20 Kitchen Tips And Tricks No One Ever Told You About

When it comes to working in the kitchen, either cooking or cleaning, sometimes you could use a little help with both of these. Cooking and cleaning tasks can be hard on you. This is especially true when you are the only one who is doing them without anyone else’s help. This is why these tips and tricks can really help you save time, hassle, and even money. Here are 20 kitchen tips and tricks no one ever told you about.

Quickly Peel Garlic

There are two things you can do to make it easier to peel garlic. The first tip is to place the garlic clove in a bowl, place another bowl on top and shake really hard. This will loosen it up making it easier to peel. You can also put the garlic clove in the microwave for about 15 seconds. The heat from the microwave will loosen the garlic up by drawing the moisture out of it which ends up getting stuck in the skin and makes it harder to peel.

Saving Space In The freezer

Everyone needs to know this trick. After grocery shopping and bringing home all that food, you never have enough room for it because of the leftovers you have in there. However, you can easily save space for more food by putting leftovers in freezer bags instead of bowls and freezing them this way. This way they will freeze and store flat on top of each other, saving space for other food.

Designate A Garbage Bowl For Prep Work

When doing a lot of prep work in the kitchen for cooking, you might make a few too many trips to the garbage can to throw things away. Instead of wasting time running to the garbage every few minutes, designate a bowl just for scraps. This will make for fewer trips to the garbage can.

Thaw Meat Faster

Everyone knows that in order to cook a nice dinner every night, the meat needs to be thawed out ahead of time. However, what if you forgot to take something out of the freezer for dinner? A quick fix is to place the meat in a bowl of cold water for a couple of hours to thaw it out faster. Make sure to change the water a few times.

Make slicing meat easier

When you need to slice meat, sticking it in the freezer to let it at least partially freeze will make slicing it easier. You don’t want to freeze the whole thing so make sure to take it out before it is fully frozen. When meat is frozen, it is a lot easier to slice.

Peel Ginger With A Spoon

Peeling ginger with a spoon is easier and faster than using a paring knife or a vegetable peeler because it peels easier with it. Just scrape the spoon against the skin and it comes right off. It fits right into all the little contours of it, making things easier for you at the same time. Doing this also reduces waste.

Easily Clean Eggshells Out Of Your Bowl Or Skillet

Sometimes you might get some eggshell in your bowl when mixing eggs or even in your skillet when getting ready to fry them. To take the excess egg shells out of the bowl or skillet, use another egg shell and it’ll come out easier. This is better than sticking your fingers in a hot pan or chasing the eggshell in the bowl when trying to take them out.

Peel Hard Boiled Eggs Eeasier

When making hard boiled eggs, it can be tricky and can take a while to peel the shell off of them. However, just add a little bit of vinegar or some baking soda to the boiling water while they are boiling and the eggs will be a lot easier to peel once they are cooled down.

Freeze Liquids In Portion Sizes

Say you are making something that calls for wine and you end up having to open up a whole bottle even if you are only going to use a little bit. Instead of having to open up the entire bottle for just a little bit of wine, freeze your wine in ice cube trays. This way when your recipe calls for it, pop it out of the freezer and drop it in the pot or pan while cooking. This can also be done when freezing stock you plan on using in the future for cooking with. You can freeze them in ice cube trays and containers and then transfer them to freezer bags when frozen.

Make Your Vinaigrettes In Squeeze Bottles

If you want to make sure you have enough salad in your diet, since it is healthy for you anyway, always ensure you have enough vinaigrette in your refrigerator. You can make the vinaigrette first and put it in squeeze bottles where you can mark on the bottle what kind it is. This will help you ensure you always have vinaigrettes on hand.

Ripen Your Bananas Faster

It is always a good idea to buy bananas that aren’t fully ripe so they don’t go bad too fast. However, if you want to ripen them quicker, stick the bananas in the oven for about 20 to 30 minutes on 300 degrees and they will ripen right up for you. This is great when you want a banana and need it ripe or your recipe calls for ripe bananas.

Buy Inexpensive Deli Containers With Matching Lids

If you are having a storage problem and need containers that always have lids, order some inexpensive deli containers with matching lids. This way you will always have a container for your food, and be able to store it when needed.

Freeze Your Frozen Treats The Right Way

You probably remember this when you were a kid; your mom would buy some frozen treats and after you would cut the top off to eat it the scissors would be really sticky from the syrup. You can actually freeze them the right way to ensure you get a clean cut every time and help keep your scissors clean. By sticking them in the freezer upright, they will freeze properly without making a mess when cutting them.

Reheat Your Pasta The Smart Way

Instead of stirring your pasta every few minutes in between reheating it in the microwave, put it on your plate or bowl in the shape of a donut. This will make sure your pasta reheats evenly and will take less time to heat up.

Freeze Ice Cream In A Freezer Bag

You can still leave the ice cream in the container it came in but put the whole container in a freezer bag to ensure your ice cream isn’t too hard to scoop out when you want some. This works because the freezer bag will keep the cold air from making it too hard to scoop out. Just make sure to push out as much air from the bag as you can before putting it in the freezer.

Hang Your Sponges Up With A Binder Clip

Take a simple binder clip and use it to hang your damp sponges up after you are done using them. By doing this you will prevent them from getting mildew and help the sponges dry faster.

Keep Your Drains Unclogged

Make a habit of pouring boiling water down your drains every once in a while to keep them from clogging up. It isn’t any fun to dig the leftover food stuck in the drain anyway.

Prevent Your Cutting Board From Sliding

It is not a good thing to have a cutting board sliding all over your counter when cutting meats or vegetables because you could easily cut yourself or lose your food. You can easily prevent this by placing either a wet paper towel or a damp hand towel underneath the cutting board. The wet or damp towel will keep it in place making things easier and safe for you when cutting your meats and vegetables.

Homemade Travel Cup

When traveling with your kids, it is always a good idea to have their drinks on hand at all times. You can easily make your own homemade traveling cups with a little bit of Glad’s Press N Seal. Just take some of the Press N Seal and put it over the cup and it will seal it for you. Poke a hole through the middle to fit a straw in it and you have your own kid-friendly travel cup.

Keep Your Lettuce Fresher For Longer

Lettuce goes bad fast because of the moisture it collects. You can store lettuce with a paper towel draped over it which will absorb the moisture, keeping the lettuce fresh and making it last longer.