25 Cooking Hacks & Tips

​Are you tired of spending hours in the kitchen preparing meals? Look no further! We have compiled a list of 25 cooking hacks that will revolutionize your cooking experience. From time-saving tricks to clever shortcuts, these hacks will make cooking easier and more enjoyable.
​
These are just a few of the many cooking hacks that will transform your time in the kitchen. Say goodbye to long and tedious cooking sessions and hello to quick and efficient meal preparation! Try out these hacks today and watch as your cooking skills reach new heights. 

1. Use a pizza cutter to quickly chop herbs.
2. Freeze leftover wine in ice cube trays for cooking.
3. Microwave garlic for 15 seconds to make peeling easier.
4. Keep your knives sharp by storing them in a knife block.
5. Use an ice cream scoop to easily portion out cookie dough.
6. Burned food on the bottom of the oven? Let the oven cool and then sprinkle salt over the burned mess.  It will contain the goo and help absorb the smells too.
7. Freeze your lemons first then let them thaw when making fresh lemonade; they'll be super juicy.
8. Peel onions under cold running water, then freeze them for 5 minutes before chopping or slicing them.  This will keep you from crying while working with them.
9. Measure honey easier by spraying the measuring cup with cooking spray. The honey will not stick to the cup.   
10. Rubbing the outside of potatoes with cooking oil before baking will help the absorb more heat and allow the potatoes to cook more quickly -- reducing the cooking time by a few minutes.
11. Don't have whipping cream? Once thawed, vanilla ice cream can be whipped the same way as heavy cream.
12. For an easy way to fill a pastry bag, stand it upright in a glass or jar, fold the edges over the rim and fill.  No mess, no fuss.
13. Serving wine for a romantic dinner for 2?  Give it a special touch by freezing grapes and putting a few in each glass.  It keeps white wine cold & adds a treat.
14. Filter broken cork from wine.  If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter.  
15. To keep pasta warm for up to one hour without over-cooking it, place it in a colander set above a pot of simmering water.  Cover until needed.
16. Add cooked rice to your favorite  pancake recipe, using 1/2 cup for every 6 pancakes your recipe makes.  It's great added flavor and fibre!  Try heating cooked rice with milk, brown sugar and Watkins cinnamon for a delicious, nutritious, quick breakfast!
17. Too much tomato paste in a can for your recipe?  Just freeze it!  Pop it into your next spaghetti sauce, chilli or homemade soup!  TIP:  Measure out tomato paste  in TBSP amounts for easy use later.
18. Ground beef or Turkey tip:  After frying meat and seasoning, cool and then freeze in two cup portions in ziploc freezer bags for quick and easy future dishes.
19. Punch cubes - Freeze whatever drink you are serving in an ice cube tray ahead of time.  Drinks will stay chilled and won't get watered down.
20. Fruit bowls- Garnish fruit bowls / trays with fresh basil which repel fruit flies.
21. Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating.  Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.
22. Peel tomatoes the easy way.  Cover with boiling water for one minute, then plunge in cold water.  The skin will slide off easily.
23. Dry mustard removes onion odors from you hands or cutting boards by rubbing the mustard on and then rinsing off.
24. Add a small amount of baking powder to potatoes when mashing, it makes them lighter and more fluffy.  
25. To remove fat from your soup quickly, drag a slice of bread lightly across the surface.