Our Favorite Kitchen Hacks and Tricks
Today’s post is entirely meant to be fun and gives us a chance to share some kitchen tips and tricks we love! Who doesn’t love a few kitchen tricks to save time and energy in the kitchen? Everyone has their favorite kitchen hacks and tricks, many of which we’ve adopted from family members, roommates, and best friends over the years. We’ve collected 25 of our favorites here. Let us know what you try!
To quickly cut many cherry tomatoes at once, place a plastic deli container lid upside down on your cutting board. Fill the circle/lid with tomatoes and then place another deli lid on top. Run your serrated or bread knife through the middle of the lids.
When opening a can of tomato paste or peppers in adobo sauce, etc, save what you aren’t going to use by portioning 1 tablespoon portions on a parchment lined sheet. Place in the freezer until frozen and then pull the portioned sauce pieces off and store in a storage bag in the freezer.
Kids complaining their apple slices are brown in their lunchboxes? Dissolve a tiny pinch of salt into lukewarm water. Once dissolved, add your apple slices and give them a quick dip. They will stay fresh and crisp!
Is the inside of your microwave grimy? Place sliced lemon in a microwave safe bowl along with 1-2 cups of water. Place in the microwave and heat for 2-3 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes. Then remove the bowl and simply wipe down the inside of your microwave.
Don’t toss your butter wrappers! Use them to grease your baking pans or even use them to line a baking dish in a pinch!
The lid of a large peanut butter jar (think Costco size) just so happens to make the perfect burger portioner! Simply place your meat mixture into the lid to shape a burger to a perfect size and thickness.
To measure sticky ingredients like honey or syrup, spray your measuring spoon or cup with nonstick cooking spray first!
If your recipe calls for room temperature eggs and you’ve forgotten to take them out of the fridge, simply place the eggs in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes.
Keep herbs like cilantro and parsley fresher longer by washing them when you return from the store and trim the ends. Then place the ends in a glass jar or cup of water. Cover the top of the jar with a plastic bag and store in the fridge.
To soften butter quickly grate it on a cheese grater or cut into small cubes and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.
Store ginger root in the freezer. When you need fresh ginger in a recipe, simply pull from the freezer and use a microplane to mince and add to your dish.
To reheat a slice of pizza, heat your skillet and place the slice in the pan. Once the edges start to look crisp, add a tablespoon of water to the pan (try not to touch the pizza slice). Put a lid on the pan and heat until the cheese is melted.
Leftover coffee on hand? Fill an ice cube tray with it and freeze. Next time you make an iced coffee, use your coffee cubes instead of ice cubes.
Keep your wooden cutting boards in mint condition. Scrub them down with coarse salt and half a lemon. Rinse it off and let dry. Then oil it down with some food-grade mineral oil.
If you’re struggling with overcooked or undercooked food, buy an inexpensive oven thermometer you can place in the oven. Preheat your oven and check the thermometer to see if your oven is heating to the correct temperature.
Making a breakfast sandwich? Place a Mason jar lid ring in a skillet and crack your egg inside it. Your egg will come out perfectly round for a breakfast sandwich.
After you squeeze fresh limes and lemons, store them in the freezer and once frozen, add to your water bottle to flavor your water!
To keep a boiling pot from boiling over, place a wooden spoon across the top. No more erupting pots!
For cinnamon rolls, soft cheeses, and cookie dough rolls, instead of cutting slices with a knife, use unflavored dental floss. Slide the floss under the roll, bring the floss up, and cross to cut.
To make sure your produce doesn’t go to waste, dedicate one bin to produce to use up and the other to the new produce you’ve purchased. Now you can easily see what produce needs to be utilized first.
Eyes sensitive to onions while chopping? Place a damp paper towel on your cutting board while you chop!
If you’re not already using a scale to measure ingredients when baking, now is the time! Cuts down on your dirty dishes and is more accurate. Put a list of shortcut weights on your fridge and your baking projects will be a snap.
A damp dish cloth under your cutting board will give you a stable, safe surface to cut on.
Cut your pizza with kitchen scissors!
Buy your avocados green and unripe. Let ripen at room temperature and once they have a slight give when you hold them, store in the fridge. They will last a long time and you’ll have perfect, non-bruised avocados ready to go!
When making a labor intensive recipe such as meatballs, enchiladas, or burritos, double your recipe and stash half in the freezer. Your future self will thank you!
Well, we’ll pause here! We hope you found something new to add to your kitchen routine today. And we want to hear from you! Share your favorite kitchen hacks and tips with us in the comments!