4 Foolproof Cooking Hacks to Save You Time in the Kitchen
This isn’t your first rodeo – you’ve been cooking meals in this kitchen for years. You’re always the first one to pull out baked goods at PTA meetings or potlucks. Your bookshelf is piled high with cookbooks — organized in alphabetical order, of course. And your pantry has just about every spice you could possibly think of. So why is it that you need this list of easy kitchen shortcuts? To make your life a lot easier, so you’ll have more time to enjoy the dishes you make, of course.
How to Peel Garlic Easily
Peeling garlic isn’t necessarily hard, but it is time consuming and can make your fingers smell for days. While there are several gadgets out there to peel garlic, this trick will help you just as much, if not more, than those fancy kitchen tools. Just grab a glass jar (we recommend using a mason jar) and one clove (or more) of garlic. Toss the garlic into the jar, tighten the lid, and give it a very firm shake. Before you know it, your garlic will be peeled and shell-less — and your hands will have stayed squeaky clean.
If you’re still unsure of whether you’re doing it right or not, here’s a quick YouTube video, created by Diply, that’ll show you how it’s done.
How to Keep a Pot From Boiling Over
It’s Tuesday night, the kids are home from school and running around the living room like chickens with their heads cut off — so you’ve taken your eyes off of the stove just long enough for your pot of boiling water to spatter all over the stove. If this scene is pretty common around your home, then you might want to invest in a wooden spoon. That’s right: This simple kitchen utensil magically prevents water from boiling over. Just place it on top of the pot, and you’re good to go.
Watch the magic happen in this 13-second video, posted by the OXO Good Tips YouTube channel.
How to Cook Eggs in the Microwave
Believe it or not, eggs can be scrambled, poached, or made into an omelet right within the close confined space of your microwave. (Yes, the microwave.) If you’re running late for work, this is probably the quickest way you’re going to get in that spinach and cheese quiche you planned to eat. All you’ll need is one egg (or more, depending on how hungry you are), a fork or whisk if you have one, a little bit of milk, uncooked spinach (washed, dried, and chopped), ham (if you’d like), shredded cheese, salt and pepper to taste, and a microwave-safe cup (preferably a large coffee cup). Break your eggs into the cup and scramble as you normally would, then add the chopped spinach, salt, pepper, cheese, and a dash of milk. Once everything is mixed together, place the cup in the microwave. Cook it until it’s nice and fluffy (one to four minutes, depending on size). So easy!
For a more details, check out this video posted by the YouTube channel TheCooknShare.
How to Make Chocolate Curls
You know that mom who brings the fancy-looking dessert plates to every bake sale? This year, you’re going to upstage her flawless creations with your own perfectly curled chocolate shavings — and it’s only going to take you a few seconds. If you have a potato peeler, great; if you don’t, just use a cheese grater. Press your peeler firmly against the chocolate (dark chocolate works best, but you can use whatever chocolate you’d like) and slide it downward or away from you. Be careful not to press too hard, because the chocolate will break. Your chocolate shavings will look professional — and only you will know how simple they were to create.
If you’re having trouble, here’s a video from Good to Know demonstrating some pretty solid peeling skills.
Look, we’re not saying grandma’s way was wrong, but it might be time to adopt some new cooking and snacking styles that fit your life. After all, when you’re a busy lady, the kitchen is probably the last place you want to be. Why not try a few of these cooking hacks? Who knows, you might be able to teach grandma a thing or two.
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