ADVERTISEMENT
Whether you love or hate cooking, it’s always fun to learn a few tricks to make the job a little easier. From peeling to slicing and dicing, a few fun tricks will make cooking a little more fun and save some time.
Using a few of these tips can save you money (you waste less when you know how to peel something properly) and eat a little healthier (when you know how to remove excess fats from food quickly). Keep reading to check out some of these surprising cooking hacks.
Prevent water to boil
Hate it when boiling water spills over from the pot? Luckily, there’s a simple solution to prevent messes. Just place a wooden spoon over the boiling pot.
Bake bacon
Instead of frying bacon on the stove, cover a cookie sheet with foil and cook it that way. You’ll still crispy bacon (more evenly cooked) and avoid the mess of splattered grease.
Keep herbs fresh longer
When you need to preserve an abundance of rosemary, basil, sage, thyme or oregano, all you need is an ice tray and a bottle of olive oil. By placing chopped herbs in the tray dividers and freezing in olive oil to make cubes, you create frozen flavorful gems that can be stored for up to six months.
Shutterstock
Remove egg shells with wet fingers
Accidentally break a few egg shells into the cake batter? Remove the shell from the bowl by dampening your fingers with water first.
Pixabay
Clean cutting boards the natural way
If you have a wooden cutting board, use salt and lemon to clean it. Sprinkle salt over the board and scrub over it with half of the lemon, squeezing gently so the juice runs out onto the board. Let it sit until a gray liquid forms on the board. Scrape off the liquid and wipe the board with a wet cloth to remove any residue.
Use a bundt pan to remove corn on the cob
Corn on the cob is tasty, but it’s a pain to eat (especially if you have braces). Make it easier to enjoy the farm-fresh taste without the pain by sticking the cob in the hole in the middle of a bundt pan. Slice off the kernels from the top to the bottom. They’ll land in the pan for easy transport to the stove.
Pixabay
Prevent microwave dryness
A microwave can often dry out leftover food. To combat this, put a cup of water in the microwave next to the food you’re heating. The water will absorb some of the radiation and will release steam.
Shutterstock
Ice cream saver
Keep ice cream from getting freezer burned by trimming down the top of the container as you eat. The lid will still fit and there will be less air in the container so your ice cream won’t get ruined.
Pixabay
Hide mistakes
If you accidentally burned the cookies, hide your shame by using a microplane grater (the side that’s really tiny) to shave off the thin burnt layer.
Pixabay
Make your own cooking spray
This may be the best tip ever: If you run out of cooking spray (or you don’t want to spend $4 on a small can), combine 1 part oil with 5 parts water in a squirt bottle. Shake and spray as needed.
Pixabay
Plastic wrap mastered
Plastic wrap is fantastic – except when it’s not. If you have trouble managing this sticky storage solution, you’re not alone. To make it easier to handle, store plastic wrap in the fridge or freezer. If you can’t get it to stick, wet the edge of the bowl or container you want to cover with a little water first.
Remove seeds with an ice cream scoop
Save time when you’re removing seeds from pumpkins, watermelons or zucchini by using the edge of a small ice cream scoop (or melon baller) to scrape the seeds out of the flesh.
Get more juice from lemon/limes
To maximize the juiciness of lemons or limes, store them in the fridge. Before squeezing, toss the lemon in the microwave for 20 seconds.
Read more on next page
ADVERTISEMENT
