If you consider yourself something of a home cook, it’s likely that whenever you come across a cooking hack that makes your life easier, you’re all for it. But there are probably so many cooking tips and tricks that you still don’t know about.
Whether you don’t quite have the utensils you need for a task, and you’re looking for alternatives, or you’re interested in cooking shortcuts that really work, we’ve covered them all right here. Prepare to have your mind blown with some of these ridiculously simple yet genius cooking hacks!
1. Brew coffee without a machine
Are you the sort of person who can’t live without a cup of coffee in the morning? If so, you need this coffee brewing hack in your life. When you’re away from home and you don’t have a coffee machine handy, just boil it in a pot with the same water to coffee ratio as you’d use in your machine. Remove from the heat, then ladle your coffee into a mug.
2. Quickly deseed your vegetables
Pumpkin and squash are delicious, but it takes so long to deseed them with a spoon that they’re almost not worth eating! Luckily, you can speed up the deseeding process with an ice cream scoop. You’d be surprised at the difference this makes.
3. Make your own foam milk
Everyone loves milk froth, and it’s surprisingly easy to make at home. Just fill a cup half full of milk and pop it in the microwave for a minute, which will heat it to the right temperature. Then froth your milk with a frother – if you don’t have one of these yet, they’re super cheap and a life-changing tool for coffee lovers.
4. Prevent food drying in your microwave
Microwaving food can sometimes cause it to become dry. If you don’t want to ruin your foods, simply fill a microwavable cup of water and place it next to your plate. The water will keep plenty of moisture in the air while your food is cooking. Just make sure you don’t fill it too high, or it may overflow!
5. De-crystalize your honey
If your honey has become so crystallized that it’s essentially just one big block of sugar, don’t throw it out – it’s not the end! Just put it in a bowl of hot water and leave it for 5 to 10 minutes. It’ll reverse the crystallization and you’ll have drippy liquid honey once more.
To keep your cherries stable when you pit them, place them on top of a beer bottle. Use a chopstick to push the pit out of the cherry. It’ll fall into the beer bottle, meaning less clean-up for you!
7. Prevent a sticky measuring spoon
When you’re measuring out things like honey and peanut butter, you end up with half the stuff sticking to your measuring spoon. A simple way to prevent this is to spray your spoon with cooking oil before you measure. The oil will make your ingredients slide off your measuring spoon, so you won’t have to deal with wasted ingredients and washing up will be a breeze!
8. Prevent plastic wrap ripping
Plastic wrap is something of a lifesaver, but it doesn’t always behave how you want it to. To prevent yours from sticking or ripping, simply store it in your fridge between uses. This should make it much easier to manipulate.
9. Safely cut your cherry tomatoes
The problem with cherry tomatoes is that they’re so oddly textured, there’s a big chance of injuring yourself when you’re cutting them. The best hack for keeping your fingers safe is to place your cherry tomatoes on top of an upside-down plate, then place a plate on top of them. Lightly press down and cut from left to right with a knife.
10. Store tomatoes stem-down
Tomatoes rot when air passes through the stem, so if you want to keep them plump and juicy, be sure to store them stem-down on a plate in your fridge.
Serious Eats actually did an experiment where they found that even covering the tomato stems with tape helped them to stay plump and ripe for longer.
11. Prevent water from boiling over
If you didn’t know about this hack, it’s an absolute game-changer! To prevent water from boiling over your cooking pot on the stove, place a wooden spoon across the top of the pot. This will cause the water to stop when it hits the spoon. No more messy clean-ups!
12. Microwave fruit before peeling
Sure, fruits like oranges and lemons aren’t impossible to peel, but aren’t we all looking for a simpler way to handle everything in life? Put your fruit in the microwave for 20 seconds or so before peeling. The skin will come right off without any major tugging or pulling on your part.
13. Make your own buttermilk
Buttermilk isn’t something that most of us have just lying around in the fridge. If a recipe calls for it, instead of dashing to the grocery store, just add a spoonful of lemon juice to a cup of milk. You won’t get a mixture quite as thick as buttermilk, but it’ll work just as well in cakes or batter mixes.
14. Freeze your onions before chopping
There’s nothing more dramatic than the tears you shed when chopping an onion. If you’re sick of being blinded by your own tears when you’re trying to prepare dinner, just freeze your onions before chopping them. Be sure to chop and use your onions immediately after taking them out of the freezer, or else they’ll go soggy when they thaw.
15. Preserve your fresh herbs
Ever wondered how you can get more life out of your fresh herbs? One simple tip is to tear up your herbs and add them to ice cube trays with either water or olive oil. Freeze the tray and simply pop out a cube when you plan to use your herbs in a meal. You don’t even need to wait for them to thaw – just add them straight to your frying pan.
16. Use a rubber band to open a jar
Got a jar with a stubborn, won’t-open lid? Just wrap an elastic band around the lid. It should give you some extra grip, which will help you to twist it right open. If you need more help, put a dishtowel over the rubber band on the lid.
Semi-soft cheeses like mozzarella are a nightmare to grate. If you want to avoid clogging your grater with bits of mushy cheese, just freeze your mozzarella for up to an hour before you’re set to grate it. You should find that it’s much easier to grate, and creates far less mess.
18. Separate your egg yolks from whites
This one sounds like a crazy science experiment, but we promise it works! Crack your egg into a bowl, then take an empty water bottle and place it cap-side down over the yolk. Squeeze in the sides of your water bottle, then touch your bottle against the yolk and let go to release the pressure. The change in pressure will cause the egg yolk to be sucked into the bottle.
Getting corn off the cob is definitely not one of the easiest cooking duties. If you have a bundt pan, you’ll find the job that little bit easier. Just stick the corn into the centre hole of the pan, which should keep it steady while you work. The pan will catch the corn, too, so you’re less likely to have kernels flying all over the place.
20. Fuss-free garlic peeling
If you still spend valuable time peeling away garlic skin from the clove, you need to rethink your technique. After removing the cloves from the bulb, press down on each of them with a knife (or whack them if you prefer!). The skin should fall away from the clove with virtually no effort on your part.
How many of us actually take the time to get all the juice out of our lemons? To prevent waste, this simple hack makes it easier to get all the juice out of your lemon. Just stab it with a fork, squeeze it, and move your fork up and down to extract as much juice as possible.
You know when you go to start a recipe on limited time, only to find that you need to use “softened butter”? Rather than wait for yours to go soft in a block, grate it into pieces with a cheese grater or roll it flat with a rolling pin. This will speed up the softening process so you can get started faster.
23. Pit your stone fruits easily
Pitting your stone fruits is as easy as cutting and twisting. Using a sharp knife, cut from the stem end of the fruit right through to the pit. Run the knife in a circle around the fruit, keeping the blade on the pit. Hold the fruit in your hands and twist in opposite directions until the fruit comes apart at the cut. Then remove the pit with a knife.
24. Bring butter back to solid
You know how to quickly soften butter now, but what about if you want to bring it quickly back to solid form? The simplest thing to do is to place your butter in a small bowl, then put this bowl inside a large bowl filled with cold water and ice cubes. Make sure the water from the large bowl doesn’t spill into your smaller bowl, of course.
25. Easily peel your potatoes
If you’ve been bothering to peel your potatoes with a potato peeler your whole life, prepare to be amazed by this hack. Simply boil your potatoes, then dunk them straight into an ice bath. The skin will literally come away in your hands. Now that’s a time-saver!
Flipping over your foods in the oven isn’t essential if you simply pre-heat your baking tray in the oven in advance. Veggies and french fries will cook evenly when the tray is already warmed up.
To get rid of fat in a pot, place an ice cube on a spoon and skim the spoon along the surface of the liquid. The fat will rise to the surface and begin to solidify, making it easy for you to scoop it right out with a spoon or a ladle. It works just like a magnet.
28. Make your own cake flour
Rather than spending money in the store on a specific type of flour suitable for cake baking, make your own instead. All you need to do is measure out your flour, then remove 2 tablespoons. Replace this with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, then mix or whisk your ingredients to combine.
29. Scoop out your eggshell pieces
There’s nothing more annoying than getting a bit of eggshell in your cake mix, then following it around with your finger and being unable to grab it and pull it out. Interestingly, you can actually use a bigger bit of eggshell to scoop the other piece of shell out. It works better than a spoon.
30. Keep birthday cake fresh
Nobody likes having to eat the slice of birthday cake that’s been exposed to the air for too long. If you have quite a bit of cake left and you don’t want it to go dry and stale, attach a piece of bread to each of the exposed portions. The bread will prevent air from getting into the cake, helping it to hold its moisture.
31. Prevent your fruit from browning
If you’ve cut up some fruit and you don’t plan to eat it yet, prevent it from browning by squeezing some lemon onto it or even putting it in a bowl of lemon juice. You can also mix two parts water with one part lemon juice. This should slow down the oxidization process.
32. Reheat your pasta the right way
Reheating a bowlful of pasta is difficult. It always ends up sizzling around the edges and getting stuck to the bowl while the very inside of the dish is still stone cold. For more even cooking, mold your pasta into a donut shape in its plate or bowl, with a hole in the middle.
33. Speed up the ripening process
Got your hands on some fruit that isn’t quite ready for eating yet? Simply put it in a paper bag and toss it (carefully!) around. As the fruit ripens, it releases a hormone called ethylene. The paper bag traps the ethylene around the fruit, speeding up the ripening process while still allowing air to get to it.
34. Chill alcoholic drinks without diluting
Not all of us want to dilute our wine and cocktails with water by chilling them with ice cubes. You can prevent this by switching out your ice cubes for frozen grapes. They’ll serve the same purpose, without adding any unwanted water – and you’ll get to eat them when they’re thawed, too.
35. Make homemade cupake cases
You’re either one of two people: the person who’s accumulated four separate boxes of cupcake cases, or the person who doesn’t have any when they need them. But making your own cupcake cases is really easy if you have your own baking parchment. Just cut to size and pop into your muffin tray before adding your cake mix.
36. Prevent freezer burn on ice cream
After opening your ice cream tub and taking a scoop out of it, add a layer of wax paper over it, then place the lid on as usual. This will prevent your ice cream from getting ruined by freezer burn. You can also wrap your ice cream tub in plastic wrap as an extra barrier against the cold air.
Of all the veggies out there, squash is one of the most difficult to chop. But did you know that microwaving it for 2 to 3 minutes beforehand can make your job a lot easier? Just be sure to make a couple of slits in the skin with a knife before microwaving it, or you could end up with a blown-up squash.
38. Prevent dishes from setting
Dishes like risotto and cheesy, creamy pasta tend to set up quite quickly. To keep them nice and loose, microwave your plates for a minute before adding the dish to them. You’ll find that the warmth from the plates prevents any clogging or congealing.
39. Create your own pour spout
Not all boxes come with spouts for easy pouring. Luckily, making your own couldn’t be simpler. Just cut one of the top corners with a serrated knife. It only takes seconds, and you’ll make far less mess for doing so!
40. Don’t throw out eggs too soon
The use-by date on your egg carton is only really a guideline. Instead of throwing out your eggs the moment that date passes, keep them to hand until you need them. To check to see if an egg is still good to use, place it in a glass of water. If the egg sinks, it’s good. If it floats, it’s gone bad.
Wine lasts for a week, tops, once it’s been opened – after that the taste will become muddy and unpleasant. If you have some wine left over that you know you won’t drink in time, pour your wine into an ice cube tray. You can then use the wine cubes to make wine-based cocktails and add them to your recipes.
42. Ripen your bananas faster
If you’re all set to make banana bread, but your fruit isn’t ripe enough, place the bananas on a parchment-lined tray or plate, and pop them in the oven or the microwave to warm them up. As soon as the skin is blackened, your bananas will be ripe and ready.
43. Add tea to your rice for flavor
When cooking brown rice, quinoa, bulgar wheat or millet, drop a teabag into the boiling water to add flavor. You can try out a number of different teas to find your favorite – but earl grey and chai tend to work the best. This is a must-try hack if you’re constantly thinking up new ways to flavor your grains!
44. Save your wilted greens
Instead of tossing out your wilted salad greens straight away, just freeze it in a zip-top freezer bag. Then, when you next need to sautee or fry greens for a stir-fry, omlette, or soup, you can simply add them straight to your pan from the freezer. No need to throw them out just because they’re wilted!
45. Speed up your meatloaf cooking
A big hunk of meatloaf can take more than an hour to cook in the oven. If you haven’t got enough time to wait, or you’re just very hungry, break your meatloaf up and add it into the individual slots of a muffin tin. You’ll cook your meatloaf in a fraction of the time, and it won’t affect taste at all.
46. Foil-line your baking tray
If you’re cooking an oil-heavy food in the oven, line your baking tray with foil. This will hold the majority of the oil on its surface, so all you need to do after transferring your cooked meat to a plate is whip off the foil and throw it in the trash. You’ll have a much quicker washing up job on your hands!
47. Cool your pan down fast
We all know how frustrating it is when we’re sauteeing veggies and the pan gets too hot, too fast. If you want to avoid burning your food, reduce the heat and drop an ice cube into the pan to cool things down. The water quickly evaporates, so it won’t affect your dish in any way.
When you’re measuring flour, sugar or any other powdered food into a bowl, line your work surface with baking parchment or wax paper. After you’ve measured each ingredient, you can simply tip the spill-overs back into its bag or container. That way, you won’t be wasting anything, and you’ll save yourself a cleanup, too.
49. Make your own powdered sugar
Even if you’re an avid baker, you probably only use powdered sugar five times a year, tops. If you don’t have any in the cupboard, it’s pretty easy to make your own. Just add granulated sugar to a spice grinder and pulverize it. You’ll turn your sugar into the fine powder you need.
When pouring soup or gravy into a Ziploc bag for refrigerating or freezing, it’s easy for things to get a bit messy. Save yourself the cleanup and place your bag in a glass or measuring jug to prevent the sides from spilling over. And if you do make a mess, all you need to do is wash out the jug.
Need a pastry brush but don’t have one? Why not make your own out of parchment paper? Just take a large piece of paper and fold it at least four times. Then use a pair of scissors to cut a fringe into your brush. Use this side of your makeshift brush for applying and spreading purposes.
Cookie recipes always seem a little excessive – and as much as you’d love to eat two full baking trays of ooey gooey cookie goodness, you know you shouldn’t. Save yourself from yourself and freeze one parchment-lined baking tray of cookies, while cooking the other. When the cookies are firm, you can choose to either bake them all at once, or remove them one at a time from the freezer.
53. Easily peel your eggs
Hard boil eggs take seconds to make – most of your time is spent peeling them. The easiest way to make your eggs quicker to peel is to put them in a steamer basket suspended over boiling water. Leave them for 10 to 15 minutes and you should find that the shell peels straight off.
All of us dream of making money while we sleep, but the next best thing is food, right? Making stock can take hours, so you may as well get some shuteye while yours is brewing. Just place your stock ingredients in a dutch oven and bake them uncovered for 8 hours or over night at 225 degrees. Skim and strain in the morning, then bring to room temperature and refrigerate.
55. Make the perfect basted egg
Basted eggs are absolutely delicious when they’re done just right – but it’s getting them just right that’s the hard part! One way to improve your egg basting is to break your egg in a pan and then pour in some water. Add the pan to your stove and turn on the heat. Your eggs will come out looking perfect.
56. Bag up your ice cream
Here’s another solution to prevent ice cream from going rock hard in the freezer: bag it up. Simply scoop your ice cream into Ziploc bags – this is also a great way to control your portions – and freeze as normal. Your ice cream will have a much more enjoyable consistency when you take it out.
57. Keep your brown sugar soft
If you’ve ever gone to use brown sugar only to discover it’s become a solid brick in the bag, you’ll know how annoying it can be. Luckily, preventing it from hardening doesn’t take too much work. Just pop a piece of orange peel in the bag, then put the bag in a sealed airtight container, and the sugar will stay nice and soft.
58. Cut soft foods using dental floss
Soft foods like cheese and swiss rolls can be particularly messy to cut with a knife. Instead of cutting precisely, you end up smearing the food around everywhere. Instead of a knife, for these soft food items, use dental floss. It’ll help you to cut with much more precision.
59. Add shine to your stainless steel
Your stainless steel sink and cooking utensils can easily become dull and dirty. You don’t need to use cleaning products to make them look brand new again, though. Just make a vinegar and water mix and put it in a spray bottle, then use it to clean your surfaces and add some shine. It’s so simple and doesn’t cost a penny.
60. Dry out herbs in the microwave
As much as we’d all like to live out Italian fantasy drying out herbs in our flower-lined terrace, it’s not exactly the practical solution for the majority. Instead, speed up the herb drying process and microwave your herbs for 20 second intervals, turning them over until they’re completely dry.
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