Cooking can be a lot of fun. But it’s easy to shy away from it because it can be quite time consuming and complicated. However, there are a couple of great hacks that can help make your life easier in the kitchen! Check them out below!
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Use an onion chopper
Cutting onions is awful! Using an onion chopper can cut down your prep time in half. Try this one: https://amzn.to/3ehsuBv. With the different blades included, you’ll be able to prep onions, and other vegetables, in no time!
Keep guacamole fresh
To avoid that brown layer on top of second-day guacamole, so many people suggest squeezing lemon juice on top. But for some reason, simply squeezing lemon juice on top doesn’t always work for me. I find it gets brown anyway. The trick is to squeeze the lemon juice on top, cover the guacamole container with a small layer of foil, and place the container’s lid on top of the foil. Place it in the fridge and enjoy your guacamole for a few more days!
Use the egg shell
If you ever accidentally drop pieces of eggshells in the pan while cooking eggs, don’t try to remove them with a fork or a spoon; it almost ALWAYS slips and slides. A great tip is to use the remaining eggshell in your hand to scoop it out. The edge of the eggshell is sharp enough to pick up any small eggshell pieces, while being sturdy enough to not break more (provided you have a tight grip)!
Roll out limes and lemons
I’m not sure if this counts as a hack because I think everyone knows this one! Roll out your limes/lemons before using them. Doing this gets the juices flowing and makes it easier to squeeze it all out (less waste)!
Peel garlic cloves easily
Have you ever tried to peel garlic but the peel just won’t come off? Try laying the clove flat on a cutting board, hold a knife with your dominant hand flat on top of the clove, and, using your other hand, gently press down on the FLAT side of the knife. This smashes the clove, making the peel come off super easily!
Don’t add salt immediately
Most people think that you should add salt to water before you start boiling pasta. However, this actually increases the boiling time! Try adding the salt once the water is already boiling. You’ll see how much faster your pasta water will boil!
Another tip – place a lid on your water while it boils. Again, it’ll boil much faster!
Chill the drink glass
Okay, I love this one. Next time you want to have a cold soda/juice/etc., and you know ahead of time that you’ll be drinking it, chill your empty glass cup in the fridge beforehand instead of adding ice cubes. If you’re a slow drinker, you’ll find that your drink can often get diluted with all that ice sitting in there for long periods of time. Try this hack to keep your drink cool for a long time, while still maintaining its original taste.
Ripe and bruised bananas
Don’t throw away your bruised bananas! Instead, use them to make delicious baked treats or even smoothies. The more ripe and bruised, the better. It’ll naturally make your recipes super sweet, without having to add any extra sugar!
Take baked goods out early
Many of us know and love the toothpick test when baking (sticking a toothpick or fork into a cookie/cake to see if it’s ready to come out). However, one thing that I love to do whenever I bake fresh cookies or cake is to take it out a couple minutes prior to that “perfectly baked” status. This way, as it cools, it’ll actually cool down to perfection. If you take it out when it is fully baked, it’ll end up cooling down slightly overbaked!
Toss a carrot in the tomato sauce
Okay, I guarantee many people won’t know this hack. If you are making a tomato-based sauce (for your pasta, for example), as the tomatoes are cooking and simmering, try adding a large, fresh carrot in the pot and let it sit there for a bit. This helps to soak up the natural acidity and bitterness that the tomatoes often release. You can strain them out at the end or even let them dissolve in the sauce!
Don’t tear mint leaves
I can make a delicious virgin mint mojito! One thing I learned is to NEVER tear mint leaves. Tearing a mint leaf actually does the opposite of releasing that beautiful mint flavor – it ends up releasing a bitter and pungent flavor, which we do not want in our mojitos. Instead, “muddle” the mint leaves with lime juice and sugar. If you’re not sure what muddling means, it’s simply the process of gently crushing the leaves, in this case mint leaves, in order to release its flavor. Since we want that mint flavor to mix with the lime and sugar anyway, it’s best to muddle the leaves along with these two. To keep things clean and simple, I always make use of a muddler, like this one here: https://amzn.to/3v5wyvp. It’s easy to use, is quick to clean up, and releases the mint flavor beautifully!
Soak potatoes in cold water
Whenever working with potatoes, soak them in some cold water first for a bit. This allows the excess starch to be removed before you cook with them, and also makes your potatoes nice and crispy!
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