 5 minutes before rinsing.
47. Turn bananas from green to yellow quickly.
You can ripen bananas quickly by putting them inside a paper bag. The concentrated level of ethylene gas inside the bag helps the banana ripen faster.
48. Stop brown sugar from hardening.
Place a a slice of apple or orange peel inside your jar of sugar. This will help the sugar stay soft and easy to scoop. Alternatively, based on this hack, you can put your hardened sugar into a bowl. Put two to three apple wedges on top.
49. Use an ice cream scoop to remove squash seeds.
An ice cream scoop is easier to use in cutting through the fibrous part of your squash than a regular spoon. It also makes the process a lot less messy.
50. Peel citrus fruits with ease.
There are two things you can do to peel oranges and other citrus fruits easily. One is to pop them in your microwave for about a minute. Another option is to press and roll them.
51. Peel potatoes almost instantly by blanching them.
Boil potatoes for a couple of minutes before soaking them in ice. By blanching, you’re practically separating the skin so that it’s easier to peel off.
52. Peel a big batch of boiled eggs at a time.
Peeling boiled eggs one at a time can eat up a lot of your time. If you’re busy in the kitchen, you might want to put your hard-boiled eggs in a lidded container. Shake it until the shells crack. Once that happens, the shells will be easier to shake off.
53. Measure sticky ingredients accurately.
Spray your measuring cups with cooking spray before measuring your ingredients. With the oil, your sticky ingredients will slide off easily. No mess and no wasted ingredients.
54. Stop pots from boiling over with a wooden spoon.
Wood isn’t considered as an excellent heat conductor. By putting a wooden spoon on across the top of your pot, you’ll be able to keep the hot water away from the handle. This prevents the pot from boiling over.
55. Make your own cake flour.
Get 1 cup of all-purpose flour. Take out two tablespoons and replace with two tablespoons of cornstarch. Whisk to make your own cake flour.
56. Cook chicken or turkey evenly.
The breast part of your chicken or turkey takes a faster time to cook than other parts. If you ice that part, you’ll be able to achieve even cooking.
57. Foam your milk even without a frother.
You don’t really need a frother to get that foam. You can just find a jar with lid, fill it with the right amount of milk, and give it a good shake. Once it’s doubled in size, take off the lid and pop it into the microwave for about 30 seconds.
58. Reheat pizza without getting it soggy.
Put a microwave-safe glass of water next to your pizza when you pop it into the microwave. This should add moisture to the air which can prevent your pizza from drying out. Heat your slice for about 45 seconds.
59. Keep your birthday cake fresh for days.
Before you store your cake, put bread slices on the cut out areas and secure them with a couple of toothpicks. The slices of bread will help seal in the cake’s moisture.
60. Chill wine without ice cubes.
Instead of adding ice cubes and risk diluting your wine, add some frozen grapes instead. Apart from chilling your wine, it’ll make your drink look extra classy, too.
61. Prevent ice cream freezer burn.
Before putting your ice cream in your freezer, put a piece of wax paper over it first. The barrier can help avoid freezer burn.
62. Cut meat for stir-fries easily.
Apart from having good knife skills, partially freezing your meat makes it a lot easier to cut. You see, as the meat begins to freeze, the water inside it turns to ice, too. The crystals give the meat more firmness which makes cutting easier.
63. Cool down coffee without watering it down.
Got some left over coffee? Pour it into an ice cube tray and freeze. You can use the cubes in cooling down your coffee without worrying about diluting it. You can also add milk or sweetener if you life.
64. Clean cast iron with salt scrub.
Put a handful of salt into your cast iron pan. Get a potato, slice it into half, and use one part to scrub the surface of the pan. Do a circular scrubbing motion until there’s no leftover bits on the skillet. To see the complete instructions, click here.
65. Clean your coffee grinder with bread.
For this hack, use white bread because it’s softer than other types of bread. Stick a slice into your coffee grinder and wipe the remaining coffee grounds out.
66. Wash fruits and vegetables with baking soda and water.
The mixture of water and baking soda is enough to remove pesticides and dirt on your fruits and vegetables. Apart from being safe and natural, it’s cheap, too.
67. Make your kettle look like brand new.
Mix one part water with one part vinegar. Use this solution to scrub your kettles. For better results, you can let the solution sit overnight.
68. Use different cutting boards in the kitchen.
By having two or more cutting boards, you’ll be able to prevent cross contamination in your kitchen. If you’re worried about getting confused, you can use different colors.
69. Use binder clips to keep sponges dry.
The binder clips will help keep your sponges in an upright position. It helps dry them out faster and free from grime.
70. Use ramen packet as popcorn seasoning.
Simply mix the powder with melted powder and put the mixture into your bowl of popcorn. If you want an added kick, you can put chili powder.
71. Freeze milk that’s about to go bad.
Apart from making your milk last a bit longer, you’ll also have premeasured milk cubes. You can add them to your cup of coffee or smoothies.
72. Make soup taste better by roasting the ingredients first.
Just pop the ingredients in your oven. By roasting them, you’ll add depth to your soup’s flavor with ease.
73. Make multiple poached eggs at a time.
Lightly grease your muffin tin. Add a tablespoon of water to make sure the pan won’t scorch in the oven. Crack the eggs into the empty muffin cups and bake for 11 to 13 minutes. This hacks make poaching eggs a breeze.
74. Extend the life of your bananas.
Start by pulling the bananas apart. Then, cover each stem in foil or plastic wrap. This will allow the ethylene gas to remain on the stem, slowing the ripening process.
75. Pick up egg shells easily.
Use the broken half to scoop out the tiny shell pieces on your bowl. It works like a magnet!
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