Cooking hacks! I love cooking hacks! Aren't they great? They're like life hacks, but for cooking. Dun dun da duh, here it is. The one and only, 8 Cooking Hacks Everyone Should Know, and that includes your kids, your mom, and your husband, even if he doesn't know how to cook or even want to cook. I'm just having a little fun here right now, because does anyone actually even read the introduction or do they just skip to the rest of the post? Here it is, by my favorite blog reader. Hopefully you and I will learn some important and useful lessons today.
For some, cooking is a skill that they effortlessly mastered. For others, it is a challenging feat that they need to conquer. Nevertheless, whether you are a novice or a pro in the kitchen, here are some cooking hacks that will definitely make your life easier.
Mix pancake batter in a plastic bag
If you are fond of making pancakes for your family, try to mix one portion of the batter in a Ziploc or a pastry bag. You also have the option of mixing several batches of batter at once in a large container. After which, separate the batter into portions and place it in a Ziploc in your freezer. Cut one corner of the Ziploc when you are ready to cook pancakes in different shapes. What is more amazing is that this will generate less mess for you to clean up after.
Cut softer foods with a dental floss
If you don’t have a set of knives and only tend to use a single one for each ingredient that you have to cut, then use dental floss to cut softer foods such as cake or pastry dough. You can even cut the cheese in precise slices better than you do with a knife. In the same manner as storing batter in plastic bags, using a dental floss will also generate less mess in your kitchen.
Look for one pot dishes
More often than not, people resort to fast food and take outs because they do not have the time to prepare and cook healthier food options. If you are one of those living a fast-paced life, then one pot dishes will be your savior. If you don’t have an Instapot yet, the wide variety of options for you to choose from can be overwhelming. Nevertheless, a power cooker review can be found on several sites online. These may be able to guide you make more informed choices in terms of buying the most suitable pressure cooker. Once you have an Instapot, you will find it amazing that you can cook several dishes in a jiffy.
Cook up for the week and store each dish in the freezer
Another hack to save you time over the week is to cook up an entire week’s meal plan. After spending some hours in the kitchen to cook, store the dishes in separate containers and put them in the freezer. It is best to consume dishes with tomatoes first and dishes with vinegar last.
Use the ice dish to:
Save bone and vegetable scraps
Instead of using canned broth or broth cubes to make your dishes more flavorful, try saving bone and vegetable scraps. You can even save garlic and onion peelings. All you have to do is fill a pot of water and bring chicken bone scraps or beef bone scraps to boil for an instant chicken or beef broth. In the same manner, fill a boiling pot of water with vegetable scraps such as onion skins or carrot tops for an instant vegetable broth.
Run water on stale bread
If you have a stale bread, think twice before throwing it out. You can actually run a stale bread in water and heat it up in the oven for about five to ten minutes. This is effective, especially for a baguette or loaf bread. You also have the option of wrapping it in a damp towel before throwing it in the oven. The result is a fresh and crunchy bread that is perfect for your jam and peanut butter spreads.
Transform your soup into a sauce
Another hack that can save you from wasting food is transforming your soup dishes into sauces. If you are tired of serving the same soup that you have made in rather a big batch, you can turn it into a sauce by adding some corn starch and simmering it some more over low fire until it reduces or thickens. Add some salt and pepper to taste according to your preferences and viola, you have a dipping sauce or a pasta sauce in an instant. You even have the option of adding more herbs and other spices. Feel free to experiment with your palate.
Bonus Hack: Use kitchen shears
Cooking can be challenging without the proper knife skills. More often than not, amateurs in the kitchen struggle with the proper handling of knives. In this case, it is best to use kitchen shears for all the trimming and cutting necessary for a recipe. With a kitchen shears, you will easily be able to trim fat from chicken or snip the bacon into bits. However, not all ingredients can be cut and sliced using kitchen sears such as hard vegetables so you still need to learn a bit of knife skills.
In conclusion, cooking should not really be that difficult, especially with some of the hacks that you can practice. While it is necessary for some dishes to take some of your time, prepping up alternative recipes and cooking the favorites in your household should be a breeze. Nevertheless, whether you spend hours in the kitchen or stay for just a few minutes, cooking should always be done with love, especially if it is for the people who matter the most.
For some, cooking is a skill that they effortlessly mastered. For others, it is a challenging feat that they need to conquer. Nevertheless, whether you are a novice or a pro in the kitchen, here are some cooking hacks that will definitely make your life easier.
Mix pancake batter in a plastic bag
If you are fond of making pancakes for your family, try to mix one portion of the batter in a Ziploc or a pastry bag. You also have the option of mixing several batches of batter at once in a large container. After which, separate the batter into portions and place it in a Ziploc in your freezer. Cut one corner of the Ziploc when you are ready to cook pancakes in different shapes. What is more amazing is that this will generate less mess for you to clean up after.
Cut softer foods with a dental floss
If you don’t have a set of knives and only tend to use a single one for each ingredient that you have to cut, then use dental floss to cut softer foods such as cake or pastry dough. You can even cut the cheese in precise slices better than you do with a knife. In the same manner as storing batter in plastic bags, using a dental floss will also generate less mess in your kitchen.
Look for one pot dishes
More often than not, people resort to fast food and take outs because they do not have the time to prepare and cook healthier food options. If you are one of those living a fast-paced life, then one pot dishes will be your savior. If you don’t have an Instapot yet, the wide variety of options for you to choose from can be overwhelming. Nevertheless, a power cooker review can be found on several sites online. These may be able to guide you make more informed choices in terms of buying the most suitable pressure cooker. Once you have an Instapot, you will find it amazing that you can cook several dishes in a jiffy.
Cook up for the week and store each dish in the freezer
Another hack to save you time over the week is to cook up an entire week’s meal plan. After spending some hours in the kitchen to cook, store the dishes in separate containers and put them in the freezer. It is best to consume dishes with tomatoes first and dishes with vinegar last.
Use the ice dish to:
- Freeze fresh herb and oil mixture. You can try putting basil in each cube before filling up the cube with olive oil. You also have the option of using any herb of your preference and filling up each cube with olive oil or butter. This will make it easier for you to add herbs in your dishes.
- Freeze coffee cubes. Iced coffee is just two steps away with frozen coffee cubes. All you need to do is add the cube to a glass of milk for a creamy coffee or a glass of water for a sweet black sensation.
- Freeze overripe bananas. Freezing overripe bananas are also a good way to have an instant smoothie when you feel like it. Instead of having to throw the fruit, you have saved it for better use.
- Freeze cookie dough. Freezing cookie dough in an ice cube dish will save you time in baking cookies. What is even better is that your cookies will have a relatively same size. Thereby, nobody will complain that they got the smallest cookie.
Save bone and vegetable scraps
Instead of using canned broth or broth cubes to make your dishes more flavorful, try saving bone and vegetable scraps. You can even save garlic and onion peelings. All you have to do is fill a pot of water and bring chicken bone scraps or beef bone scraps to boil for an instant chicken or beef broth. In the same manner, fill a boiling pot of water with vegetable scraps such as onion skins or carrot tops for an instant vegetable broth.
Run water on stale bread
If you have a stale bread, think twice before throwing it out. You can actually run a stale bread in water and heat it up in the oven for about five to ten minutes. This is effective, especially for a baguette or loaf bread. You also have the option of wrapping it in a damp towel before throwing it in the oven. The result is a fresh and crunchy bread that is perfect for your jam and peanut butter spreads.
Transform your soup into a sauce
Another hack that can save you from wasting food is transforming your soup dishes into sauces. If you are tired of serving the same soup that you have made in rather a big batch, you can turn it into a sauce by adding some corn starch and simmering it some more over low fire until it reduces or thickens. Add some salt and pepper to taste according to your preferences and viola, you have a dipping sauce or a pasta sauce in an instant. You even have the option of adding more herbs and other spices. Feel free to experiment with your palate.
Bonus Hack: Use kitchen shears
Cooking can be challenging without the proper knife skills. More often than not, amateurs in the kitchen struggle with the proper handling of knives. In this case, it is best to use kitchen shears for all the trimming and cutting necessary for a recipe. With a kitchen shears, you will easily be able to trim fat from chicken or snip the bacon into bits. However, not all ingredients can be cut and sliced using kitchen sears such as hard vegetables so you still need to learn a bit of knife skills.
In conclusion, cooking should not really be that difficult, especially with some of the hacks that you can practice. While it is necessary for some dishes to take some of your time, prepping up alternative recipes and cooking the favorites in your household should be a breeze. Nevertheless, whether you spend hours in the kitchen or stay for just a few minutes, cooking should always be done with love, especially if it is for the people who matter the most.