In our fast paced world, we all have a lot on our plates. We’re all trying to do more with less. Making fresh meals is a priority, but finding ways to keep it real in the kitchen without spending too much time can be a challenge.
That’s where kitchen hacks come in. Check out these 10 tips to make your life easier in the kitchen.
Keep Ice Cream Soft
Don’t you hate when you pull the ice cream out of the freezer and it’s rock hard? Then you have to wait for it to thaw enough to scoop out. If you store your ice cream in a Ziploc bag in the freezer, it will keep it softer so you don’t have to wait for your sweet treat next time.
Tell if Eggs Are Fresh
Have you ever wondered how to tell if the eggs in your fridge are fresh or not? There’s a simple test you can do to make sure you’re not eating old eggs. Simply place your eggs in a bowl of water. Old eggs are full of air and float. Fresh eggs will sink. It’s as simple as that.
Hull Strawberries Easily
Hulling strawberries can be a chore. If you use a knife to slice the top off, you end up wasting strawberry. If you use your nail to pop them out, you’re likely to hurt yourself. Next time, grab a straw and push it from the tip of the strawberry up through the stem. It will come right out!
Keep Wine Chilled
On a hot day, it can be challenging to keep your white wine chilled once you’ve poured a glass. Instead of putting ice in your wine, which will water it down, next time put a few frozen grapes in your wine to keep it cool without ruining the flavor.
Preserve Herbs
Have you ever bought fresh herbs for a recipe, but had a bunch left over and didn’t know what to do with them? Next time, chop them up and freeze them along with olive oil in ice cube trays. Then you can just grab an herb cube next time you’re cooking up a tasty meal.
Keep Lettuce Fresh
Does your lettuce tend to wilt and brown faster than you’d like? Keeping moisture away is the key to keeping it fresh for longer. Next time you buy a head of lettuce, wash it up and store in a sealed container with paper towels to keep moisture away.
Pit Cherries Faster
Cherries are a naturally delicious treat, but it can be the pits to pit a bunch of them for your favorite recipe. To pit cherries more easily, you can use this technique using a paper clip to pop the pits out faster and with less mess.
Prevent Potatoes From Sprouting
It’s such a downer when you buy a brand new bag of potatoes, and they start sprouting just days later. Next time, place an apple in your bag of potatoes. Apples emit ethylene gas, which will prevent those pesky sprouts from popping up on your potatoes.
De-Seed Hot Peppers More Easily
It can be a painful experience to realize you cut up hot peppers without wearing gloves to prevent chemical burns. You can reduce the amount of time your hands are exposed to the hot peppers with a simple technique. Next time your recipe calls for hot peppers, cut them in half lengthwise, then use a spoon to scrape the seeds out. It’s both easy and effective.
Keep Ginger Fresh
Next time you buy fresh ginger, pop it into the freezer instead of the fridge. Frozen ginger is much easier to peel, slice, and grate.
What other kitchen hacks do you use to save time and frustration?
Feature image courtesy of Jamison Hiner