Kitchen Hints and Tips - Let's list them!

since im getting married in less than 2 months and definitely a beginner cook, these are great!! Thanks!!

You know how veggies can get wetand slimey after cutting off a piece and storing the remainder back in the refridgerator? When only using a portion, cut vegetables like peppers, onions, zucchini from top leaving the root side in tack. They will last longer in the refridgerator and be in much better shape when you're ready to use the remainder.

How to get tasty crispy brown skins on your jacket potatoes.....I microwave my spuds for around 10 minutes in the microwave, then cover with foil & cook in the oven for around 30 minutes on gas mark 6. Take them out remove the foil, spray with frylight & sprinkle a little bit of salt over them. Oven cook for a further 10 minutes. They come out gorgeous & golden


I have sachets of Butterbuds, great for on the go or at work when you want butter on your jacket potato without having to worry about weighing out your butter to work out the calories.


When cooking spaghetti I spray abit of frylight in the boiling water, this stops the spaghetti from sticking together.


And I love to make low calorie mashed potato by cutting up my potatoes, put them in a pan of boiling water with a teaspoon of mustard powder & 1 vegetable oxo cube.


I weigh out all my cereals & my cheese into low calories portions.Handy for those mornings when I am in a rush and do not have time to weigh them out.Also handy to know when I am running out of cereal & cheese as i know exactly how many bags I have got left.

Also when I buy meat in plastic packs, I take the meat out of the packs and freeze them into portions in sandwich bags to save room in the freezer.

When doing batch cooking of soups instead of using up your tupperware put your soup into portion sizes into sandwich bags. Not only does it save room in your freezer for more goodies but means you still have your tubs to use if you need them.

I also was told if you wash your hands with a blob of toothpaste after chopping up strong foods like garlic, onion, chillies etc this get rids of the odour

And I also keep my wholemeal loaf of bread & wholemeal pitta breads in the freezer and take a couple of pieces out when I need them. That way you never have to throw it away

Slice around a potato, through the skin in one line before boiling it. when its tender, drop it in ice water. the skin will come off in two solid pieces.

Freeze brewed coffee in ice trays to make a frozen coffee drink without dilluting it.
Also works for koolaid and fruit juice.

If a recipe calls for just the yolks of an egg, freeze the whites in ice cube trays for later use.

if you need buttermilk but dont want to go shopping, add 1tbs of lemon juice to 1 cup of regular milk and stir.

Mix pure vanilla extract into a spritz bottle with water until its a dark amber. this works as an all natureal mosquito repellant on people and pets, even on those nasty salt marsh mosquitoes.

If you avcidentally oversalt food while cooking, drop in a raw peeled potato .

Vinegar before a shower rubbed on sunburn takes away the sting.

2tbs of white vinegar+2tbs of baking soda with laundru detergent removes grease stains and fast food worker stink.

Lemon juice and baking soda paste applied to pimples heals them faster.

Dark chocolate gets rid of onion and garlic breath.

Freeze nuts and they keep longer, but dont freeze coffee beans or thet will get bland.

A good solid smack with your palm on the base of a jar that wint open will open it easiet.

Run your dish sponge through the dishwasher with your dishes ( up in the glasses area) to sanitize and clean it.

When cooking recipes with lots of ingredients, measure them all out and have them all ready in separate prep Cups /
Bowls. It will save you time and keep you organized.

Sort your dry goods pantry / cupboards by like foods and to store more, use vertical space-- turn boxes of rice mix or dry potato or pasts mixes on their side laying flat and stack on top of each other. You get more boxes stored using less shelf space.

If you have a pantry door that swings open versus slides side to side, you can hang a plastic hanging shoe sorter/holder on the inside of the door and use it to store small things like pouch gravy/sauce mixes, extracts, jello/pudding boxes, teas, drink mixes /cool aid, dip packets, carry out sauces like soy sauce /mayo /mustard/ketchup, sugar /sweetener packets...etc.

Use cooled down water from steaming green vegetables for watering house plants--adds nutrients to the soil.

Use a tooth pick to clean out grime stuck along the edge of you sink or stove, and keep a couple old tooth brushes on hand for these cleaning jobs too.

If you have a cycle delay setting on your dishwasher, use it and run your dishwasher later at night during off peak hours to save money and energy.

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Rinsing your pasta will remove the starch and keep if form sticking together. Spraying oil on the inside edges of the pasta pot will help reduce boil overs.

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bumping for later!

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Keep a pair of swimming goggles in the kitchen and wear them when chopping onions to prevent burning eyes and tearing.

Good olive oil comes in a dark bottle - clear or light colored bottles can let in too much light and ruin the flavor.

Freeze soups and sauces in freezer bags laying flat on a cooking sheet. When they are frozen, remove the cookie sheet and the bags can be stored in a stack or upright to save space.

If you only use part of the container of beef, chicken or vegetable stock or broth, freeze the rest in ice cube trays to use later (since the unused portion stored in the fridge needs to be used within 7 days).

Use lemon juice on apples to prevent browning.

Make your own salad dressings. Most store bought ones have partially hydrogenated oils and such, terrible for you! I have yet to find a dressing I couldn't make and they taste great, and save you money too!

If you're making a pitcher of iced tea, put a pinch of baking soda in. It makes it smoother tasting taking away any bitterness

I need all the help in the kitchen I can get. Thanks for the great ideas.

Bump something I need to remember...freeze coffee, brilliant!

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