This article was originally published on kueez.com and has been republished here with permission.
Most people love a delicious homemade meal but hate spending a lot of time in the kitchen, so it only makes sense to find an effective and proactive way to make this experience fast and easy. There are little things one can do to cut down the cook and prep time considerably most of which don't require you to run out to the kitchen and buy anything. In this article, we bring you some of the most clever kitchen hacks that will surely change your experience next time you're in the kitchen. So if you're ready to blow your friends and family's minds with your impressive cooking then you need to read these unbelievably effective hacks.
Most people love a delicious homemade meal but hate spending a lot of time in the kitchen, so it only makes sense to find an effective and proactive way to make this experience fast and easy. There are little things one can do to cut down the cook and prep time considerably most of which don't require you to run out to the kitchen and buy anything. In this article, we bring you some of the most clever kitchen hacks that will surely change your experience next time you're in the kitchen. So if you're ready to blow your friends and family's minds with your impressive cooking then you need to read these unbelievably effective hacks.
Prevent Water From Boiling Over The Pot
You can create a huge mess if you have boiling water spill all over your stove. This can happen while cooking many things in boiling water, so you might want to learn the trick. Simply take a wooden spoon and place it over your pot.
As soon as the water begins boiling comes close to spilling over, you’ll see that the wooden spoon will instantly prevent it.
Preserve Herbs For Way Longer By Freezing Them
How many of us have desperately seen our herbs getting bad before we have enough time to use the whole thing? Apparently, there’s a way to not let them go bad or dry out so quickly. Simply place the herbs in an ice tray, add some water and olive oil, and freeze.
Whenever you need to use them just take them out of the freezer and place them on the dish!
You Can Use Your Microwave To Peel Fruit
Peeling fruit can be a total pain, especially when you have to peel several fruits for more than one person. If you’d like to save time by making the fruit much easier to peel simply use a microwave.
By placing your fruit in the microwave for as little as 20 seconds, the peel will become much easier to slide off.
Make Cupcakes Easily With Parchment Paper
This one can literally happen to anyone. Let’s say you see a simple muffin recipe and you decide to make a small batch to try out. But then you realize that you don’t actually have a muffin tin or cupcake cups.
Instead of going to the store to get some last-minute cupcake cups simply use parchment paper and your problem will be solved in a second.
Keep Your Plastic Wrap In The Refrigerator
It’s super annoying when you start storing your food after a long day or work, and the plastic wrap simply continues to stick to itself. What if there was a way to prevent this?
Well, look no further! If you keep your plastic wrap cold, such as in the refrigerator, the wrap will stretch much better and more evenly once you use it again.
Start Pitting Your Cherries In An Easier Way
It can take way too long to pit your cherries. And while this might not be such a problem if you’re just eating a snack, when you need to pit tons of them either for a dish or for a bunch of people, then it might get really time-consuming.
To make this easier, just place the cherry on top of a beer bottle, get a chopstick and squeeze the pit out of the fruit to the empty bottle.
Clean Wooden Cutting Boards Better
As great as wooden cutting boards are, they can be really hard to clean. With time, bacteria can start building up if you don’t properly clean them too, and the worst thing is that you might not even notice it.
To clean it properly, simply cut a lemon in half and dip it in coarse salt. Then, scrub your cutting board with it and rinse everything with water.
Prevent Your Microwave From Drying Out Food
As much as microwaves make our lives easier when it comes to getting food cooked faster, they may also make it drier. To combat this, just put some water in a cup and place it in the microwave next to the food you’re about to heat up.
That will create some moisture that will prevent the food from drying out and getting all soggy.
Why You Should Put Some Salt On A Cast Iron Pan
If you don’t take proper care of them, your iron pans may begin rusting up with time. Just like that, you may have to buy another one. Instead of getting to this stage, you can just use some salt to prevent the rust from happening.
Scrub the cast iron pan with some salt instead of using dish soap and you should see a difference in no time.
Remove Seeds From Veggies Faster
It can be really time-consuming to de-seed your vegetables. You may have to scoop them out slowly in order to not make a mess, and seriously, ain’t nobody got time for that. So to make this process faster, simply get an ice cream scooper and begin de-seeding.
This should make the process much faster and will transform the event into something surprisingly more fun.
Make Stainless Steel Even Shinier
When we use up something made of stainless steel for a long period of time, the item may become really dull. In fact, you might have noticed that some of the item's surfaces become super dull if you don’t use the right cleaning products to clean it up.
A simple homemade mixture can fix this though. Just put some water and vinegar together and spray it on the surfaces you want to wipe.
Soften Your Brown Sugar
Another thing that may become worse with time is brown sugar. After a while, the sugar tends to start clumping up and becoming harder, making it really hard or even impossible to continue using it.
But if you place an apple slice or an orange peel inside your bag of sugar, and then place the bag in an airtight container, your sugar should stay soft for a long while.
Make The Perfect Breakfast Eggs
A perfected basted egg is no easy task, it requires concentration and skill. So, we are going to tell you exactly how to make the perfect one. Simply break the egg in a pan and start pouring some water onto it.
Then, put it on the burner, and you’ll slowly begin seeing the egg becoming perfectly ready right in front of your eyes.
Peel Your Eggs Easily
There is nothing quite like mastering the art of peeling your eggs. The task can be extremely annoying and time-consuming, but seriously, it doesn’t have to be.
So next time you do it, try to put a dozen eggs in the steamer basket as it suspends over boiling water for about 15 minutes. You’ll notice that pretty quickly, the eggshell will slip off.
Create Your Own Pastry Brush
There are some things in the kitchen that we may need right away, and unfortunately, we don’t have them in hand. There are easy ways to create DIY items though.
For example, if you need a pastry brush but you don’t have it in handy, just try to fold a piece of parchment paper four to five times. Then with scissors, cut a fringe into the paper and use the side as your brush.
Make Your Own Powdered Sugar
Many recipes call for some powdered sugar, be it to make it prettier or to simply make it sweet. But powdered sugar isn’t one of those ingredients that everyone always has at home.
So if you find yourself needing it without having it in the house, you can actually make your own. Just get some granulated sugar and pulverize it in a spice grinder.
Prevent Your Food From Burning
Burning while sautéing something is one of the most common cooking annoyances out there, especially for home cooks. So, if you see that your food is becoming way browner than it should in a short amount of time, just toss in an ice cube to help the pan cool down.
The water will evaporate pretty quickly and you’ll prevent the food from burning.
Make A Muffin Tin Meatloaf
Meatloaf is delicious, but it can literally take hours to cook up. So if you’d like to speed up the process, or you just want to try something different, just place the meat into individual portions by using a muffin tin.
Then, place it in the oven for about 15 minutes at 450 degrees farenheit (230 degrees celcius) and you should be good to go.
Flavor Your Grains With Some Tea
Grains can have a pretty bland taste, so if you’d like to spice things up a little you can do something as easy as using some tea. Simply cook your brown rice, quinoa, bulgur, or millet in tea-infused water.
You can use whatever teabag you’d like, but we recommend that you start with Earl Grey, Lapsang souchong, or chai to try it out at first.
Use Up The Rest Of That Wine
Sometimes we surprisingly fail to finish that bottle of wine and find ourselves not knowing what to do with the rest of it. So if you’re not planning to drink it but still want to use it up after a few days, salvage it like this.
Just pour the wine into an ice cube tray and freeze it. You can then use the cubes in a wine spritzer, in a cooking recipe, or even in sangria.
Create Your Own Pour Spout
Not every box you buy at the supermarket comes with easy pour spouts. This can often create messes much faster, and you may refrain from using the product at all.
Instead, prevent yourself from making a mess by cutting off the corner of the box carefully with a serrated knife. You’ll see that you won’t spill all over any longer.
Chop Up Squash Easily
Butternut squash is delicious, but it can be such a difficult thing to prepare in the kitchen. Here’s a trick you can use to make that process more pleasant though. Just place the squash in the microwave for about two to three minutes.
Afterward, you’ll see that the squash becomes much easier to seed, peel, and cube, and your squash experience will become so much better.
Prevent Your Tomato From Rotting
If you would like to make your tomatoes last longer than they do, you can use this small and easy trick. Just place some tomatoes, stem down, when you store them.
That will prevent the moisture and air from entering the stem scar easily, which allows them to stay fresh for a little longer. If you store them at room temperature that can also help.
Ripen Your Fruit Faster
Sometimes you just need your fruit to ripen faster, and there is no way you can make the process work. For example, fruits such as avocados, peaches, and bananas can take their time, and then in one day they are over-ripe!
So, prevent this by placing the fruit in a bag and tossing it. This will trap the concentrated ethylene gas making it brown faster.
Use Lemon Juice To Prevent Your Fruit From Browning
Cutting fruit and storing it has its positives and negatives. While it makes eating it much easier, it also fastens the browning process. But there’s an easy way you could prevent this though.
Simply squeeze a bit of lemon juice on top of the cut fruit, or mix some honey and water and pour on it. That should prevent it from browning too fast.
Remove Pieces Of Eggshell Easily
Instead of sticking your fingers in each of your eggs to get rid of eggshells try something else. Just use another piece of eggshell and start getting rid of the rough pieces.
By doing it carefully, you will be able to make the eggshell act as a magnet that can scoop other little pieces quite easily, completely changing your egg game!
Get Rid Of Excess Fat
No one really wants the excess fat that comes with stocks, sauces, and stews. Sure, it’s delicious, but it can’t be good for you. So if you’d like to get rid of some of this fat, just skim an ice cube on the top of the surface of whatever liquid you have with a spoon.
This causes the fat to rise by itself and to begin solidifying. Then just easily scoop it out with a spoon.
Peel A Potato By Boiling It
Though peelers were definitely a revolutionary item when they came out, it turns out that there are better ways of peeling a potato. Just boil the potatoes, and once you’re ready to take them out, put them in a bowl with water and ice.
In a couple of minutes, you’ll see that the skin will begin peeling off by itself without you having to do anything.
Pit Stored Fruits Easily
Chances are that there is a much easier way to pit stored fruits than the way that you’re probably doing now. Simply cut the fruit into two equal halves, and then twist them into opposite directions.
Either use a butter knife or your thumb to pop out the pit and that’s it! The process is simple and super effective, try it.
Extract Even More Lemon Juice By Doing This
Sometimes it’s not as easy to make use of all the juice fruit has to offer, especially when it comes to lemons. So, if you’d like to make this process more effective, simply refrigerate your lemon before using it.
Then, place it in the microwave for about 15 to 20 seconds and roll it out. Lastly, cut it lengthwise and use tongs to get as much juice out as possible.
Use A Cob To De-Kernel Your Corn
If you’d like to de-kernel your corn in a much easier way, simply put the pointy end of the corn in the center hole of a pan. This will result in the cob becoming steady and easy to work with. Afterward, use a knife and begin slitting downward.
That will allow the pan to collect the kernels and you’ll be good to go.
Grate Your Cheese Easily
Believe it or not, there is a much easier way to grate your cheese, specifically semi-soft cheeses that may be a bit more challenging to work with. Simply put the cheese, (mozzarella works well with this), in the freezer for some 30 minutes before grating them.
Once you take it out of the freezer, make sure to start grating right away and that should do the job!
Chop Onions With No Tears
We have all experienced the terrible tears that come as a result of chopping an onion. We’ve also probably heard of a thousand tricks that don’t work, but don’t give up just yet. Simply try to freeze your onion before you start chopping it.
Then, cook them right after you freeze them and begin chopping. Or, you can also hold a slice of bread in your mouth to prevent those tear-enducing gases from reaching your eyes.
Make your Own Buttermilk Substitute
Some recipes may require buttermilk, but the item is one of those that you might not easily have on hand. The good news is that you can actually DIY one with ingredients you already have in the house.
Just put a tablespoon of either lemon juice or vinegar into regular milk and stir it. While it may not be as creamy and thick as buttermilk, this recipe should definitely do the trick.
Need Help Opening A Difficult Jar?
No matter how much you try, sometimes it may seem impossible to open a stubborn jar. In order to help with the process, try to wrap a rubber band around the lip part of the jar.
That trick will allow you to have a much better grip on the jar. If that still doesn’t work, put a dish towel over the rubberbanded top.
This Is How You Should Cut Cherry Tomatoes
Yes, you heard it right, there is actually a much better way to cut your cherry tomatoes effectively. You can do this by placing the cherry tomatoes in between the plates.
One plate should be side up and the other one upside down. Then, run your knife in between the two plates and your cherry tomatoes will be perfectly cut.
DIY A No-Stick Measuring Spoon
You can create a complete mess while trying to measure honey or molasses, but it doesn't actually have to be that way. You can try and spray some cooking oil to your measuring spoon before using it, and that should do the trick.
The oil makes it all slide off resulting in a much easier and quicker cleaning experience.
Prevent Honey From Becoming Crystalized
When honey is stored for a while, you may notice that it begins hardening until it gets to the point that it’s basically impossible to use it. But you can de-crystalize your honey with one very simple step.
Simply place it in a bowl of hot water for about five to ten minus, and then take it out. That should make the honey as good as new.
Foam Milk On Your Own
Sometimes you may want to froth your milk but you don’t actually have a milk frother at home. But like everything else on this list, there is a way you could do it using items you have at home.
Just fill a jar with the amount of milk you want to froth (but it shouldn’t be more than halfway), and start shaking it. Then, microwave it for some 30 seconds, and voila!
Brew Your Coffee Without A Coffee Machine
If you want to brew your coffee but you don’t want to spend money on a coffee machine, you can use this trick. Just boil some coffee in a pot of water using the exact same ratio of water and coffee.
Then, remove the coffee from the heat and let the grounds rest for about four to five minutes. Lastly, just grab the coffee off the top of the pot and put it in a mug.