Even if you’re someone who enjoys their baking and cooking, there’s bound to be few tasks in the kitchen that make you think hiring a cook might not be such a bad idea. But, hey – one or two of them might even be circumvented by the hacks below…you never know!
Check these out, and thank me later for all of the extra time you’ve got on your hands!
#10. Keep your grill clean with an onion.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
Grills need to be scraped clean now and again, and it turns out that an onion cut in half is the perfect way to do it. Just make sure your grill is nice and hot to help loosen things up, then slide the onion half over the grill flat-side down with a fork. It’s all natural (and won’t smell half bad, either).
#9. Help your greens out.
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I don’t know about you, but nothing grosses me out faster than wilted greens in a salad. You can help yours stay perky longer by lining a plastic container with paper towels, tossing in DRY greens, then covering them with more paper towels. Simple and effective!
#8. Rejuvenate your stale bread.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
This trick doesn’t work for slices, but if you’ve got whole loves or baguettes that have gone stale, try it: Simply run the loaf under water (briefly) and then toss it in a 325 degree oven for 6-7 minutes. The steam from the evaporating water will rehydrate your bread while keeping the crust nice and crisp!
#7. Get creative (and neater) with your pancake making.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
Instead of using a million measuring cups, spoons, and bowls to get a fairly simple batch of pancakes done, try mixing everything in a gallon plastic baggie, the cutting off one corner and using it to pipe the batter. This way you can even make fun pancake shapes!
#6. Help your avocados ripen faster.
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If you’re like me, you love avocados…but you have trouble getting them at just the right time. We often buy them a little too firm and then wait (and I always forget about them until they’re bad). If you want to hurry them along for a planned meal, just seal them in a paper bag for a couple of days. If you add an apple to the bag, the ethylene gas it gives off will also help the ripening process along.
#5. Don’t watch your pot – but bring it to a boil faster.
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First off, remember to use only as much water as you’ll need to do accomplish the task at – the more water, the longer it takes to boil. Second, pop the lid on the pot and let the steam help you heat the water faster. Voila!
#4. Peel ginger with a spoon.
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Because of the odd shapes fresh ginger root comes in, a spoon is often more effective than a peeler for getting into all those nooks and crannies.
#3. Keep your brown sugar soft.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
There’s nothing more annoying than pulling out your brown sugar for a recipe and finding it hard and crumbling. You want to make sure you’re storing it in an airtight container, for starters, but you can also toss in marshmallows, bread, or slices of apple to absorb extra moisture and keep it soft and yummy even longer!
#2. Boil eggs in the oven.
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Line a muffin tin with paper cups, then put an egg in each one. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and heat the eggs for 30 minutes, then submerge them in ice water for 10 minutes. I’m definitely going to try this one!
#1. Rescue your fresh herbs from the trash.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
You’d be hard pressed to find someone who didn’t agree that fresh herbs are preferable to dried ones, but when it comes to waste, the former can be a bummer. If you’ve got herbs about to wither and mold in the fridge, toss them into some olive oil to make yourself an herb-infused topping.
Alternatively, you can freeze them with oil or melted butter in ice cube trays and use them in future recipes.
h/t: Mental_Floss