Kitchen Hacks

I want to share these kitchen hacks with you, especially if you’re a cooking newbie. These tips will make the task of cooking less overwhelming so you can focus on the fun part: cooking, experimenting and eating! And even if you’ve been over the stove for as long as you can remember, I’m hoping some of these tips will be new to you and helpful.

— Wear sunglasses while cutting onions. When you slice up an onion, microscopic cells containing enzymes turn into a volatile gas. These gases cause a chemical reaction similar to the ones in tear gas! Putting on sunglasses minimizes the tearing and burning reaction to your eyes. Keep a pair of sunglasses in your kitchen utensil draw so they’re always handy.

— If you’re cooking a large meal, keep a bowl lined with a compost bag on the counter where you’re prepping. This way you can put the veggie scraps directly into the bag, instead of making 7 trips to the compost bin under your sink or the bag in the freezer.

— Be good to yourself and buy pre-peeled garlic. It stays fresh and it’s well worth the extra 2 bucks. If you’re having a large dinner party there’s no question about it: buying pre-peeled garlic saves so
much time and there’s no mess.

— Rinsing dishes before putting them in the dishwasher is overrated and wastes time and water. Unless there is something really caked on, just scrape the dish in the pail and put it directly in. Worst case, if there’s a little schmutz on a dish after the wash, you can hand wash just that one. But most times they all come out perfectly clean.

— Some people feel it’s better to keep vegetables in the grocery bag because the produce lasts longer with some humidity but the difference is unnoticeable, am I right? Take your vegetables out of the plastic so you can actually see what you have in the refrigerator. Line the crisper draw with one dry paper towel and place the unwashed veggies there. Next time you make dinner, you won’t have to bend over the draw
and rip bags open to see what you have in.

— Speaking of the fridge, don’t put basil in it! Basil is temperature sensitive and the leaves will turn black if it’s too cold. Keep the bushel on the counter in a clear vase. Trim the ends and put it in water – like a basil bouquet! All of the other soft herbs such as parsley, cilantro, dill, tarragon and mint can go in the fridge uncovered in a glass of water. Hard herbs such as rosemary, thyme, chives, sage, and oregano should be placed in a tupperware container with a damp paper towel. This helps hold in moisture preventing them from drying out. Your herbs can last two weeks if cared for in this
way!

I have more kitchen hacks to share so I’ll be sure to write a part 2. Stay tuned.