At any culinary school, food experts teach way more than the average home chef needs to know. But while complex recipes, advanced techniques, and little-known food chemistry lessons pack every kitchen curriculum, these top 35 tips shared by up-and-coming master chefs are simple to do at home and can make an immediate impact on your very next meal.
1. Don't fry with EVOO
Have you used Extra Virgin Olive Oil for frying food? If so, you might earn an F in culinary school.
Frying with EVOO doesn't work well because of the high heat needed to get that sizzle. The pros stick with regular ol' olive oil, or experiment with peanut, avocado, or other oils.
2. Be meticulously organized
Nothing speeds up meal prep quite like knowing exactly where everything — from the cooking utensils and bowls to the meats and spices — are stored. Keep your spaces well-organized and stick to that layout so you can always find the right ingredients.
Don't waste time digging through cabinets.
3. Pasta water has a use
Everyone loves a good pasta dish. After all, it's a quick meal to whip up.
But do you know how to make your next Italian dinner even better? Don't pour out the water used to boil the pasta — that's the secret ingredient! Pour a dash of the starchy water into the sauce, making the pasta bind better to it.
4. Add hot sauce
A bit of heat might be your recipe's secret ingredient. Most casual chefs neglect the hot sauce, but a few drops in a sauce or dish can add a pop of flavor that doesn't quite register on the heat scale.
Make sure to add only a few drops at a time — going overboard on hot sauce will make dinner unpleasant.
5. Commit to butter
Sometimes we want to cut calories wherever we can. That's not a bad idea!
Just don't switch to margarine. Any meal will be improved tenfold by using real butter over the substitute (and that's why restaurants use nearly a stick per meal, according to Anthony Bourdain)!
6. Try soy sauce over salt
Do you want to find a good salt substitute? Find a new, creative ways to flavor your favorite dishes?
Just as a drop of hot sauce can elevate a dish, a splash of soy sauce offers a flavorful salt substitute.
7. Avoid pre-marinated meats
Culinary students want to scream this out from the roof of their school: Don't purchase pre-marinated meats at the store! Chances are, there's a good reason that chicken breast got drenched in a seasoning-heavy, colorful sauce.
It's likely old meat, and the marinade helps cover that up.
8. Don't under-do garlic
Garlic can quickly overpower a meal, so many amateur chefs toss one clove of garlic into a dish. That's playing the seasoning a little too safe, however: There won't really be any garlic taste unless you use about two cloves per serving.
Vampires beware!
9. Alcohol won't always cook-off
It won’t. Sometimes, when you can taste the vodka in your sauce, it means the alcohol is still in there.
Studies found that cooking out is dependent on the amount of heat and length of time spent cooking. Maybe that’s why everyone loves your pasta.
10. Microwaving food is NOT less nutritious
Your microwave isn’t evil. In fact, when some foods are heated at a lower temperature over the span of just a few minutes, they actually retain more nutrients than they would with other cooking methods.
Broccoli, for example, is just as healthy nuked as it is from the stovetop.
11. Pre-heat pans
Have you ever drizzled oil on to a cold pan, turned on the burner, and immediately added food? Well, any chef will tell you to make sure the oil's hot before any food touches the pan.
Hot oil seals in all the flavors and juices of your food and gives the meal a great texture.
12. Use broccoli stems
Broccoli stems almost always go straight to the trash or compost bin, but the little green tree trunks can be used in a ton of other veggie dishes.
Try chopping these stems up and tossing them in the pan next time you're making a stir fry or flavorful chicken.
13. Add seasoning early on
You can absolutely season your food too late in the game. To get those incredible, complex tastes, you need to start seasoning early.
Don’t be afraid of drying things out; steak that’s been salted early, for example, will have a crispier exterior.
14. Bakers beware
Cooking is an art form. When following a recipe, culinary students know to get creative in between the lines (following that chef's instinct we mentioned before).
This does not apply to baking — most of those recipes must be followed exactly as written.
15. Butter can't be softened in the microwave
Melting isn’t the same as softening. For butter that’s perfect for baking, you’re better off leaving it at room temp.
Plan ahead by a few hours, and you will have a much flakier crust.
16. Batter CAN have lumps
Mixing batter too much will make your food hard to chew. Fluffy pastries and baked goods require some lumps, so don’t be afraid of a little graininess.
On the flip side, stirring too little can leave you with giant pockets of flour, so make sure you find a balance.
17. Baking soda expires
You should toss it after 6-12 months. When’s the last time you checked the baking soda in your fridge?
It may not look moldy, but it’s likely that your old baking soda (or powder) has lost its potency. At just a few dollars per pack, it’s worth the yearly re-fresh.
18. Don't wash meat before cooking
This only applies to fruits and veggies. When you rinse your meat before cooking, particularly chicken, what you’re actually doing is spreading residual bacteria all over the meat, your hands, and your sink.
Water is particularly good at making food borne illness spread, so just start cooking!
19. Clean while cooking
Busy kitchens operate differently, but at home, chefs can agree: clean as you go. No one wants to finish a meal and then confront a stack of pots, pans, and mixing bowls.
While water's boiling or food's cooling, clean what you can so you can relax post-meal.
20. Cold water goes in gravy
If you make your own gravy, culinary experts will tell you not to make the mistake of using warm or hot water, as the final consistency won't be the same.
Cold water perfectly mixes with flour and cornstarch, ensuring your gravy won't lump.
21. Cooking is a five-sense skill
Listening can be incredibly useful in the kitchen — if you know what to bend your ear to. Here's an example: When sautéing onions, there will be three distinct noises: A sizzle when the chopped onions hit the oil.
Then, there's a hiss (that's steam escaping). When you hear the crackle, you'll know the veggie's really cooking.
22. Set up a timer
We've all burned something. It happens — but it doesn't need to.
While setting a timer may seem like a pain or nuisance, it's really the only way to make sure every dish gets removed from heat at the right time, every time. Whether its on your phone or with an old school timer, never forget what is happening on the other side of the kitchen.
23. Homemade broth is simple
Don't throw away the onion ends; set aside that bell pepper core; and make sure any chicken bones go straight into a freezer bag with both those ingredients. Add some carrots and apple slices, and throw the bag into the freezer.
When ready, place the ingredients in some boiling water and let the whole shebang simmer.
24. Keep knives sharp
Which causes more damage in the kitchen: a dull knife or a sharp knife? That answer is a dull knife.
Sharp knives cut effortlessly through meats and vegetables, while the chef must jiggle and jab dull knives to cut through a tomato skin — leading to accidents. Keep your knives sharp.
25. Think of sugar
A little sweetness to your dish can do wonders. When making chili, consider adding a little sugar to the concoction.
This can help neutralize some of the meal's acidity while also adding the perfect flavor notes to a comfort food.
26 Raw food isn't always more nutritious
Cooked food can sometimes release even more nutrients than raw food. Don’t worry if you prefer your tomatoes or your carrots cooked.
Some people are simply sensitive to raw veggies, but that doesn’t mean they’re missing out on their daily nutrition.
27. Wash cast iron pans
Certain cleaners, such as lye-based soaps, may strip the seasoning you’ve built-up over time, but this can be prevented by regularly oiling your pan.
In fact, if you don’t give your pan occasional cleanings with a sponge and water, it’s likely to get rusty.
28. Pancakes with bubbles are ready to be flipped
Truth: You may have burnt your pancake there, bud. Waiting for bubbles to show up is a common myth when it comes to making the perfect pancake.
Pancakes cook fast, so simply slide your spatula underneath to check for firmness.
29. Avocado pits don't prevent browning
The seed only protects the part of the avocado it’s directly in contact with.
If your avocado has been sitting in the fridge a little longer than usual because of its seed, you may want to give it a once-over before use.
30. Lobsters don't scream
Thankfully, those high-pitched noises aren't the sounds of your lobster in agony. When a lobster is boiled, air is released from under its shell, creating that whistling sound.
Either way, it can make people pretty uncomfortable.
31. Choose salt wisely
Chunkier salt is deceiving. If you’re used to regular table salt, then be careful when making the switch to kosher or sea salt as you may under-season your food.
The finer the grain, the saltier the flavor. If you’re unsure, try weighing out your salt ahead of time.
32. Eggs can be room-temp
For some recipes, it’s better to have room-temp eggs. Think of how an egg is made.
Those warm eggs straight from the chicken’s butt? They’re better for mixing with dry ingredients, which is perfect for baking or whipping up a delicious omelet!
33. No need to boil potatoes before mashing
Cutting up potatoes first will make for a more-even cook. With chopped potatoes, the temperature spreads consistently, which is easier for mashing.
Have you ever accidentally burnt yourself on a hot potato straight from the oven? This tip will help keep your skin intact.
34. There's never too much pasta...
Your pasta will be just fine so long as you have enough water. People try all sorts of tricks, like using giant pans and adding oil to their pasta to prevent clumping.
Simply mix your pasta often for clump-free, sticky noodles — perfect for sauce.
35. Not all bakeware works the same
Do your research. The pan you use may conduct heat differently than you want it to.
Glass, metal, and pyrex are all very different. Even color can have an effect! If you’re constantly burning your cookies, for example, you may want to try a lighter-colored tray.
36. Adding milk or cream to scrambled eggs
Some so-called food hacks do more harm than good! And knowing how to fix the bad habits you’ve learned will change the way you cook forever.
For instance, adding dairy to eggs. While it may make you feel like a culinary wizard, adding milk or cream to your eggs does nothing good for them! Extra dairy can actually thin out your eggs, making them easy to overcook.
37. Cooking bacon in a skillet
It seems natural to throw bacon in a skillet and fry it up. That’s the way your mom did it, and your grandma, and your grandma’s grandma...
However, if you want to get the best flavor out of those glistening strips of meat — and why wouldn’t you? — you should bake them instead.
38. Pre-preparing guacamole
So, you think all the ingredients you add to your guacamole will work together to keep it fresh. Thank goodness for the power of citrus, right?
Nope, nope, and nope. Make your dip just before you eat it, or don’t make it at all. Day-old guacamole will be brown and may taste funky.
39. Removing pepper seeds
Removing pepper seeds is supposed to cut back on the spice, right? Wrong!
Well, sort of. Seeds may make your dish a little spicier, but it’s actually the membrane, or pith, that holds the most heat in an average pepper.
40. Only flipping your steak once
Ask any grill master, and they may tell you just how much you can ruin a steak by flipping it over more than once. But multiple flips help make sure your meat is perfectly and evenly cooked.
You aren’t going to hurt the flavor or the texture, either.
41. Microwaving butter
Got frozen butter, but your recipe requires it to be softened? Don’t put it in the microwave!
If you overheat butter, you can break the emulsion and ruin a potential recipe in the process. If you need to soften it quickly, try grating it instead.
42. Not searing stew meat
Don’t skip searing meat before making a stew. It’s a critical step of the cooking process that adds loads of flavor to your meat!
Sure, you can ignore that step and still make a palatable meal, but you’ll end up with a blander dish.
43. Using fresh bread for French toast
The whole point of French toast is to use stale or dried-out bread. Why?
That way, it better holds the eggy solution you’ll be dipping it in without creating a sloppy mess. Even if you don’t have stale bread, you can dry it out in the oven for ten minutes for a better result.
44. Using boiling water to make coffee
Resist the urge to dump boiling water into your coffee pot! Why?
It stifles some of the flavor. After boiling the water, wait 30 seconds — or for the bubbling water to still — and then add it. That should be enough time for the perfect cup of Joe.
45. Throwing away spoiled wine
No one wants to waste wine, but sometimes it starts to give off an unpleasant odor. To fix this, just add a cleaned penny to the bottle.
The coin, amazingly, will strip away the foul scent like magic.
46. Using a marinade to tenderize meat
Chefs everywhere use marinades believing that they can soften up tougher cuts of meat. But on the whole, they only add flavor!
One thing that may work is adding yogurt or papaya to your marinade. They contain a bunch of enzymes that will help break down the meat itself.
47. Complicating peanut butter cookies
Too many people throw boatloads of ingredients into the bowl when making peanut butter cookies — but they really don’t have to! The best recipes call for only four things: peanut butter, vanilla, sugar, and one egg.
Then, all you need to do is mix and bake.
48. Using fancy vanilla
The more expensive the ingredient, the better it tastes? Uh, not always.
People tend to splurge on fancier vanilla when baking. But when cooked with other ingredients, it loses its intensity — meaning you’d be just as good with a cheaper extract.
49. Rinsing cooked pasta with water
When you rinse down your pasta, you’re actually removing the outermost layer of starch from the noodles. That makes it more difficult to coat with stuff like sauces.
And let’s be honest: who wants to eat pasta — no matter how well-cooked — if it ain’t drenched in that sauce?
50. Scrambling eggs at the wrong temperature
You’re in a rush, so we get why you whacked up the heat on your scrambled eggs. But don’t be tempted to do that next time!
Low and slow is the way to go for that extra-fluffy consistency.
51. Roasting potatoes without parboiling
Don’t just smother your potatoes in oil and hope for the best! What you really need to do to get that delicious crisp outside and creamy inside is to boil your spuds before putting them in the oven.
That process helps soften the center to perfection.
52. Refrigerating butter
Butter needs to be in the fridge, doesn’t it? Nope, it’s not necessary.
The fat content prevents it from spoiling when left out on the counter. Plus, everyone prefers a soft and easy spread — which you don’t get when the butter has been sitting in the cold for hours.
53. Pouring batter into muffin pans
Everyone wants uniform cupcakes when they come out of the oven — but not everyone gets them!
To ensure every cupcake looks the same, use an ice cream scoop to measure out exact portions instead of just eyeing a batter pour.
54. Using oil in your pasta water
Is there anything worse than sticky pasta? Heck no.
But while adding oil to the water may keep the pasta from clumping, it also keeps it from sticking to anything else... like delicious, tasty sauces! Simply stir your pasta constantly as it cooks instead.
55. Mincing garlic by hand
Every dish tastes better with a hint — or a whole lot — of garlic. But if you want the maximum flavor possible, don’t be tempted to just mince by hand.
Get a garlic press instead!
56. Getting rid of pasta water
Obviously you have to strain pasta once it’s done boiling, but don’t get rid of all the water!
Adding a bit of the now-starchy liquid thickens up any sauce — and that could make all the difference to your next carbonara.
57. Cutting limes wrong
It’s a natural inclination to cut limes in half. But if you want to achieve the maximum amount of juice — and you do — slice your lime into quarters instead of halves.
Now, all you need is the rest of the margarita...
58. Over-seasoning chicken
Bland chicken is a no-no, of course, but you can go too far the other way. Yup, you may think you need to add as many spices to chicken as possible to create some epic flavor.
In reality? The only thing you truly need is salt.
59. Wasting old bread
Once anything goes stale, it usually finds its way into the trash. Don’t waste your bread, though!
If it’s past its best, it should be saved to create croutons or crostinis as well as French toast. Just make sure it’s free of mold.
60. Not measuring out pasta
When serving pasta, you always want to have the correct ratio of sauce to strands. Use a pasta fork to measure the amount that fits through the center hole — that’s one serving.
Or simply look at the box!
61. Making bland mashed potatoes
How exactly can you spruce up the flavor of mashed potatoes? Try this: before boiling your spuds, cook them in a pan with cream and butter.
That’ll turn your side dish from meh to wow.
62. Using pre-ground beef for burgers
Before going straight to ground beef to mold hamburgers, buy an entire cut of beef, cut it into small cubes, and freeze it.
Then you can use a food processor to grind the meat up for a much better consistency.
63. Avoiding lemon zest
A Microplane is the perfect kitchen tool to create lemon zest, which adds depth to any dish. If you don’t have one, a vegetable peeler works just as well.
Just make sure you don’t scrape too deep!
64. Not letting your meat rest
If you’re serving meat directly off the heat, you’re not allowing those juices to distribute evenly throughout the cut. Let it rest!
For average-sized portions, five minutes is enough, but give a whole bird or a roast at least 20 minutes of resting time.
65. Boiling instead of simmering
Know the difference between boiling and simmering? It’s an important distinction!
A simmer means you’ve got a few bubbles coming to the surface every second or so. Anything more than that is a boil, and over-boiling can lead to a rushed dish that’s cloudy, tough, or dry.
66. Not letting the pan get hot enough
This is one of the most common blunders inexperienced cooks make. When you add your sautéd veggies to a pan of cold oil, they just get soggy and the food ends up taking longer to cook.
Have a little patience and wait for the pan to get to the right heat. It’ll be worth it.
67. Not shocking your vegetables after boiling
The cooking process will continue even after you take your veggies off the boil.
To avoid any soggy, flabby texture, then, plunge your greens into an ice bath — or, at the very least, run them under very cold water.
68. Taking meat straight from the fridge to the pan
Cold meat will cook unevenly, with a burnt outside and raw inside.
Let your meat get to room temperature before throwing it on the grill or on the pan.
69. Being too casual with measuring
Ingredient amounts are included in recipes for a reason — especially when it comes to baking!
That quarter teaspoon of flour can truly make all the difference between a rock-solid cookie and one that’s perfectly moist.
70. Believing cooking food at all reduces its nutritional value
While some veggies do lose nutrients when they are cooked, other foods actually gain health benefits. Tomatoes contain a higher amount of antioxidants after they are cooked, for example!
And there are plenty of other kitchen hacks that’ll make your life a breeze.
71. Foam milk at home
You don’t need a top-of-the-range espresso machine to get frothy milk at home. All you need is a small jar.
Fill it around halfway with milk, pop the lid on, then give it a vigorous shake. Once it fills the entire receptacle, remove the lid and place the container in the microwave for around half a minute.
72. Make clear ice cubes
It shouldn’t be that hard to make clear ice cubes. After all, you’re just freezing clear water, right?
Well, thanks to the minerals and dissolved air in that H2O, your ice cubes will pretty much always turn out cloudy. Unless, that is, you boil the water twice first. And as you’ll see, the difference is staggering.
73. Quick and easy frozen yogurt
If you’re craving ice cream but don’t want to deal with the calorific consequences, you could always try frozen yogurt as a healthier alternative. It couldn’t be easier to make yourself; simply push a stick for a popsicle into the yogurt of your choice, then freeze it for a couple of hours.
Voila: you have a healthy, refreshing summer snack.
74. Never run out of hand soap
Refilling the soap dispenser bottle is nobody’s favorite chore. However, it is a task that you can eliminate with a simple kitchen hack.
All you need to do is find tubing that fits over your pump. Then, push it down through the dispenser into a much larger soap container you can keep under your sink.
75. No-mess piping bags
Cleaning out piping bags is such a hassle that you usually end up just never icing anything again. To avoid the mess, then, first wrap your frosting in plastic wrap and twirl it until both ends are tight.
Place it in your piping bag, cut off the end, and ice away. Afterward, remove the still-wrapped leftovers with no mess.
76. Heart-shaped eggs
If you’re preparing a romantic breakfast, you’d be remiss to leave out these heart-shaped eggs. Once you’ve boiled and peeled your egg, place it on a folded piece of card.
Then, lay a chopstick on top and tie it all together with a couple of rubber bands. Let the egg rest for ten minutes and then cut it in two for an adorable, tasty snack.
77. Use a laundry bag in the dishwasher
Do you worry about placing small items in the dishwasher, for fear that they’ll slip through the basket and cause havoc with your machine? Well, there’s no need to stand there handwashing them.
You can instead just throw them in a laundry bag to keep them together in the dishwasher.
78. Hang up cookbooks
Placing recipes or cookbooks on your kitchen counter can be a major hassle. After all, they can very quickly get covered in whatever you’re baking with and they take up valuable real estate.
Why not try using a clip-hanger to hang them from your cupboard doors? You could solve all your problems in one fell swoop.
79. Use onions to keep avocados fresh
If your avocados keep ripening too quickly, try storing them with fresh onion. Either red or yellow will work, although the yellow flavor is stronger and more likely to affect the taste of your avocado.
Whichever you choose, though, it’ll stop the avocado from browning at such a rapid rate.
80. Organize your below-sink storage
Open the cupboard door beneath your sink. Chances are it’s full of cleaning products.
And even more likely, it’s such a mess that you have no idea what you’ve really got back there. A simple way to organize things, then, is with a tension rod across the cupboard’s interior. You can use this to hang your spray bottles on — freeing up space.
81. Hang a cork board inside your cupboards
Cork is useful for all sorts of things, and you can pin any number of objects to it: recipes, measuring spoons, and other handy kitchen utensils. Pop it on the inside of a cupboard door, and you’ve got yourself an instant space-saver.
Just make sure it will still close.
82. Keep sugar from drying out
Brown sugar isn’t going to go off, but it can grow rock hard if left unused. And when you’re in the mood for some impromptu baking, that can spell disaster.
A sugar saver, then, is a great way to keep it moist. Just soak the terracotta wonder in water, dry it off, and pop it into an airtight container with your sugar.
83. Keep bugs out of your drink
Dining — and drinking — al fresco is one of summer’s greatest delights. But if flies and other insects keep finding their way into your drink, it can really sour the mood.
Thankfully, there’s a solution: simply take a cupcake case and poke a straw through it. You’ll cover your glass while still having access to its delicious contents.
84. Keep water from boiling over
We’ve all been there: you think you’ve measured out just enough water to boil in your pan, only to find that it’s way too much once the bubbles start to rise.
To avoid accidentally scalding yourself, then, try resting a wooden spoon over the top of the pan.
85. Easy-peel boiled eggs
If you always have trouble removing the shell from your egg after boiling it, then this is the kitchen hack for you. Simply adding a spoonful of baking soda to the cooking water will make the shell come straight off.
And it couldn’t be easier — making this hack a real timesaver.
86. Freeze onions to stop the tears
Onions may be super tasty, but cutting them up is surely every home chef’s most dreaded culinary nightmare. You can avoid the tears, however, by simply putting them in the freezer.
And if you don’t fancy cutting through a frozen onion, you can place it in the fridge first, then pre-cut it before freezing with minimal fuss.
87. Remove excess fat with ice cubes
If you’re making a casserole, soup, or sauce and find that it’s a little oily, don’t panic; just pop in an ice cube. The grease will be attracted to the ice, leaving you free to remove it with a ladle or spoon.
You’ll have to be on your toes, though, to get it all before the ice cube melts.
88. Keep plastic wrap in the fridge
Is every encounter with plastic wrap a frustrating, losing battle for you? Then you may want to start keeping it in the fridge.
Believe it or not, the cold air will allow the wrap to tear just as easily while preventing it from sticking to itself. And you should also be able to unroll it more easily. Basically, it’s a no-brainer.
89. Get more juice out of citrus fruit
When it comes to getting every last delicious drop of juice out of citrus fruit, it’s best to take a two-pronged approach. After all, you need to refrigerate them to keep them fresh — but that makes the fruit less suitable for juicing.
When it’s time to squeeze their liquid goodness out, then, simply toss them in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds.
90. Neutralize hand odors with lemon juice
Sometimes, just washing your hands with soap after cooking isn’t enough.
Rinsing your mitts with lemon juice, however, can absolutely do the trick — especially if you’ve been cooking with something stinky such as fish.
91. Use veggie scraps to make broth
Preparing vegetables inevitably leaves behind scraps. But don’t just discard those odds and ends.
Instead, toss them in a stock pot and make a vegetable broth. Not only will you cut down on waste, but you’ll also have a healthy, mineral-rich base for sauces, stews, and soups. Plus, you can keep the stock for up to a week in an airtight container — or even longer in the freezer.
92. Freeze leftover stock in an ice cube tray
If you want to get savvy with your stock, you can take things a step further by freezing it in an ice cube tray. After all, it’s essentially a ready-made means of measurement, allowing you to pop out the perfect portion of stock as and when required.
And if you need your ice cube tray back, you can simply transfer the cubes into a Ziploc bag.
93. Slow-cook cheaper cuts of meat
Spending less on meat seems like a no-brainer for saving money, but not everyone wants to endure those tougher cuts. Fortunately, there’s a sure-fire way to make even the cheapest meat mouthwateringly tender.
All you need is a slow cooker; drop your meat cuts in there for a few hours, and the only tangible difference will be the price.
94. Buy vegetables that regrow from scraps
Even if you’ve got no need for stock, many vegetable scraps are still worth holding onto, because you can use them to grow into new plants.
Yes, with a little time and effort, there are plenty of fruit and vegetable leftovers that can be entirely regrown — from green onions and garlic to carrot tops and cabbage.
95. Buy rarely used spices from the bulk section
Are you trying out a new recipe? Rather than getting saddled with jars of spices that you may not even like, head to the bulk spice section of your local grocery store.
There, you’ll be able to measure out and buy the specific quantity required. It’s perfect if you want to try new flavors in your cooking but aren’t looking to buy an entire jar of spice.
96 Buy prepped ingredients from the salad bar
If you’re whipping up a dish that involves chopped veggies, make a beeline for the salad bar. It’s a perfect one-stop shop for making homemade meals with minimal effort.
The pre-prepared ingredients make for ideal toppings for everything from sandwiches to pizza. And not only will it save time, but you’ll also cut down your grocery bill by only buying exactly what you need.
97. Get the most out of your tubes
It’s tempting to throw away tubed ingredients before they’re fully used up, but there are plenty of different household items that can be employed to eke out those last drops. For example, a clothes peg or a bulldog clip will offer a tighter grip than your fingers.
Alternatively, you could use a heavy jar to roll the tube flat and slowly squeeze out any remaining contents.
98. Rescue crystallized honey
Depending on how quickly you go through a jar of honey, you may find that it’s begun to crystallize before you’ve reached the bottom. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean it’s beyond salvation.
All you need to do is apply a little heat — either by placing it in warm water or popping it in the oven for a few minutes. The warmth will cause the crystals to liquefy, restoring the sweet nectar.
99. Wash and reuse “disposable” kitchen items
Many sandwich bags, sponges, and kitchen cloths may claim to be disposable, but they’ll actually last a lot longer than you first assume. All you need to do is keep them clean.
Cloths and sponges can simply be thrown in the washing machine, while hand-washing sandwich bags will do plenty to extend their lifespan.
100. Use old cereal bags to separate freezer items
Next time you finish a box of cereal, hold onto the bag inside. Its waxy properties make it ideal for freezer storage, and you can keep your loose leftovers — such as burgers or chicken breasts — separate from one another.
Not only will you be actively recycling a bag you’d otherwise throw away, but you’ll also save money on buying freezer storage bags.
101. Keep potatoes white
If you’ve ever chopped up potatoes without cooking them immediately, you’ll probably have noticed that the oxidization process causes them to turn an unappetizing shade of gray. That particular eventuality can easily be avoided, however, by popping your potatoes into a bowl of cold water.
So give this hack a try and you’ll notice that they still look fabulously fresh.
102. Extend the lifespan of bananas
Watching a fresh bunch of bananas quickly turn brown is a seemingly universal experience, but it doesn’t have to be. To extend the period between unripe and unusable, then, try using plastic wrap to cover the end of the bunch.
It’ll stop the bananas emitting ethylene gases from the stem, which can cause the rapid ripening of the potassium-packed fruit.
103. Ripen fruit faster
Of course, sometimes you may want your fruit to ripen faster so that you can chow down on it as soon as possible. If your banana is too green or your peach too crunchy, just throw it into a paper bag.
The concentration of the fruit’s naturally emitted ethylene gas will speed up the ripening process — giving you an edible snack within a much shorter timeframe.
104. Use shower caps to cover food
It may sound crazy, but throwing a shower cap over your food is an amazing kitchen hack. Not only will it protect your leftovers from outside contaminants, but it also beats using tin foil or plastic wrap in almost every way.
After all, shower caps are much easier to stretch over a dish, and they’re also reusable — saving you time and money.
105. Easily peel garlic
Garlic is one of the easiest ways to transform a dish from dull to delicious, but peeling it can be a pain. Unless, of course, you know the secret to removing the skin quickly.
All you need to do is grab a clove, lie it flat, then hit it with the side of your knife. And from there, watch the skin simply fall off.
106. Use a straw to hull strawberries
It almost seems too perfect, but you really can use a straw to remove the white center from strawberries. Just push it through the bottom of the luscious red berry until it comes out of the top.
Then simply pull it through, and it should bring the strawberry’s hull with it.
107. Make cheese easier to grate
Few culinary experiences are as frustrating as grating semisoft cheese. Instead of turning your kitchen surfaces into a messy mush of mozzarella, then, try popping your cheese in the freezer first.
It doesn’t need long. In fact, just 30 minutes should be enough to make it much easier to grate.
108. Use rubber bands to open jars
If you’re having trouble opening a particularly stubborn jar, head for the stationery cupboard. Wrapping a rubber band around the lid will provide some much-needed extra traction, helping the lid to pop off easier.
You can also relieve the pressure on your own hands — and add a fraction more traction — by covering the lid with a dishtowel.
109. Keep your burgers juicy
Cooking the perfect burger isn’t as simple as just tossing a patty onto the grill. After all, it’s way too easy to accidentally overcook your beef, leading to a dry and unsatisfying meal.
If you want to keep your burger at its juiciest, then, try adding an ice cube to the patty. It may sound weird, but the frozen water will simply melt away, maintaining the flavor while also adding plenty of moisture.
110. Reheat pizza without drying it out
If you’re short on time, the microwave can be a lifesaver for reheating leftovers. However, it can also completely dry them out — particularly if you’re warming up a doughy dish such as pizza.
To make sure your slice stays salivating, then, try adding a cup of water to the microwave.