Making Time in the Kitchen More Fun — Hacks #19

As I’ve written in prior lifestyle hack stories, I am FAR from being a kitchen maven. I don’t even qualify as a neophyte.

If you could see the ruined Le Creuset pans from cooking things dry, blackened bottoms and interiors of pots, and know how many times the smoke alarm went off because I’d spaced out there was food on the stove…okay, you get the idea.

My mother and sisters were terrific cooks, though. Years later, my mouth still salivates at the mere thought of myriad delicious meals shared at their tables. Hence, I learned a few tips from them. Had I known more of these tricks, though, perhaps cooking and baking would’ve seemed less dreary.

I commend all who love to cook and hope a couple of these prove helpful to you. 😃 🍴

✅ Rescue a salty soup with raw apple or potato

Oops, if you’ve oversalted a pot of simmering soup, toss a few wedges of a raw potato or apple into the pot.

Simmer for ten minutes, then discard the wedges. The soup should return to normal.

✅ Decorate cookies before baking

This is for you special moms and grandmas who make homemade decorated cookies. Who knew this? Perhaps you super-baker types.

Decorate your cookies before, not after, baking with cocoa powder, cinnamon, or your preferred concoction to achieve bakery-quality creations. Place a cutout decoration atop the cookies before sliding them into the oven. You can even douse them with sugar or sprinkles before baking.

Yum, yum, no long waiting to chow down by decorating after pulling the goodies from the oven.

✅ Freeze sauce cubes in egg cartons

Is it upcycling or recycling? Whichever, this is genius. Perhaps you already know this, but using egg cartons thusly never crossed my gray matter.

Egg cartons are ideal for freezing small portions of homemade sauce. They work for pesto, tomato, fruit, or whatever you can imagine.

Freeze sauce in the egg carton. Then, pop out the individual sections and transfer them to a resealable freezer bag. To use, thaw cubes in the refrigerator for two hours.

✅ Use a whisk to remove pumpkin or squash seeds

This is less a hack for carving a pumpkin and more for removing seeds to roast either them or the vegetable. It can be difficult to separate the seeds from all the pumpkin pulp, but a whisk makes it easy.

For long-neck squash varieties, cut the neck from the round base where the seeds are located. Set the base on the cut end or its sturdiest side. Then, split it in half.

Hold the half over a bowl. Insert the end of a whisk and twist it to pop out the seeds. Some will loosen but hang by a thread. Use the edge of the whisk to scrape them into the bowl.

✅ Use a potato masher to mash avocados

Have you joined the avocado toast craze? If not, you’re probably a guacamole lover like me.

Instead of mashing up small pieces of the avocado with a fork, use that infrequently used tool — probably hidden in the netherland reaches of your utensils drawer — a potato masher. Definitely a time-saver!

✅ Prevent guacamole from turning brown

Continuing on the avocado vein, this is genius, and new to me.

Add one-half inch of water to the top of your guacamole in a bowl. Pour off the water before serving.

The guac doesn’t turn that yucky brown! I’ve not yet tried this, but absolutely will.

✅ Cut steak fries with an apple slicer

Are you craving those made from scratch potato wedges served at your favorite restaurant?

This kitchen hack is waiting in your utensil drawer. And, if you’re like mine, it’s another infrequently used tool— an apple slicer.

Cut one end of the potato for stability, then push the apple slicer through it. Add your preferred seasonings or follow your favorite recipe for potato wedges. You can try it with sweet potatoes, too.

This sounds ingenious to me. Let me know if you’ve ever tried it.

✅ Cut a bell pepper without waste

Most of us after years of experimenting have a method for cutting bell peppers. This hack is close to mine.

Skip the mess when slicing a bell pepper by first cutting off the green stem. Then, cut the pepper into fours before opening each section. The seeds will be easier to clean out before cutting into smaller pieces.

✅ Organize snacks with cupcake liners

I’ve left the most amusing until the last. I’m not a mom, so this seems a tad silly, especially since you can pop foods into a piece of saran wrap. But if it appeals, go for it!

If the kids are picky eaters, prevent the Goldfish crackers from touching the peeled fruit by using cupcake liners to organize a lunchbox into separate sections.

Fellow Hack Lovers, as always, thanks so much for reading! Your time is precious, and I’m honored you chose to spend some of it here!

Happy cooking and baking. Victoria😎🙏

References:

1. https://www.marthastewart.com/8353713/how-to-make-soup-less-salty

2. https://avocadosfrommexico.com/how-to/keep-guacamole-from-turning-brown/#:~:text=Pat%20the%20guacamole%20down%20to,guacamole%20in%20a%20sealed%20tub.

3. https://thesavvymama.com/kitchen-hacks/#

4. https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/best-kitchen-hacks/

5. https://www.thedailymeal.com/1373737/at-home-steak-fries-apple-slicer-hack/

© Victoria Kjos. All Rights Reserved. 2024.