Kitchen Hints and Tips - Let's list them!

smashley_mashley

rinse pasta off w/ cold water to remove the starch - keeps it from sticking

LittleNicci

when cutting/chopping an onion, have a damp towel hanging close by, it soaks up the oils so you dont! (i usually hang mine from the bottom shelf of the closest cabinet to me)

invest in a cast iron skillet. from stove top to oven to table all in 1 dish, dinner is served!

invest in some good cooking sheers, you'll save money cutting your own meat

you can freeze fresh milk, bread, cheese, meat, veggies and fruit. fill up your freezer when stuff's on sale (we have 2 fridges with freezers AND a large deep freezer full of portioned out anything and everything, defrost overnight while you sleep)

invest in a 5 or 6 qt crockpot, i LIVE for mine, makes meal planning simple!

make meals in bulk and freeze in portions (or double portions)

LottieLou13

Cut lettuce with a plastic knife - stops it from getting brown edges
Put a wooden spoon across a boiling pot of water to stop if from boiling over
Baked (boiled) eggs - put them into a cupcake tin, no need to add anything else and pop them in the oven for 28 mins at 160 degrees C , when done take them out and put them into ice cold water. They will peel easier and don't get the chalky yolk

alikat789

Natural quick way to clean a microwave - place water in a microwavable dish (like a bowl or cup or my favorite a 2 cup glass measuring cup) and cook for 5 minutes, leave the door closed for at least another 5 minutes to let the hot steam build up. Open door, remove dish (carefully with oven mitts) Take a clean cloth and wipe down the microwave. If any spots/food particles remain, repeat the process.

Witchmoo

Oooh thanks for these!

annemckee

Natural quick way to clean a microwave - place water in a microwavable dish (like a bowl or cup or my favorite a 2 cup glass measuring cup) and cook for 5 minutes, leave the door closed for at least another 5 minutes to let the hot steam build up. Open door, remove dish (carefully with oven mitts) Take a clean cloth and wipe down the microwave. If any spots/food particles remain, repeat the process.

Add a lemon, sliced up, to leave the microwave smelling sweet

Caitlinhappymeal

Use a skirt/pants hanger (the one with the 2 slide-up tabs, or the duckbill clips) to hang recipes on cabinet handles while cooking.

love this, would have come in really handy before my iPad, but i will defo use it for the odd paper recipe i find x

santasmrs

bump many thanks:

julzzz4

Em_runs_away

These are great, thanks.

HealthfulLife

bump

SueGremlin

Wet your kitchen sponge and put in the microwave on high for two minutes to sanitize it. It should foam up and get very hot. It takes away that kitchen sponge smell and associated bacteria. Do it every day.

santasmrs

To deter ants in your garden, cut up citrus peel into small pieces and soak in a dish of hot water overnight then just pour over where you have seen the ants running. The citrus peel then decomposes into the ground

opuntia

- If you are peeling a potato, zucchini, carrot or other vegetabe, you might find it easier if you insert a wooden or metal skewer in the end to act as a handle.

Wow - brilliant. I can't believe this has never occurred to me. I actually stopped peeling potatoes years ago, and simply eat them with the skin on, because I invariably slice my fingers with the potato peeler, being left-handed and very uncoordinated! It's good to know there is an alternative way of doing it that will keep my fingers intact! :-)

rachelnielson

These are great! Thanks

Caggle123

To stop beansprouts from going all soggy and slimy so you have chuck them away after just a couple of days, put them in a large dish and completely cover with cold water. Put them in the fridge and they keep for at least a week. (Refresh the water after a few days).

Troll

If you have a garden and get ants or other bugs, mix dawn dish detergent with water and spritz away! safe and wont damage your plants.

mhotch

BUMP, to read all of them tonight

To remove tomato stains from plastic, place it out in the sun for a few hours. The stains will disappear.

2youngatheart

Bump..will contribute later

Corjogo

Chopping onions without tears -- use the sharpest knife you have!

Lemons/Limes: when is season, zest and juice then into the freezer in silicon ice cube trays (Miniature for zest covered with juice and regular [or choose a particular shape for each type of fruit] - measuring your cube will tell you exactly how many you need for any given recipe. Once frozen you can store in plastic bags to reuse trays.

PapaverSomniferum

Keep tomatoes, avocados, bananas, apples, citrus fruits, garlic, and squashes on the counter in plain sight. Use decorative baskets to create an aesthetic display. Here are some reasons:

Many fruits/vegetables lose their flavor/color/texture when kept in the fridge.

All fruits produce ethylene gas when ripening and decaying. Some fruits, like apples, produce more. If kept in an enclosed cabinet, your fridge, or a plastic bag, fruits will go bad faster because of the buildup of gas. (Alternately, if you buy green bananas or hard avocados, put them in a paper bag with an apple or two and they'll be perfectly ripe by tomorrow)

Fruits and vegetables are pretty and liven up your living space.

When kept at eye-level, rather than tucked away out of sight, your fruits and vegetables are more likely to be your first choice when snacking or cooking, helping you make better choices.

Cameo530

I agree with keeping these out on the counters, but in my house it inevitably leads to the presence of fruit flies. To deal with the cursed fruit flies, pour a little apple cider vinegar in a low, flat dish and add a drop or two of dish detergent and set it out near the fruit. They will fly right in and drown themselves. Freshen it every day or two.

PapaverSomniferum

to deal with fruit flies, i keep two betta fish on my counter along with several candles. fruit flies occasionally try to move in but the fish eat them when they land on the water (which they're attracted to) and the candles drive away the rest

W0313

bump

jaymartin1978

When storing ground meat make sure to put in a freezer bag and make it as flat as possible. This does two things: save space in the freezer and when it is time to thaw out the new it thaws quickly.

asmallermeplz

To remove tomato stains from plastic, place it out in the sun for a few hours. The stains will disappear.
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Thank you will try this soon!!!

To keep from tearing up while cutting onions hold a spoon in your mouth. silly but works great :flowerforyou:

tripod271

bump for later - great tips

grdnr03

I put unused tomatoe sauce in ice cube tray and freeze for later use, I remove frozen sauce cubes and keep in plastic baggie, cubes help with measuring out how much you will need for any given recipe. i don't waste any this way, i used to throw out alot of bad rotten sauce

Witchmoo

If you have caked on grease/dirt on your oven or microwave......buy a new oven or microwave.....and never ever use it again!

aerochic42

When cleaning the microwave, get a papertowel wet (add lemon juice if you want), fold it quarters, nuke it for a minute and then let it set for a few with teh micorwave closed. Then use the wet paper towel to wipe down the microwave. Be careful as it still might be warm at first.

I use the grippy flat jar openers under my cutting board if it sliding around.

When freezing berries and other small items that clump together, spread them out on a cookie sheet, place into the freezer and freeze until firm (doesn't have to be solid) than transfer to the bag or container of your choice. they will stay individual pieces instead of a giant lump.

To measure out solid fats (lard, shortening, butter), fill a glass measuring cup with an equivalent amount of water (or more) as that which you are measuring, then scoop in your fat until the water level is that of your water plus your fat (1/2 cup of water + 1/2 cup of shortening = 1cup), pour out the water and dump the fat into your bowl, or scoop it out with slotted spoon.