Kitchen Tips and Tricks That Nobody Told You About
If you’re anything like me, you spend a lot of time planning meals and preparing food, making all of those helpful kitchen tips and tricks that save you time (and your sanity) worth knowing! And so, I have rounded up some of the best kitchen tips that just might have you saying “Why didn’t I think of that?”. I certainly wish I had known these a long time ago!
1. Scooping Up A Broken Shell
It happens every time! I make eggs for breakfast just about every morning, and the brown organic eggs seem to break off into little pieces so much easier. Instead of fishing around with your finger to dig them out of your bowl (yeah, I do that), use one of the egg shell halves to scoop it out!
2. Egg Freshness Test
I eat too many eggs for them to ever go bad, but this sure is good to know. I got so excited when I saw this, I dug into my fridge to test it for myself. My eggs seemed to be 4-6 days old — good enough! You’re probably wondering how this works, and yes, there is some science behind it. Eggshells are porous, allowing air to slowly get in over time. As more air enters the egg, it gets lighter and lighter, which explains why it will eventually float.
3. How To Peel An Orange
This tip is especially useful for those of you that don’t have any nails to dig into the tough skin of an orange. With a few clever cuts of a knife, you can peel an orange and eat it without juice dripping all over your hands. But best of all, it’s FUN!
4. Freeze Leftover Sauce
How clever is this? I hate wasting food but sometimes it’s hard to prevent, especially when a recipe calls for half a cup, but the cans are sold in 16 ounce servings (like tomato paste). Essentially you could do this with homemade sauces as well as anything canned that you don’t use up like refried beans, chopped jalapeños, etc.
5. Peeling Garlic The Easy Way
This is not the job I like to sign up for (who likes to smell garlic on their hands for 3 days straight?), but this technique looks like too much fun to pass up! Smash, shake, and separate! I’ve also seen this done with two ceramic bowls placed on top of each other (rim to rim) to create a dome for the garlic. The hard surface might work more efficiently than tupperware at breaking apart the garlic.
6. Store Ice Cream In A Bag
A plastic freezer bag keeps the cold air from making your ice cream rock hard. If you like straight spoons and soft ice cream, this trick is worth the extra step! Try to push out as much air out of the bag as you can before putting it in the freezer.
7. Keep Lettuce Fresh Longer
Wondering how this works? The dry paper towel absorbs moisture from the lettuce, which is one of the main reasons why it wilts and turns soggy so fast. It’s also important to get the lettuce as dry as possible before storing in the first place.
8.Rolling Citrus Fruit
I use lemons almost every day in my ice water. Why has it taken so long to find this out?! If you roll while applying a bit of pressure to your citrus fruits (lemons, limes, oranges, etc.), you will get so much more of that yummy juice.
9. Peel Ginger With A Spoon?
I’ve tried this, and it works great! That skin isn’t as tough as it looks; The edge of the spoon takes it off with very little effort (even in all of the little crevices and bumps). Leave your knife in the drawer and use a spoon!
10. How To Cut A Bell Pepper FAST
You wouldn’t think you’d need instructions on how to cut a bell pepper, but apparently I do. I just kind of randomly cut chunks off of the pepper, but this method is so much easier, and leaves the core in one piece to be easily removed.
11. Wooden Spoon Trick
Place a wooden spoon over boiling water to keep it from boiling over. There is a lot of science behind this, but the easiest way to explain why this works is because the spoon pops a lot of the bubbles once they come into contact with it, and it also absorbs some of the moisture. Apparently, metal spoons don’t work because they heat up too fast. It’s worth a try!
12. Save Your Cake And Eat It, Too
If you’ve ever taken leftover cake home and went to eat it later, it’s just not the same (kind of gross, actually). The edges are always stale and crumbly after sitting out. Next time, place a few pieces of bread on the outer edges to keep it soft and moist!
13. Make Crystal Clear Ice
I want to try this simply for the fun of it. Apparently, the process of boiling filtered water eliminates dissolved air and decompresses minerals in the water. That’s way too much science for me, but this would make for pretty cubes, especially if you’re freezing them with fruit for a water pitcher.
14. DIY Fruit & Veggie Wash
Don’t waste your money on those sprays they sell at the store. Not only is this a lot cheaper, but it’s also all natural. Even if you buy your produce organic, giving it a good wash is important. I’ve also seen a few recipes with vinegar, but I don’t like the smell. Purchase a small spray bottle, and then fill it with one cup of water, one tablespoon of fresh lemon juice, and one tablespoon of baking soda. Shake gently to mix it together (it will bubble and fizz a bit).
15. The Smart Way To Reheat Pasta
Instead of stirring your pasta several times in between the cook time in your microwave, leave a small circle empty in the middle of your plate so that the pasta will cook more evenly.
