Is hacks just the new word for tips/tricks? For some reason the word hacks came out when I was typing the title. It made me feel trendy, so I’m going with it.
So anyway, this post. Reading little tricks that people use everyday is so interesting to me. Perhaps you will be nodding along through this post thinking ‘yeah, I knew that’ but maybe there will be one or two new tidbits that you might find useful. So here they are, my favorite kitchen hacks, that I personally know to work because I use them all the time.
1. Use your mixer to shred (cooked) chicken in less than 30 seconds.
2. To peel an entire head of garlic, separate into cloves then place in an aluminum bowl. Put another aluminum bowl over it (to form a sphere) and shake vigorously. They’ll all be peeled in about 30 seconds. (view it here– it works!)
3. Squeeze lemons, limes and oranges over a fine mesh sieve to keep excess pulp and seeds from getting through.
4. Freeze extra tomato paste in tablespoon-sized dollops on parchment paper, then store in a tupperware in the freezer to throw into soup/stews/sauces as needed.
5. To prevent a mushy start to opening a banana, you should actually peel it by pinching the bottom ‘stump’ and peeling back from there.
6. Wet your finger before fishing out eggshells to make the process a million times easier. (I’ve also heard of using another egg shell to fish it out.)
7. Store fresh herbs in water-filled mason jars, like you would flowers, to extend fridge-life for up to 2 weeks.
8. Save (cleaned) veggie scraps in a ziplock bag in the freezer to toss in when making broth. (I’ve been told to do this with bones, too, for making bone broth! Love that idea, but haven’t tried it yet.)
9. To keep water from boiling over the pan, place a wooden spoon across the top of it.
10. When measuring sticky substances like honey or syrup, spray the measuring cup with cooking spray first and the sticky substance will easily slide right out.
11. To soften butter quickly, don’t microwave it. Instead, use a rolling pin to roll it out (between two layers of parchment).
12. Cut soft cheeses, like goat cheese logs, with unflavored dental floss to keep it from smooshing and sticking to your knife.
13. Make smoothies come together more quickly by prepping individual smoothie bags. You can place fruit, cubes of frozen yogurt, cubes of blended and frozen spinach or bananas frozen with peanut butter in the bags to cut down on morning assembling time. Just dump, blend and go!
14. To get the garlic or onion smell off your hands, scrub them with half of a sliced lemon.
15. When baking, save your butter wrappers and use them to grease your pan.
And there they are.
Were any of them new to you?
Do you have any shortcuts or clever tricks that you swear by?
Please share them with me!
Brynn says
Ah, I love this post!! Love the garlic clove trick and how to soften butter. I save my extra canned pumpkin in ice cube trays!
Ali says
9 new ones for me. Now I need to remember them. And use them! Thanks!!
Lindsey @ Simply Lindsey says
Your tomato paste tip is awesome! I always store it in a container, but rarely do you need that much! Definitely trying this next time 🙂
Katie Harding says
These are AMAZING! I am totally trying the garlic thing tonight!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I love kitchen hacks. I have been collecting some for a future YouTube video. 🙂 I got that chicken one from you, and I have used it many times.
I do a little different on freezing my tomato sauce. I form it into a log and freeze it, then use a knife to chop off what I need.
I’ll add one hack – after cooking hardboiled eggs, put them in an ice bath for a few minutes afterward for easier peeling.
Brittany @ Delights and Delectables says
I LOVE these!!!
Marnie @ SuperSmartMama says
I’m a big fan of #4…I’m always using 2 Tbsp of tomato paste and then have the rest of the little can to freeze.
And #11 and #13 are great ideas I’m going to try in the future!
kristin says
Great ideas, I will definitely be using a few of them
Parita @ myinnershakti says
So many of these were new to me! Thanks for sharing.
I always spray my measuring cups with cooking spray before measuring out PB, honey, etc. Makes clean up so easy!
Lauren @ Kale and Cookie Dough says
I love this post. I had no clue about the shredded chicken trick, I have been doing it wrong for years. I am going to love trying these other tricks too!
Jen says
I laughed when I read the way to peel a banana one–I remember seeing Florence Henderson (Carol Brady) on an infomercial probably a decade ago and she was saying that monkeys/primates in the wild open their bananas on what we consider the bottom and that it was way easier, and I’ve been doing it that way ever since!
The unflavored floss trick? Works soooo well for cutting cinnamon buns too, you know, when you roll up everything and have to slice it into the actual buns? Use floss instead so it doesn’t smush everything.
I love the tomato paste and make-ahead smoothie ingredient ones!
Heather says
Several new tips for me! I remember the first time you mentioned using the mixer to shred chicken and finally tried it when I made enchiladas – total game changer. I texted my mom and told her to do the same. 😉
Amy says
Great hacks! I need to start storing herbs that way – they always get slimy in the veggie drawer. To soften butter, I chop it into small pieces or shred it with a cheese shredder. Works like a charm!
Christy @TheMuddyApron says
Yah, I’m definitely rolling my butter. Every time I try and soften it in the microwave I forget about it and race back to a sloppy mess. I also put paper towels in with my greens to keep them from getting soggy. Hacks are awesome.
C.
candice says
These are very useful tips!
Kathy says
Yes, I must try the herbs like flowers. My cilantro might like that. 🙂 Also I am fascinated by the garlic one. I am going to try that for sure. Thanks!
Lauren Brennan says
A few new ones for me, but I really love the hack for softening butter! Thanks!
Ashley D says
Thanks for the tomato paste “hack”. I always have extra tomato paste and never know what to do with it!
Cynthia says
I have sprayed measuring cup before putting honey in it. Works like a charm!!
Erin @ Her Heartland Soul says
This post just blew my mind!! Thank you for sharing all of these tips! I just learned a ton!
Kate B says
Definitely appreciate the garlic clove trick. It will save me ten minutes!
char eats greens says
These are fantastic!!! How did you figure all these out?? There are definitely a few I will be incorporating and some that I need to start Redoing!! First, I should just get back into the flow of cooking now that I’m in a new kitchen/space. Plus, stocking up my fridge. I left so much behind (including small things like chia seeds – I’m sure you can relate to my sadness for leaving them behind! haha)
christina says
i microwave garlic cloves for about 10 seconds to easily peel them. and for butter, i grate it!
Julie says
A lot of these were new to me. Can’t wait to start making my life simpler! 😉 I’m especially excited about the wooden spoon trick ‘cuz no matter what my water boils over every.single.time, & it makes me CRAZY!
Christina says
My coworker (an avid baker) suggested I try freezing a stick of butter, and then using a box grater with large holes to grate the butter into flour, rather than cutting it in with two knives or a pastry blender. Works like a charm!
Laura @FitMamaLove says
Great ideas here! Doing the thing with tomato paste is a great idea because I use it so infrequently and the whole can otherwise would go to waste.
Alex @ get big, go to work says
Great post!! I love spending time in the kitchen, and I am always learning something new from your blog (i.e. the crockpot chickpeas!!) I just recently heard about the spraying measuring cups/spoons before measuring sticky liquids which I love. It will make cleanup so much easier!! I find that I am usually hesitant to buy herbs at the store for that reason-they always seem to go bad on me in 1-2 days. I will have to try the flower/water/fridge concept the next time I get some to see how it works 🙂 Thanks for all of the great information.
Lee says
I’ve also heard that rubbing your hands on stainless steel gets rid of the onion and garlic smell.
Jessica says
These are fantastic! I just tried the shredded chicken one the other day and it really worked! One of my favorite hacks is to toss our bags of spinach right in the freezer, then grab a handful for our morning smoothies.
Sarra says
I like to use half an onion and chop + freeze the rest in a baggie. I find that I can use the frozen onion for soups and sauces.
I also chop up ginger root and freeze it the same way, as I find ginger root goes bad quite quickly and I don’t know a better way to store it!
Do you think keeping asparagus in water might help stop wilting??
Grandma Honey says
Love the tomato sauce idea! Also, didn’t know that about the wooden spoon. I love it when you share what works for you.
Grandma Honey says
But I do have one question….wouldn’t it be easier to just soften the butter in the microwave? Or is that bad to do for some reason?
Joanna @Makingmine says
Oh my goodness – that chicken shredding hack is going to save me so much time!
Joanna @Makingmine says
Oh my goodness – that chicken shredding hack is going to save me so much time!
Julia @ LordStillLovesMe says
I had never heard of the last one before, but I loved it! Thank you for sharing that with me. I actually made brownies yesterday, and this would have come in handy!
Caitlin says
I love this list. My favorite ones are shredding chicken and making broth! Such time and money savers!! I can’t wait to try storing herbs in water! Thank you for the great tips!
Ray says
Thanks for the shredded chicken hack.
I usually just bash mine with a mallet and pull it apart by hand.
Jen G. says
Woah! A mixer to shred chicken is awesome. I truly never thought of doing this.