Want to up your cooking game but don’t want to add work to what is already a chore? Here are some simple hacks that will make your home cooking that much better. You’re welcome.
1. Change the Add-Ins to Cake Mix
This is a trick some bakeries use to pass off box cake mix as homemade. Add an extra egg, and use melted butter instead of the oil called for on the back of the box. They’re small changes, but pay off in big, bakery-level flavor.
2. Soak Cheap Cuts of Beef in Baking Soda
Mix together baking soda and water, then plop a cheap cut of beef in the concoction for 30 minutes. You’ll be amazed at how tender it is after you cook it.
3. Soften Cookies With a Slice of Bread
Don’t let your cookies get hard after a day of baking. Just throw a slice of store-bought white bread into an airtight container with your cookies (or any other freshly baked treat you have). No one will know they aren’t fresh.
4. Put a Carrot in Your Tomato Sauce
If your tomato sauce is more acidic than you’d like, peel a whole carrot and stick it it your sauce. Take it out when you’re done cooking, and you’ll find the carrot has absorbed the sour taste from your sauce.
5. Add Butter to Tomato Sauce
Yes, it turns out butter really does make everything better — even tomato sauce. While it seems odd (shouldn’t it be olive oil at least?), a little butter makes your sauce creamy and rich.
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6. Use a Cooling Rack to Dice Eggs
If you’re making egg salad or just want to save time while making lunch, push a hard-boiled egg through a cooling rack. Voila, a diced egg with almost no effort.
7. Keep Herbs Fresh With Water
If you’ve ever put fresh flowers in a vase, you already know how to keep herbs fresh for around two weeks. Trim the stems and place them in a small glass of water. Then place a plastic bag over top and use twine or a rubber band to keep it in place. Store your herb-bouquet in the fridge or simply on the counter.
8. Use Cooking Spray on Your Cheese Grater
If you’ve ever tried to clean a cheese shredder after you’ve torn through a wedge of Parmesan or cheddar, this will be a hint you want to try before your next taco night. Cooking spray doesn’t let the cheese stick to the grater, so it’s no big deal to toss it into the dishwasher.
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9. Make Single-Serve Whipped Cream With a Stick Blender
Your cake/pie/life would be so much better with some whipped cream, but you don’t want to deal with a blender or rely on that processed stuff from the store. Just put some heavy cream in a tall glass, grab your stick blender, and you’ll have the finished product in moments. Best of all, the clean up is minimal.
10. Use a Warm Knife for Slicing
You have to cut the cake or cheesecake sometime, but it either smooshes your dessert or leaves crumbs everywhere. The solution is a warm knife, and it’s as easy as slipping one into a glass of warm water. Just wipe off the blade before you use it.
11. Peel Garlic with the Microwave
This unexpected hack is a game changer if you love garlic. Just lop off the tops, cook for 20 to 30 seconds, and voila. The peel comes right off.
12. Use a Potato Masher on Your Ground Beef
Instead of ending up with clumps of meat when you’re just trying to make tacos, mash the stuff right in the skillet with a potato masher. It ensures even cooking and no weird clumps.
13. Add a Cube of Chicken Stock to Your Pasta Water
This is so easy you might forget to do it, but don’t. Tossing a cube into your water as it boils adds flavor to your pasta and, if you use any of the water to thicken your sauce, it gives that a boost, too.
14. Microwave Lemons Before Juicing
Don’t cook them, but microwave lemons for 7 seconds before juicing them. Roll them on the counter, then juice. You’ll get more juice than you expect. Works for limes, too.
15. Shred Chicken With a Stand Mixer
Forget meat claws. Shredding chicken doesn’t have to be hard, and it doesn’t even need to be hands-on. Toss leftover chicken in a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, and you’ll have shredded chicken ready for tacos or a casserole in no time.
16. Chop Herbs With Your Pizza Cutter
This is an easy hack you’ll want to try. Wash and pat dry your fresh herbs, put them on a cutting board and run your pizza cutter over them.
17. Pit Cherries With a Chopstick and a Bottle
Instead of having a rarely used cherry pitter in your kitchen, try this instead. Put the cherry at the top of the empty soda bottle, then drive the chopstick through the middle of the cherry, forcing the pit into the bottle.
18. Use an Apple or Potato to Fix Salty Soup
It seems hitting the salt shaker too often during the cooking process just means an inedible meal, but hold on a second. Tossing a raw apple or potato into your soup, stew, or sauce will soak up the excess salt and rescue dinner.
19. Use Two Plates to Cut Cherry Tomatoes in Half
This one will be a huge time saver for anyone who makes the feta-tomato TikTok bake. Just put all the cherry tomatoes you want to slice in half on a plate, cover with a plate of the same size, and run a knife in between the two. You’ll have halfed your tomatoes in a fraction of your time.
20. Spray Measuring Spoons With Nonstick Spray
If you’ve ever felt wasteful neasuring honey, molasses, or another thick substance because it sticks more to your measuring spoon than it goes where you need it, there’s a solution to the problem. Just spray your measuring spoon with some nonstick spray, and your honey (or other stuff) will slide right out. Just remember to clean it will before you measure, say, baking powder or flour.
21. Use a Microplane on Ginger and Garlic
Instead of struggling to mince garlic and ginger, go ahead and grab the microplane you probably save for chocolate and cinnamon. It makes quick work of two ingredients that can be a time-killing hassle.
22. Freeze Ginger Before You Mince or Shred
Ginger can be rubbery, and mincing it can be an exercise in cut knuckles. Frozen, however, and it’s easier to hold against a microplane or shredder.
23. Add White Miso Paste to Pasta
If you’re just making some boring noodles as a side dish, go ahead and add some miso paste. The addition will bring some unexpected umami to what would otherwise be a dull carbohydrate. Want to make it even better? Add some shredded Parmesan.
24. Melt Butter and Flour in a Mug for Instant Roux
If you need to thicken a stew or a sauce, adding roux is a solution but seems like a tedious extra step. Instead, mix flour and water in a mug, then stick it in the microwave for a minute (long enough to thicken but not burn). Then, add to your sauce for a quick correction.
25. Use Pickle Brine to Boost Flavor
Go ahead, add some pickle brine to savory dishes to give them an unexpected tang. Casseroles, vinaigrettes, and soups can get a boost.
26. When You Grease Pans, Add Sugar
While you probably have to grease your brownie pan, consider adding some sugar before you pour in the batter. The result? A tasty, crunchy, and sweet addition to your edges.
27. Add Soy Sauce to Your Eggs
Scrambled eggs don’t have much flair on their own, but go ahead — before you grab the ketchup or hot sauce, cook your scrambled eggs with a dash of soy sauce. It will give them more flavor than just salt and pepper.
28. Use Kitchen Scissors Instead of A Knife
Two blades are better than one, so use kitchen scissors when you’re cutting up pizza, chicken or herbs (or anything else). You’ll be able to be more precise, and it will probably take less time, too.
29. Add Orange Juice to Tomato Soup
Go ahead, try it. The citrus acidity will brighten up the flavor, and the sweetness won’t hurt, either.
30. Use Miso and Butter on Vegetables
Roasted veggies are fine, but giving them some extra flavor is never a bad thing. Mix miso and butter, then put it on your veggies with a basting brush. There’s a chance your kids might actually eat them.
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