Clever Kitchen Hacks That Will Save You Time And Effort

Don’t let your herbs dry out or go bad. You can preserve them by placing them in an ice tray with olive oil or water. Freeze them and take out when you’re ready to cook with them.

Bacteria can build up if you don’t properly clean your wooden cutting boards. Cut a lemon in half and dip the cut side with coarse salt. Use it to scrub your cutting board clean, then rinse.

Bubble wrap is a powerful insulator. While on the road, keep your Chunky Monkey from melting by wrapping the pint in plastic bubble wrap. It’ll stay firm for hours.

Meatloaf can take more than an hour to cook. You can speed it up by placing the meat into individual portions of a muffin tin. Bake your meatloaf at 450 degrees at 15 minutes.

Make your grains tastier with tea. Cook your quinoa, millet, brown rice, or bulgur with teat infused water. Lapsang souchong, Earl Grey, and chai work well for this.

Since store-bought crunchy taco shells go stale in a hot minute, make your crunchy taco shells from your soft tortillas only when you need them! Drape the tortillas over your oven rack in the shape of a crunchy taco shell until crispy. Then, proceed to eat your weight in tacos (which is the only way to eat them)!

Cast iron pans can rust up if you don’t properly care for them. The best way to do that is with salt. Scrub your cast iron pans with salt instead of dish soap.

Stainless steel can get dull with a lot of use. You can permanently dull those surfaces if you’re not using the right cleaning products. Mix vinegar and water together and spray the solution on your surfaces and wipe it down.

If you have the rest of a bottle of wine that you know you’re not going to drink within a few days, you can still salvage it. Pour the wine out into an ice cube tray. Use the cubes in a cooking recipe, wine spritzer, or pitcher of sangria.

Make grating semisoft cheeses like mozzarella easy. Just put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes. It will be much easier to grate this way.

How delicious and creamy is roasted garlic? It’s a crowd-pleaser for sure. But, roasting cloves in the oven can take what seems like forever. Bypass the oven by placing a bulb of garlic with its top cut off inside a microwave-safe bowl. Add a little oil and water, wrap with plastic wrap, then cook until it smells yummy and the consistency looks right.

If you want to peel your potatoes in advance, simply cover them with cold water to prevent them from browning. Your potatoes might retain a bit more water if they’re left overnight in the fridge like this. But if you’re making mashed potatoes with them, you probably won’t be able to tell the difference.

No one's really sure why, but crumpling up newspaper and stacking it into smelly Tupperware overnight has been known to finally get rid of bad odors. Just make sure to thoroughly wash your containers after the fact, as newspapers aren't exactly clean.

Need to make cupcakes but don’t have a muffin tin or cupcakes cups? You can still make your muffins. Use parchment paper instead.

Honey can become crystallized and hard to use after a while. You can reverse the crystallization by place it in a bowl of hot water for 5 to 10 minutes. It will be as good as new.

Make the most creamy, decadent, and delicious mashed potatoes your family and friends have ever seen by first boiling them in heavy cream instead of water before mashing them. Of course, this isn’t the healthiest option in the world but my-oh-my is it a taste bud pleaser.

Need an extra hand? Professional chefs will tell you that a damp dish towel under your mixing bowl will keep it from slipping and sliding on your counter as you mix. (This tip works well with a cutting board too!)

You don't need a double boiler to melt chocolate. In fact, I have never owned a double boiler. Simply melt your chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl on 50% power in the microwave. Check it after the first minute, then remove it and stir it. continuing to do this at 30-second intervals., until completely melted.

Place your fresh herbs on a cutting board in a pile. Then roll a pizza cutter back and forth several times in several directions.

Need to prepare a butternut squash to cook. Place your squash in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes. This will make it a lot easier to peel, seed, and cube.

Need a pastry brush or don’t have one? No problem! Fold a piece of parchment paper at least four times. Use a scissor to cut some fringe into the paper. Use the fringe side as a brush.

Microwaves can cause food to dry out. But there is a way to combat this. Place a cup of water next to your food in the microwave when you cook it.

Wrap a rubber band around the lip of your jar. It will give you a better grip on your jar. If you need more help, use a dishtowel over the rubberband top.

Save time by making your fruit easier to peel. Put your fruit in the microwave for 20 seconds. The peel should slide right off this way.

Plastic wrap is super annoying when it sticks to itself or rips. Keep your plastic wrap in the refrigerator. This will make the wrap stretch evenly and properly.

If you want your tomatoes to last longer, place them stem down when you store them. The air and moisture won’t be able to enter the stem scar this way. Storing them at room temperature also makes them last longer.

Squeeze some lemon juice on your cut fruit to prevent it from browning. You can also mix one part honey with two parts of water. This method will slow down the oxidation process.

There’s a much better way to peel potatoes instead of using a peeler. Start by boiling your potato. Toss your potatoes into an ice bath after you boil them and watch the skin fall right off.

Here’s the secret to safely cutting cherry tomatoes. Place your cherry tomatoes in between two plates. The bottom plate should be upside down. Run a knife in between the two plates.

Just as roasting white chocolate does, roasting white sugar completely transforms its flavor into something out-of-this-world. Roast your sugar in a roasting pan in the oven – but make sure the pan is completely dry before doing so.

Don’t you hate it when you forget to take butter out of the fridge to make your favorite recipe? If you forget to bring that butter up to room temp in advance, it’s OK. You can soften butter quickly. The easiest way is to cut butter into cubes and let it sit on the counter for about 20 minutes. The smaller pieces will soften up faster than a whole stick.

Hard boiled eggs are pretty easy to make, but they are a pain to peel. Try putting up to a dozen eggs in a steamer basket suspended over boiling water for 15 to 16 minutes. The eggshell will slip right off this way.

Don’t burn what you’re sautéing. If you find that your food is getting too brown too quickly, toss in an ice cube to cool the pan down. The water quickly evaporates and your food won’t burn.

Don’t want to wait for that peach or banana to ripen on its own? Put your fruit in a paper bag and toss it. The concentrated ethylene gas will help it to ripen faster.

Don’t stick your fingers in your eggs to get rid of eggshells. Use another piece of eggshell to get rid of the rouge piece. The eggshell will act as a magnet to scoop the other pieces.

Do you have a recipe that calls for buttermilk but don’t have any? You can make your own by putting a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice into regular milk. It doesn’t have the same thick, and creaminess as buttermilk put it does the trick.

Measuring out molasses or honey can make a mess. Spray it with some cooking oil before you measure. The oil will make it slide off so that your measuring spoon is easy to clean.

When making scrambled eggs, many people like to add milk, cream, or even creme fraiche – but mayo is actually quite delicious as well. The added bit of mayo will make your scrambled eggs moist and creamy without changing the flavor at all.

To keep cookies and other baked goods soft after baking, add a slice of store-bought white bread to an airtight container. Your cakes, cookies and muffins will keep their day-one softness. Friends and family will think they’re fresh! Try this trick with our Big & Buttery Chocolate Chip Cookies…that is if you have any leftovers.

When you are chopping them. No more tears when chopping onions; this really works!

Use an ice cream scoop to evenly portion out muffin batter. The kind with the trigger release makes it easy to transfer the batter to the muffin tin: no trying desperately to get the batter off of a spoon.

Chopping onions can turn you into a weepy mess. To avoid this just freeze your onion before chopping. Just make sure you cook the onions right after you freeze and chop them or else they’ll get soggy when they thaw. You can also hold a slice of bread in your mouth to prevent the tear-inducing gases from reaching your eye.

Do you have a recipe that calls for powdered sugar? You can make your own. Just pulverize granulated sugar in a spice grinder to make your own.

Brown sugar can clump up and harden if you don’t store it properly. Once it hardens it’s useless. Place an orange peel or apple slice inside the bag and put the bag in an airtight container to prevent this.

Here’s how to make the perfect basted egg. Break your egg in a pan and pour in some water. Put it on the heater and watch your eggs come out perfectly.

Refrigerate your lemon. Then microwave it for 15 to 20 seconds. Roll your fruit, cut lengthwise then use tongs to get the most juice out of your lemons.

If you don't have a bread machine, you can also use your stand mixer to knead dough. Or knead your pizza dough or any dough for that matter!

It is easier and less messy than using a pastry cutter and it lasts much longer in the freezer! I do this with my scones, apple pie and crumbles and crisps.

If you're like me and are not a fan of 'that fishy taste,' try this cooking trick! I use it all the time because it allows me to buy less expensive types fish (like sole) and actually enjoy eating it.

It's the easiest way and you get to eat more of the kiwi!

It’s easy to get the arils of a pomegranate out by using a wooden spoon! First slice your pomegranate in half around the middle. Then hold it upside down over a bowl, and whack the back of it with a wooden spoon. The seeds will pop out!

Use dental floss to easily slice soft cakes or cheeses and avoid the mess. This method also gives you a nice, clean-cut so your dessert's presentation is always classy.

Your breath isn’t the only thing coffee can stain. Over time, ceramic mugs bear the marks of coffee addicts too. To remove the stains, sprinkle baking soda (at this point, we may as well call it fairy dust) around the inside of the mug. Sprinkle some warm water inside too and let the dust work its magic. Then take a warm, damp cloth and wipe away the stains. Repeat until you’re satisfied. Maybe this is why they put baking soda in toothpaste, too...

Scooping out seeds from your vegetables can take a lot of time. It’s just not a fun task. Use an ice cream scooper to perform this task, it makes it a lot easier and faster.

Not all boxes come with easy pour spouts. Prevent yourself from making a mess when pouring out pancake mix by creating your own spout. Just cut off the corner of the box with a serrated knife.

Get rid of excess fat from stocks, stews, and sauces by skimming an ice cube along the top of the surface of your liquid with a spoon. This will cause the fat to rise and solidify. Then scoop it out with a spoon or a piece of toast.

Put the pointy end of your corn in the center hole of the pan. This will stead the cob. Then use a knife to slice downward. The pan will collect the kernels.

If you’re grilling fish on the BBQ, nothing is worse than going to flip or serve it only to have it crumble and fall apart because it sticks to the grill. Prevent this fiasco by brushing the fillet with a bit of mayo prior to putting on the grill – no sticking! And – it stays super moist.

Fact: No one likes lukewarm bubbly. Find a tall pitcher about the height of your wine bottle and get cooling. Immerse the bottle in ice water with a small handful of salt and turn every few minutes or so. Your booze will chill in 20 minutes (or less!).

In a pinch for labels? Just reach for the rubber bands. Wrap ’em around your mason jars and you’ll never mistake salt for sugar again. As an added benefit, they help make jars easy to open

This is great for fast pulled pork, beef or chicken. If you have ever stood at the counter pulling pork with forks for any period of time, you'll appreciate this food hack!