6 #kitchenhacks that I picked up along the way, working in professional kitchens. Use these to make your home cooking easier and efficient!
Are you tired of struggling in the kitchen? Do you feel like you can never get things just right? Well, don't despair - help is on the way! These seven kitchen hacks will make your life a whole lot easier. From perfect poached eggs to opening jars that won't budge, these tips and tricks will have you cooking like a pro in no time. So what are you waiting for? Get hacking!
1. Easy P-easy Lemon Squeeze-y:
Do you often have limes or lemons in your fridge that go dry because you only used a part of it and stored the rest in a forgotten part of the fridge? There is a better way to use citrus without cutting the fruit at all. I saw a bartender do this and I have used it at home with my citrus when I only need a couple squeezes out of it.
Here is what to do: Take your lime or lemon, place it on the kitchen counter and roll it under your palm for a few seconds. This helps the juice to flow. Then, without cutting the fruit, find the end where it was attached to the tree. Using either a toothpick or a pair of kitchen tweezers, poke a hole where it was attached to the tree. You may need to give it a couple twirls. Squeeze and enjoy! When you store the leftover, the fruit will not dry up.
If you want to use the whole fruit, the conventional way is still the best.
2. Long Lasting Ginger & Garlic Paste
In most Indian houses, you will always find a jar of ginger and garlic paste in the fridge. I make mine in a 1:1 ratio.
Here is what to do: Take the peeled ginger and garlic and put it in a blending jar. Instead of water, I use oil to blend it. Not too much, just enough to make a paste out of it. Blend and save in an air tight jar in the fridge. You can use this up to 3 weeks. If you add some salt, it will last even longer.
You can also divide the paste in an ice tray and freeze it for extended life.
3. Perfectly Buttered Toast:
You know when you have that perfect toast but you forgot to take the butter out of the fridge so now it is not room-temp yet. You know if you try to force it, your toast will be ruined. Well, in times like these, don't be afraid to get creative.
Here is what to do: Bring out the cheese grater or lemon zester and just grate some butter on the toast. It might sound crazy, but it works. No more ruined toasts! Watch this video of me doing it, if you have doubts:
4. Open Jars That Just Won't Budge:
You got jar lids that won't budge? You've already tried gently tapping it to release the pressure? Have you already tried the running-it-under-hot-water trick? Well, I got a better one for you! You can use this trick for jars with metal or plastic lids but NOT for glass lids.
Here is what to do: Place the jar on the kitchen counter. With a clean knife, using the blade's back-end's pointy side, whack the jar lid to make a small incision on the lid. The pressure will release and the lid will come right off.
5. Perfect Breakfast Starts With A Perfect Poached Egg:
If you are new to eggs, they can be intimidating. More so if you are cooking to impress. So, let's say you have are cooking breakfast and you'd like to cook perfectly poached eggs. You can either go the conventional way and drop a few freshly cracked eggs into a whirlpool of boiling water, OR you can follow my easy way of doing it.
Here is what to do: You will need heat proof (microwave safe) kitchen plastic wrap. Cut a large enough piece of plastic wrap, does not have to be exact but it will help if it is larger than 6x6 inches. Then, take a ramekin or a small cup and lay this piece of plastic over it. Now, make a well in the plastic. Be sure not to poke holes. Crack an egg into this plastic. Then, bring in all the sides together to make a little pouch with the egg inside. Like the image below:
Then, tie the loose ends either with butcher's twine or thread. I also use the twist elastic that comes on bread bags sometimes. Drop this in boiling water for 4 mins. Remove from water, place in cold water. Carefully open the plastic wrap and you have perfectly poached egg!
6. No-Fail Salad Dressing & Magic Ratios:
With salad dressing, ratio is everything. For a good and stable dressing, you need fat and vinegar to combine together. In basic vinaigrettes, use 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar.
But if you are going for something like a creamy honey mustard dressing, there will be fat in the mayo and the mustard that you add.
Here is what to do: For creamier dressings, I go by 2 parts vinegar to 3 parts oil to 1 part everything else. So, use 2 parts vinegar with 1 part each of honey, mustard, and mayo, and 3 parts of olive oil. Season with salt and buzz it together with a hand blender.
Note: When making in larger amounts, add the oil from the side while you buzz the rest of it together.
Got food hacks of your own? Share them in the comments below!
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