Sunday, May 26, 2019

Time-saving kitchen hacks

1) Slicing soft food like cheese and cake with ease
Cutting into cake or cheese with a knife can get messy. Avoid all that hassle by using dental floss to make quick and clean cuts.


2) Soften brown sugar
Brown sugar tends to form hard and unappetizing lumps over time. If you wish to prevent it, simply place a piece of bread or slice of apple inside the jar.


3) De-stalk strawberries with a straw

De-stalking strawberries was never so easy- just push a straw from the bottom to the top, where it removes the stem. Remaining leaves can be removed by hand.


4) Keep tomatoes fresh for long
To keep tomatoes fresh, don't detach the stem. Instead, store them, with their stems, at room temperature, ensuring you keep the stem upside down. This is because that part of the fruit is least ripe, firmest and perfect to bear the weight.


5) De-seeding pomegranates
If you want some fresh pomegranate juice but don't want to create a mess de-seeding the fruit, try removing the cone with a knife and then slice along the ridges. Now the seeds can be removed easily, without crushing them or staining your fingers.


6) Remove pit stones easily
To remove the pits from fruits like plums, nectarines, cut them in two and twist in opposite directions. Use your thumb or a paring knife to pop out the pit.


7) Scoop frozen ice-cream
dip the  serving soon into warm water and dry it thoroughly. The warm spoon will softenn the ice-cream enough to be scooped out easily.


8) De-skin boiled potatoes
Transferred the freshly boiled potatoes to an ice bath. After a few minutes, the skin will start to peel off at places, allowing you to skin the vegetable with ease.
There is another trick too- after washing the potatoes, right in the centre, with a sharp knife make a slight cut, only till the skin deep, not too much. After cooking the potatoes, once cool, you can easily remove the skins as 2 parts by slightly pressing it.


9) Keep bananas fresh
Tie a cellophane or plastic wrap around the stems of the bananas. This prevents ethylene emission which is what speeds up the ripening process.


10) Quicken the ripening process of bananas
If you want the bananas to ripen quickly, wrap the fruit in a paper bag- the concentrated ethylene levels will speed up the process.


11) Peel garlic cloves easily
Once you remove the cloves from the bulb, thump each piece with the broad side of a knife to loosen the skin and help peel it off easily. Or after removing the cloves, spread about 15-20 on your microwave plate, micro high for 10-15 seconds, you can peel it very easily. you can store them in an air-tight container in the fridge and use as many cloves as you need each time easily.


12) Soften butter quickly
If you don't have time to let a frozen chunk of butter thaw naturally, try slicing it into small cubes and place it near the stove. Alternately, keep as much as you need in a micro safe plate and micro for 10-15 seconds, depending on the quantity.


13) Keep potatoes from discolouring
Prevent peeled or sliced potatoes from turning brown or grey, soak them in cold water. This stops the release of a starch that causes oxidation.


14) Pit and peel avocados
Pit an avocado by cutting it lengthwise into 4 quarters. Now, peel, the fruit by gently running a knife under the tip of skin showing in each section.


15)  Extra-juicy citrus fruits
Extract every drop of those delicious flavours by first refrigerating and them microwaving the fruit for a maximum of 20 seconds. Then, make sure you use a pair of tongs to squeeze the juice, as the fruit will be hot, if you try to do by your hand.


16) Crumbs free brownies
Coat the pan and parchment paper with cooking oil or butter to stop the brownies from sticking to the sides when you cut into the mix. Greasing the pan and paper also makes removing the brownies a lot easier.


17)  No tears while cutting onion !
Refrigerate the onion whole ( without peeling) before slicing it up. 


18) Skin ginger pieces without a peeler
Don't have a knife? that 's fine- simply scrape with a spoon. Be careful though, you don't want to scrape off too much of the flesh.


19) Prevent apples from browning
To stop apple slices or any cut part of the fruit from browning on contact with air, squeeze some lemon juice over the cut pieces. You can also try soaking the pieces in a solution of honey- 2 tbsp and a cup of water for 30 seconds. In case, you like to take an apple to eat in your school/ office/ picnic, best is to cut the fruit like how how you'll play tic-tac-toe, then put a rubber band around the cut fruit. It will easier for you to take pieces and eat, as the core and seeds are in the centre.


20) De-crystallize honey
simply place the jar containing crystallized honey in a vessel filled with hot water, until it liquefies and the honey is ready to be used again.


21) easy way to separate yolks from whites of eggs
gently break an egg in a bowl. Take  plastic bottle, remove the lid, press the bottle over the yolk, the air pressure created inside the bottle will promptly suck in the yolk, separating from the white !


22) How fresh are the eggs?
Place the egg in a bowl of cold water. If it sinks and lies on its side, it is fresh. If it floats or even dawdles on the way to the bottom of the bowl, toss it in the bin.


23) De-kernel a con of corn
After peeling the leaves, stand the cob on a flat and stable surface and run a knife down the sides in a downward motion, being sure to push the knife away from your body.


24)  To grate cheese with ease
Although they taste yummy, soft cheese like fontima and fresh mozzarella  create a mess when we grate it. To avoid this problem, place them in the freezer for 15-30 minutes before grating.


25) Deal with hard-to-open jars
Clip a rubber band around the lid and second on the jar. Hold these while opening the jar- they offer the hands extra grip. If this still doesn't work, wrap the band with a cloth and try again. In case, you've to open  a sealed bottle, best is to show it over flame for 2-4 seconds, then put a cloth over the lid ( as the lid will be hot, so don't burn your hand, please) and voila ! it opens with ease.


26)  Measure sticky substances with ease
Dip the measuring spoon into hot water or coat it with cooking oil before measuring viscous stuff like molasses or honey. The oil / water, helps the mixture to slide off without leaving a mess.


27) Cool your drinks quickly
Got surprise guests and no chilled soda or drink in the fridge? Don't fret. Simply grab your favourite drink, wrap a wet paper towel around it and stick the bottle in the freezer. 15 minutes later, you've a chilled drink !


28) No liners for muffins?
Baking muffins and forgot the liners? Don't worry- simply use parchment paper instead. Coat each paper with cooking spray and press the squares into each hold, folding the sides as needed to crate flat walls.


29) Identify a ripe avocado
Is it ripe or not? Simple- if the part under the stem is green, the avocado is tipe. If it is brown, the fruit is past its peak.


30) Pit cherries with ease
Place each cherry on top of an empty beer/ wine bottle. Use a chopstick to push the pit into the bottle, leaving a juicy and pit-free cherry for you to enjoy.


31) Keep an eye on boiling liquids
Keep a boiling pot of water or milk from overflowing by placing a wooden spoon on top, this pops the bubbles and prevents the liquid from running over.


32) Make the perfect iced coffee

Freeze coffee into cubes. The next time you want iced coffee 9 without excess water) toss a couple of the cubes into your glass, let them melt and sip.


33) Keep knives sharp

Always store knives blade-side down in a knife block to prevent them from dulling. Also, after chopping, use the back of a knife, rather than the blade side, to transfer food to a container.


34) Use shower caps creatively

You can use a shower cap to protect food from contamination and flies instead of plastic wraps or tin foil. What's more, the caps are reusable and environmentally friendly. 


35) Remove excess salt
Did your soup or curry turn out too salty? Peel a whole potato and put it in the boiling soup. It will absorb the extra salt. Fish out the potato once you turn off the heat. In case, you don't have potato, you've wheat flour, take little flour, add water and knead like for roti/ bread, make small balls, drop into the soup/ curry, it will absorb extra salt, you can discard the balls before serving.


36) Keep your cutting board from slipping

If your cutting board wriggles around under you knife, as you're cutting into something, place a damp hand towel under the board. This helps to keep it in place.


37)  Keep guacamole green and fresh
Prevent guacamole from turning brown and losing its freshness by topping it with a layer of water and covering with plastic. Pour out the water before serving. Adding water does not affect the guacamole's flavour, as it is neither acidic nor basic in nature.


38) Remove excess fat from soup / gravy
Wrap a few ice cubes in a paper towel or a fine cloth and move it lightly over the surface of the soup or gravy or stew. The ice- cubes attract and solidify fat, leaving you free to simply scoop out the solidified remains.


39) Reheat pizza without drying it out
Pop the left-over pizza slices into a microwave with a cup of water ( filled 2/3rd) for less than a minute. The water provides moisture that keeps the pizza fresh.



those interested in cancer & health related topics are free to see my blog-
http://cancersupportindia.blogspot.com/

for crochet designs, my blog, those who like a particular design are free to mail me
http://gscrochet designs.blogspot.com

For info. about knee replacement, be free to view my blog-
http://knee replacement-stick club.blogspot.com
 

No comments:

Post a Comment