The most life-changing kitchen hacks you'll ever use

The most life-changing kitchen hacks you'll ever use

The key to simplifying cooking lies in a few little tricks. From techniques for peeling garlic to softening butter, here are 20 tips to make meal prep a breeze.

Soft butter in minutes

It happens to us all. We start making a cake only to discover that the butter we've just taken out of the fridge needs to be softened. Instead of waiting an hour, try grating butter to soften it faster.

Grated cheese without the mess

Unlike butter that's too hard, cheddar and mozzarella can get soft and fall apart in your hands while you’re grating. To solve this problem, just put the cheese in the freezer about 30 minutes before you start grating.

Wine cubes

While it's nice to sip a glass or two while cooking, opening a bottle of wine to use a small amount in a recipe is not always practical. Freeze the remaining wine in ice cube trays instead of letting it oxidize. That way you'll always have some handy to deglaze or to make a sauce.

Become the king or queen of the sear

For perfectly seared meat on the grill, you need to get rid of the moisture. Blotting the surface of your steak with a paper towel before you sear it will make all the difference. If you've planned your meal in advance, leave the meat uncovered on a rack in the refrigerator for one to two days for even better results.

Pasta water is liquid gold

What do you do with the pasta water after your noodles are cooked? If you pour it down the drain, you're throwing away a precious resource: starch. Use some of the cooking water to transform a little butter, Parmesan, cream, and even tomatoes into a sauce worthy of any Italian restaurant.

Bread oven

It's not always easy to find a spot in the house with the right temperature for proofing dough, especially on cold winter days. Did you know that your oven light can raise the temperature just enough to create a perfect environment for getting dough to rise?

Stay put, onion!

It's not always easy to keep all those onion bits in place when slicing and dicing. Keeping the root intact, however, will hold everything still as you cut.

Eggs that sink don't stink

The problem with eggs is that there's no way to tell when they're no longer fresh enough to eat. There's no green fuzz, bad odour, or sticky liquid, just the same old white shell. If you want to know whether your eggs are past their best-by date, put them in a cup of water. Do they sink? All is well. Do they float? Don't eat them.

Naked ginger

With its irregular shape and thin skin, ginger can be a real nightmare to peel with the usual tools. But there’s a simple solution. Use a spoon to scrape the peel off the ginger root.

Swap your knife for dental floss

Cutting a creamy or very soft cheese with a knife can give less-than-elegant results. Instead of a knife, try dental floss, as shown in this video. And remember not to use flavoured floss... unless you like your brie with a mild hint of mint.

Cherry tomato ninja

If you need to halve a boatload of cherry tomatoes, don't waste time slicing them one at a time. Instead, place them between two identically sized plates or plastic covers and slice through all of the tomatoes in a single swipe.

Extra crispy potatoes

For extra crispy roasted potatoes, an unexpected ingredient makes all the difference: baking soda. Before you pop your cubed potatoes in the oven, boil them for a few minutes with a bit of baking soda. The alkalinity of the water will break down the surface of the potatoes, which then creates a delicious crust while the spuds roast.

Perfect egg for a perfect sandwich

How do you cook a perfectly round egg to put in an English muffin breakfast sandwich? Don't bother buying a special mould; you’ve probably already got what you need at home. Try using a Mason jar ring, or add extra flavour by cracking the egg into an onion ring.

Better baking sheet

Roasting meat and vegetables on a baking sheet is one of the simplest and tastiest cooking methods. Make it even better by putting the baking sheet into the oven as it preheats. A well-heated baking sheet will cook food more evenly and quickly. What's more, you won't need to turn your food mid-roast.

Squeeze every drop out of your lemons

When you juice a lemon or, even worse, a lime, there always seems to be juice in the fruit you just can’t get out. You’re not imagining it! If you heat citrus in the microwave for about twenty seconds you can squeeze out up to 20% more juice.

Mould, be gone!

There's nothing worse than buying raspberries or strawberries only to find them covered in mould just a few days later. To prevent this unpleasant surprise, dunk them in hot water (50 °C or 125 °F) for a few moments just after buying to kill any existing mould before it can spread.

Get the perfect slice

It’s not easy to cut thin slices of meat, even with a well-sharpened knife. Placing meat in the freezer for half an hour gets it firm enough to make slicing a breeze.

Free your molasses

Sometimes measuring molasses seems like an exercise in futility, because half of it gets stuck in the measuring cup. Coat the cup in a little oil to help the molasses slide easily off the cup's sides. This trick works well with honey and peanut butter, too.

Magical Parmesan rind

Whatever you do, never throw away your Parmesan rind. While it may seem too hard and dry to be of any use, try adding the rind to your soups, tomato sauces, and broths for an extra dose of umami.

Peel garlic in one go

What's the best way to peel garlic? Put a clove on the counter and crush it with the flat side of a knife. The peel will come off, simple as that.