After working all day, the thought of leaning over the stove for hours when you get home is a hard concept to embrace. Instead of working overtime in the kitchen or opting for another night of take-out, educate yourself on dozens of cooking tips that may change your life.
If you're tired of running around the kitchen frantically for hours each evening when dinner time rolls around, it's time to master these 13 life-changing cooking hacks. Once you do, you can put your feet up during the time that you've saved.
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1. Freeze herbs
Fresh herbs can make all the difference in a dish, but they always come in big bundles that are hard to use up quickly enough. Try chopping herbs and putting them in an ice cube tray with olive oil. When you're ready to sauté your next meal, you can easily grab a cube and throw it in the pan.
Fresh herbs can make all the difference in a dish, but they always come in big bundles that are hard to use up quickly enough. Try chopping herbs and putting them in an ice cube tray with olive oil. When you're ready to sauté your next meal, you can easily grab a cube and throw it in the pan.
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2. Marinate protein in a Ziploc bag
Get off your high horse and grab a Ziploc bag. This is by far the easiest way to evenly marinate chicken or tofu, and you can easily throw it in the fridge overnight.
Get off your high horse and grab a Ziploc bag. This is by far the easiest way to evenly marinate chicken or tofu, and you can easily throw it in the fridge overnight.
3. Microwave homefries before frying
If you want to master the perfect, crispy homefires, you have to partially cook the potatoes and let them get back to room temperature before frying them. When you fry raw potatoes, they will take forever and result in a mushy mess, but when they are partially cooked and at room temperature, they sizzle to perfection when they hit the hot pan.
If you want to master the perfect, crispy homefires, you have to partially cook the potatoes and let them get back to room temperature before frying them. When you fry raw potatoes, they will take forever and result in a mushy mess, but when they are partially cooked and at room temperature, they sizzle to perfection when they hit the hot pan.
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4. Bring stale bread back to life
Whether you don't eat much bread or you bought a loaf at the store before realizing you had some still at home, it's far too easy for bread to get stale. Making croutons is one option, but what about sandwiches? You can revive stale bread by soaking the loaf in water for a bit and throwing it in the oven for just a few minutes. It will taste like freshly baked bread again.
Whether you don't eat much bread or you bought a loaf at the store before realizing you had some still at home, it's far too easy for bread to get stale. Making croutons is one option, but what about sandwiches? You can revive stale bread by soaking the loaf in water for a bit and throwing it in the oven for just a few minutes. It will taste like freshly baked bread again.
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5. Store pancake batter in an empty ketchup bottle
There aren't many vessels that work as efficiently as a squeeze bottle. Rather than ladling messy blobs of pancake batter onto a skillet, store it in an empty ketchup bottle to evenly squeeze the batter onto the pan.
There aren't many vessels that work as efficiently as a squeeze bottle. Rather than ladling messy blobs of pancake batter onto a skillet, store it in an empty ketchup bottle to evenly squeeze the batter onto the pan.
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6. Use a coffee grinder to make spice blends
Buying unground spices is often cheaper than pre-ground spices and preserves the flavor much longer. After making your morning cup of joe, rinse out the coffee grinder and make room for a blend of spices. You can make batches ahead of time and store them in your spice cabinet to easily toss in a curry or stir fry for dinner.
Buying unground spices is often cheaper than pre-ground spices and preserves the flavor much longer. After making your morning cup of joe, rinse out the coffee grinder and make room for a blend of spices. You can make batches ahead of time and store them in your spice cabinet to easily toss in a curry or stir fry for dinner.
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7. Put a knife under hot water before slicing a delicate cake
There's nothing worse than carefully slicing into a beautiful cake, only for it to crumble into oblivion. If you run the knife under hot water, it will make for a clean, perfect slice.
There's nothing worse than carefully slicing into a beautiful cake, only for it to crumble into oblivion. If you run the knife under hot water, it will make for a clean, perfect slice.
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8. Slice a pint of ice cream to make perfect ice cream sandwiches
For nights when you're craving an ice cream sandwich at 1 a.m., it may be easier to curb those cravings than you think. If you have some cookies hiding in the cupboard and a pint of ice cream in the freezer, you're good to go. Just make thin slices into the carton of ice cream, tear off the packaging, and you have a cookie-shaped slice of ice cream without all of the mess.
For nights when you're craving an ice cream sandwich at 1 a.m., it may be easier to curb those cravings than you think. If you have some cookies hiding in the cupboard and a pint of ice cream in the freezer, you're good to go. Just make thin slices into the carton of ice cream, tear off the packaging, and you have a cookie-shaped slice of ice cream without all of the mess.
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9. Make flour with a food processor
If you're trying to steer away from gluten, take full advantage of your food processor. Gluten-free flours can be expensive, but with some almonds and a Cuisinart food processor, you can whip up a batch in minutes.
If you're trying to steer away from gluten, take full advantage of your food processor. Gluten-free flours can be expensive, but with some almonds and a Cuisinart food processor, you can whip up a batch in minutes.
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10. Use half of an eggshell to scoop out eggshell bits
It often seems impossible to grab an eggshell bit from a bowl. But it is not game over: Use the other half of the eggshell to scoop out the shard of shell. The leftover egg in the shell will cling onto it and save the frustrating time of trying to pick it out with your fingers.
It often seems impossible to grab an eggshell bit from a bowl. But it is not game over: Use the other half of the eggshell to scoop out the shard of shell. The leftover egg in the shell will cling onto it and save the frustrating time of trying to pick it out with your fingers.
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11. Keep scissors in the kitchen
Scissors are for more than just paper. Save yourself hours by using scissors to slice herbs, bacon, shredding cabbage and even cutting pizza into slices.
Scissors are for more than just paper. Save yourself hours by using scissors to slice herbs, bacon, shredding cabbage and even cutting pizza into slices.
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12. Make use of condiments
All of the condiments in the fridge door aren't just for sandwiches. You can marinate chicken with salsa, add dijon mustard to salad dressing or mix hot peppers intomayonaise to amp up what would otherwise be uneventful courses.
All of the condiments in the fridge door aren't just for sandwiches. You can marinate chicken with salsa, add dijon mustard to salad dressing or mix hot peppers into
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13. Don't toss cooking fats
Rather than toss bacon fat down the drain, which is bad for the plumbing anyhow, store it in a container and use it later. You can use bacon fat to fry potatoes, roast veggies or even toss it with popcorn. Almost everything tastes better with a little bacon.
Rather than toss bacon fat down the drain, which is bad for the plumbing anyhow, store it in a container and use it later. You can use bacon fat to fry potatoes, roast veggies or even toss it with popcorn. Almost everything tastes better with a little bacon.
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