18 Kitchen Hacks

November 20, 2017

1.  Use frozen sponges for cheap, convenient lunch box ice packs.

2. Use cookie cutters to make neat cake decorations, or shaped eggs and pancakes.

3.  Use bread bag clips to label cords.

Who would’ve thought?  I’ll never be on my hands and knees, following a maze of chords again.

4.  Coat measuring cups with nonstick spray before measuring sticky ingredients like honey, syrups, and peanut butter.

5.  Freeze fresh herbs in olive oil, then freeze them for a quick, delicious addition to sauces and pasta.

I hate buying an entire sprig of expensive herbs for only one recipe, so this is the perfect solution for that situation.  Use this kitchen hack for your abundance of summer herbs, or your farmer’s market spree.

6.  Pit cherries quickly and efficiently using a glass bottle and a firm straw or chopstick.

A recent Facebook convo revealed this little beauty of a hack when it comes to pitting cherries.  Our readers swear it works wonders!

7.  In addition, you can bend the two outside prongs of a fork for an inexpensive homemade cherry pitter.

Again, our Facebook readers suggested this great alternative to a cherry pitter when you’re in a pinch.

8.  Forget expensive products that don’t work, clean and polish stainless steel appliances 

9.  Remove the hull from strawberries with a firm straw.

10.  Peel garlic the easy way.

11.  Quickly cut potatoes with an apple slicer.

12.  Two easy ways to peel hard boiled eggs without the mess and frustration.

1) Prick the large end each egg with a pushpin before boiling.  

2) Adding 1/2 a teaspoon of baking soda to the water before you boil eggs makes them easier to peel.

13.  Clean a crusty microwave with a soaked sponge (and sanitize a sponge this same way).

Soak a sponge in water, then cook in microwave for one minute.  Careful, it will be too hot to handle with bare hands.  The moisture will loosen grime on your microwave thus make it easier to clean.  To sanitize a yucky sponge, soak it in water and vinegar and microwave for one minute.

14.  Convert creamer bottles into convenient snack dispensers.  These would be great for traveling!

15.  Keep floss in your kitchen for cutting cakes, soft cheeses, cinnamon rolls, and other soft foods.

16.  Use a wooden spoon to keep pots from boiling over and avoid a huge mess!

Does it have to be wooden?  All evidence points to yes.  Call it an old wive’s tale, or culinary witchcraft, but for some reason, a wooden spoon will keep that pot from boiling over!

17.  Use empty Tic Tac containers for spice storage.

18.  Use a PLASTIC knife to cut brownies neatly without sticking.  Crazy, but it works!

 

 

---

Also in News