May 22, 2024 | Sarah Ng

35 Unbelievable Food Hacks That Will Change Your Life


Making Things Easier In The Kitchen

Sometimes it's the little things. These simple, yet helpful, food hacks will make cooking a far more enjoyable experience, and might make you think, "I wish I'd known this sooner!"

Foodhacks-Msn

Marshmallows Will Soften Brown Sugar

There's nothing worse than a bag of brown sugar that has gone hard. The solution? Marshmallows. Take your container of brown sugar and place a couple of marshmallows in it. Make sure the vessel is properly sealed. Wait 24 hours and your sugar should be soft once again.

Close Up Photo of marshmallows on a white bowlRebecca Freeman, Unsplash

Using A Microwave To Peel Your Garlic

Peeling garlic can be one of the most annoying prep tasks. Simply slice the tops off of your garlic cloves and place them in the microwave. After 20 seconds, the skin should easily come off.

Close Up Photo of Two White Garlics placed on a wooden surfaceIsabella Mendes, Pexels

Bubble Wrap Will Keep Your Ice Cream Cold

If you have to transport your expensive ice cream a fair distance, try insulating the tub in bubble wrap to prevent it from melting.

Close Up Photo of Ice Cream Placed on a Bubble WrapManon Paradis, Flickr

A Chopstick Can Pit Cherries

Have you heard about this quick way of pitting cherries? First, grab a beer bottle. Place your cherry on the opening of the bottle and grab one chopstick. Push the chopstick through the middle of the cherry. The pit will fall into the bottle.

Close Up Photo of Pitted cherries placed in a glass bowlAndrew Malone, Flickr

Easily Shuck Corn

Shucking corn can be a tedious task, especially if you're in a rush. Try microwaving your corn cobs for no longer than a minute on high. The husks should easily fall away.

Close Up Photo of Corn CobsMike Licht, flickr

Use Cold Salt Water To Quickly Chill Wine

Is it already dinner time, but you forgot to put the wine in the fridge? To speed up the cooling process, fill a pitcher with ice water and a decent amount of salt. Then let your wine bottle take a cold bath. It should be ready to serve in less than 20 minutes.

Close Up Photo of Ice Bucket with wine placed on a tableDidriks, Flickr

Add A Carrot To Your Tomato Sauce To Reduce Acidity

Making tomato sauce from scratch can be a balancing act, but adding a carrot can make all the difference. To mellow an acidic sauce, add a carrot to the mixture. This way, your sauce will imbued with an unexpected sweetness. (Of course, make sure to remove the carrot before using the sauce).

Close Up Photo of Black pan with tomato sauce placed on a stoveMichael Hoy, flickr

Use A Cooling Rack To Dice Soft Foods

Are you making guacamole or an egg salad sandwich? Well, to make your life easier, you could try using a cooling a rack to dice your avocados or eggs. Simply push your egg through the holes, and voila!

Overhead Photo of Avocado Pushed through a cooling rack.Robbin Gheesling, Flickr

A Slice Of Bread Will Help Soften Hard Cookies

There's nothing like a fresh-baked cookie. However, after a day or two, your batch of cookies will get a little hard. To prevent this, add a slice of white bread to your cookie container. Make sure it's airtight, and your baked goods will taste fresh for longer.

Still life image of home made bread and cookiesTeran Studios, Shutterstock

Soften Your Butter Faster

Baking can be so therapeutic... until the moment you realize you forgot to take your butter out of the fridge. But don't fret. To soften the butter, slice it into cubes so that it warms up faster. This should only take 20 minutes.

Close-up Photo of Sliced Butters Cubes placed on a paper.Jess Bailey Designs, Pexels

Use Your Apple Slicer To Make Thick-Cut Fries

Your niche kitchen gadgets can be multipurposed—especially the apple slicer. If you have a craving for fries, the apple slicer can be used on your potatoes. It really produces the perfect fry shape.

Overhead Photo of Steak cut sweet potato fries with apple slicerdollen, Flickr

Coffee Ice Cubes

If you aren't a fan of watery iced coffee then this hack is for you: coffee ice cubes. After brewing a fresh pot of coffee, pour it into an ice cube tray and freeze. Perfect iced coffee guaranteed.

Overhead Photo of Coffee Ice Cubes in ice cube tray.jamieanne, Flickr

Make Meatballs With An Ice Cream Scoop

Is touching raw meat your least favorite part of making meatballs? Well, have no fear. If you want a mess-free solution, just grab an ice cream scoop. And the cherry on top? All your meatballs will be the same size for once.

Close Up Photo of ground meat in a metal bowl with Ice Cream ScoopRhonda, Flickr

Elevate Frozen Rolls With An Egg Wash

Do you want to fool your guests into thinking your frozen rolls are homemade? Whip up a simple egg wash and brush it on top of them. To make things even fancier, you can add cheese or sesame seeds on top.

Close Up Photo of Cinnamon Rolls with Icing placed on a black plate.Jess Loiterton, Pexels

Spray Your Cheese Grater

Grated cheese is delicious, but cleaning the cheese grater is a whole different story. Cheese sticks. To remedy this, simply coat your grater with a thin layer of cooking spray. Problem solved. The cheese won't stick.

Photo of a Woman Grating Cheese on Top of a Risotto.Karolina Grabowska, Pexels

Multiple Uses For An Immersion Blender

If you only need a small amount of whipped cream—perhaps for a couple slices of pie or a hot chocolate—you can use your immersion blender. No need to make a large batch in a massive bowl.

Woman Preparing Food for Children in a Kitchen using a immersion blender.Jep Gambardella, Pexels

Baking Soda Makes Storage Containers Look Brand New

There's nothing nastier than a food container that is completely stained orange. But wait. Don't throw it out just yet. Baking soda is the answer. Mix up a paste by combining warm water and baking soda, and coat your tupperware with it. Let it sit for a couple hours and the stains should lift after washing.

Close-up Photo Of Baking Soda On Spoon and Glass BowlAqua Mechanical, Flickr

Cut Your Cheesecake With A Warm Knife

Do you want a perfect slice of cheesecake every time? Warm your knife up by running it under hot water. After drying it off, the blade will be able to cleanly cut through the cheesecake. This will help prevent the cheese from sticking to the knife.

Close Up Photo of berry cheesecake and a knife on a plateStrawbryb, Flickr

Use Boiling Water To Peel Your Tomatoes

Sometimes a recipe calls for peeled tomatoes. This is the easiest way to get the job done. Slice a small X where tomato's stem grows from. Boil a pot of water and submerge your tomatoes in for just 15 to 20 seconds. Cool them off in ice water, and afterward, the skins should peel off easily.

Red ripe tomatoes in a pot of hot water.SHARKY PHOTOGRAPHY, Shutterstock

Turn Baking Fails Into Baking Wins

Maybe you've made a cake that's a little wonky and not good enough for serving. However, don't be too quick to throw it out. The cake can be repurposed as another dessert. For instance, you can make a trifle, replacing the ladyfingers with the cake. But that's not all.

Have you ever tried crumbling cake on top of ice cream? Game changer.

Close Up Photo of Ice cream with cake crumbs on top on a white bowlMichael Lehet, Flickr

If You Don't Have A Rolling Pin, Use A Wine Bottle

When I first started baking, there was one tool I totally forgot to purchase—a rolling pin. Thankfully, I had a wine bottle on hand and it was perfect for rolling out my galette pastry.

Close Up Photo of Man rolling dough with the bottleGorodisskij, Shutterstock

Flavor Your Butter

If you're a butter lover like I am, then you know that the perfect snack is a piece of good bread slathered in butter. However, using flavored butter is even better, and very easy to make.

You can flavor your soften butter by incorporating ingredients like lemon juice, garlic, and herbs. Reshape the butter using parchment paper and you're off to the races.

Close Up Photo of Dairy green butter with herbsChatham172, Shutterstock

How To Fix Soup When It's Too Salty

Perhaps you were a little heavy-handed with the salt while making your soup. Thankfully, simmering some apple or potato slices in the soup will help diminish the saltiness.

Close Up Photo of Bowl with Ham and Cabbage SoupCarol VanHook, Flickr

Use Lentils To Make Your Soup Heartier

Lentils are the budget-friendly superheroes of my kitchen. They're so filling—an excellent source of protein and fibre—and can be used in all kinds of dishes like pasta sauces, salads, and stews. They're the perfect addition to soup to make it thicker and heartier.

Overhead Photo of Sausage Lentil SoupScott Teresi, Flickr

Juice Your Lemon Without Cutting It

Sometimes juicing a lemon can be a messy business, with the seeds falling everywhere. But this skewer hack changed everything. Pierce a hole in the bottom of the lemon (opposite of the stem side)—and start squeezing. It's that easy.

Close Up Photo of hand squeezing whole lemonmujijoa79, Shutterstock

No Frother? No Problem.

Not everyone can afford a $5 dollar latte every day of the week—but that shouldn't stop you from adding some silky foam to your morning coffee. 

Try filling a lidded container halfway with milk. Screw on the top and shake until the milk turns foamy. Make sure the lid is off and then place it in the microwave on high. 30 seconds later, your milk froth should be ready.

Close Up Photo of a cup of coffee with milk foam placed on a wooden tableDavid Joyce, Flickr

Don't Forget To Massage Your Kale

This might be the hack to help you fall back in love with kale. Kale can be quite rough to eat. That's why it's important to massage the leaves with olive oil before adding it to a salad or eating it raw. It will make them a lot more delicious and easier to consume.

Close Up Photo of Garlicy Lacinato Kale on a plateLaurel F, Flickr

Orange Juice Works Wonderfully In Marinades

Try adding orange juice to your marinades, which pairs delightfully with chicken and pork. Not only will you be infusing your meat with a bright, zesty flavor, but the orange juice will also help tenderize it.

Close Up Photo of Variety of marinades for cooking meatElena Veselova, Shutterstock

Place Your Veggies In A Preheating Oven

No need to wait for your oven to preheat before sliding in your tray of veggies in to roast. In fact, putting them in a preheating oven will help evenly cook them.

Close Up Photo of Oven mitts holding tray of roast vegetables and potatoesMasterclass, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Potatoes And Onions Are Not Friends In The Pantry

I could never understand why my potatoes kept going mushy so fast. Turns out, you're not supposed to store your potatoes close to your onions. Keep them separate, and both vegetable will last longer.

Close Up Photo of Potatoes and onionsRebecca Siegel, Flickr

Turn That Peanut Butter Jar Upside Down

Natural peanut butters can be such a pain to mix together once the oil begins to separate. However, storing your peanut butter upside down is the easy fix. This way, the oils will already be at the base of the jar.

Jar with Peanut Butter on TableROMAN ODINTSOV, Pexels

Why Your Coffee Isn't Living Up To Its Potential

Believe it or not, using boiling water to brew your coffee might make it taste worse. For a better flavor, try letting your boiling water sit for five minutes before making your pour-over coffee.

Close Up Photo of Person Pouring Hot Water on a Coffee DispenserAleksandar Pasaric, Pexels

How To Cut Cherry Tomatoes Faster

Slicing up cherry tomatoes can take a long time if you're going through them one at a time. To slice up a large batch, sandwich them between two plates. Then take a blade and cut through them horizontally in one go.

Close-up Photo Of Person Slicing cherry Tomatoes on a wooden boardcottonbro studio, Pexels

Give Stale Bread A Second Life

If you have a stale loaf of bread, there's a silver lining. Evenly pour a few tablespoons of water over top of it and place it in a heated oven. Just wait two to three minutes and your bread should be warm and soft all over again

Keep in mind that this method is best suited for baguettes or loaves that haven't been sliced yet.

Baking Bread at HomeDejan Krsmanovic, Flickr

A Microplane Will Mince Garlic An Ginger Faster

Mincing ginger and garlic can often feel tedious, but not if you own a microplane. If this is a kitchen tool you don't own, this is your sign to invest in one. 

Close Up Photo of Person Grating Ginger with MicroplaneDidriks, Flickr


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