So maybe you think you’ve got it all
figured out. You’re the MacGyver of the kitchen — spatula in one hand, two eggs
in the other.
Crack, separate, and plop goes the egg
in the bowl…with a bit of shell. The horror! What do you do? Hint: Fishing
around with a spoon isn’t the answer.
Thankfully, we have a solution to your
egg quandary (see tip number 10), plus quick fixes to tons of other food prep,
cooking, and baking predicaments, from pitting a nectarine to softening butter
the easy way.
We’ve hacked your kitchen — prepare to
save money, save time, and never cry from cutting onions again.
1. If you happen
to over-salt a pot of soup, just drop in a peeled potato.
The potato will absorb the excess salt.
2. When boiling
eggs, add a pinch of salt to keep the shells from cracking.
3. Never put
citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, limes, etc.) or tomatoes in the fridge. The low
temperatures degrade the aroma and flavour of these fruits. (That's why our
tomatoes don't last in the fridge).
4. To clean iron
cook-ware, don’t use detergents. Just scrub them with salt and a clean, dry paper
towel.
5. When storing
empty airtight containers, throw in a pinch of salt to keep them from getting stinky.
6. If you are
making gravy (stew) and accidentally burn it, just pour it into a clean pan and
continue cooking it. Add sugar a little at a time, tasting as you go to avoid
'over-sugaring’ it. The sugar will cancel out the burned taste.
7. Burned a pot of
rice? Just place a piece of white bread on top of the rice for 5-10 minutes to
draw out the burned flavour. Be careful not to scrape the burned pieces off of
the bottom of the pan when serving the rice.
8. Before you chop
fresh red peppers, rub a little vegetable oil onto your hands and your skin won’t
absorb the spiciness.
9. If you aren’t
sure how fresh your eggs are, place them in about four inches of water. Eggs that
stay on the bottom are fresh. If only one end tips up, the egg is less fresh
and should be used soon. If it floats, it’s past the fresh stage.
10. No one likes
crunchy pieces in their cake or brownies. But grabbing a bit of eggshell that’s
fallen into batter can turn into a wild goose chase, as it seems to squirm out
of your reach like a wily tadpole. We’ve got two solutions. For one, just wet
your fingers and reach right in. (Simple, but it really works!). For a cleaner
alternative, scoop up bits of broken eggshell with half of your already-cracked
egg. The shell acts as a magnet to draw up shell pieces without wasting too
much egg.
11. To banish ants
from the kitchen, find out where they are coming in and cover the hole with petroleum
jelly (Vaseline). Ants won’t trek through the jelly. If they are coming under a
door, draw a line on the floor with chalk. The little bugs also won’t cross a
line of chalk.
12. Don’t store
your bananas
in a bunch or in a fruit bowl with other fruits. Separate your bananas and
place each in a different location. Bananas release gases which cause fruits (including
other bananas) to ripen quickly. Separating them will keep them fresh longer.
13. To keep
potatoes from budding in the bag, put an apple in with them.
14. If you manage
to have some leftover wine, cocktail drinks at the end of the evening, freeze it
in ice cube trays for easy addition to sauces (white wine works wonders in
sauces, I don't joke with them) in the future.
15. After boiling
pasta or potatoes, cool the water and use it to water your house plants. The water
contains nutrients that your plants will love.
16. When defrosting
meat from the freezer, pour some vinegar over it. Not only does it tenderize
the meat; it will also bring down the freezing temperature of the meat and
cause it to thaw quicker. Note every woman should have vinegar in her kitchen.
17. Do you cry
while peeling off onions, then try this. After peeling off your onions,
refrigerate the onions for at least 5 minutes, then dice it. You will be glad
you did.
18. For aluminium
pans that are looking dull, just boil some apple peels in them. This will brighten
up the aluminium and make your house smell yummy.
19. If your salt is
becoming lumpy, put a few grains of rice in with it to absorb excess moisture.
20. Always keep an
aloe vera plant in your kitchen. It’s invaluable when you scrape your arm or burn
your finger. Just break off a leaf and rub the gel from the inside on the
injury.
21. When making a
soup, sauce, that ends up too fatty or greasy, drop in an ice cube. The ice will
attract the fat, which you can then scoop out. This works wonders.
22. To reuse
cooking oil without tasting whatever was cooked in the oil previously, cook a ¼
piece of ginger in the oil. It will remove any remaining flavours and odours.
23. If your milk
always goes bad before you can finish it, try adding a pinch of salt to the
carton when you first open it. It will stay fresh days longer.
24. If two drinking
glasses become stuck together after stacking, it’s not impossible to unstick them.
Just put ice in the inner glass and dunk the outer glass in warm water. The
warm glass will expand and the cold glass will contract, making the glasses
separate easily.
25. For splinters
under the fingernail, soaking the affected finger in a bowl of milk with a
piece of bread in it, it will help.
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