90%: this is the percentage of people who hate cooking. By now, you must have probably understood that cooking your meal is a much healthier choice compared to eating out. But it is not always simple-or enjoyable- to cook veggies every night. We have rounded up some useful kitchen life hacks to make it way simpler and far funnier.
Useful Kitchen Life Hacks to Improve Life
Make scrambled eggs in the microwave- It is one of the most useful kitchen life hacks that can save a lot of time. Take a mug and apply some nonstick spray on it. Break a couple of eggs inside. Top it up with a splash of water or milk, sprinkle some pepper and salt, then mix it using a fork. Microwave at an interval of 30 seconds, mixing after each, for 90 seconds, and 12 grams of protein strong breakfast is served.
How to check if the eggs are still safe to eat- This is one of the most useful kitchen life hacks that we are going to discuss here. Confused about whether the eggs are safe for consumption or not? There is a trick to confirm if the eggs are safe for eating.
For this, put a raw egg inside a bowl filled with cold water. If the egg goes down at the bottom of the bowl and remains there, this means the egg is fresh. On the other hand, if the top portion of the egg points upwards, this means the egg is about 2 to 3 weeks old. It is still safe for consumption.
If you find the egg floating then, it signifies that the egg is rotten, and it is time to throw it. Do not consume such eggs.
Create an orange candle- It is another one on the list of useful kitchen life hacks that you will be surprised to know. Do you want to knock somebody’s socks off at a date or a dinner party? This is one of the useful life hacks that can help you out in such a situation. This hack is for the place settings, and not for the preparation of food, but involves food though. Have you ever thought of grabbing an orange instead of grabbing a candle and putting it on the dining table?
Yes, oranges can be made into candles, and very easily too. Start by slicing the oranges into two halves. Do not slice the part where there is steam- that part is meant for “wick” inside the orange, so you should slice the orange perpendicularly.
Next, remove the flesh, but be careful not to remove the part that sticks out inside where the stem is connected. This will become the wick of the candle. Now, pour some oil into the half part of the orange, Olive oil is great for this purpose. Then, using a lighter, you light the wick of the candle. You will get a half orange in the form of a candle, burning the oil.
You can make it more beautiful by cutting the orange into different patterns. Or else, you can take the other half of the orange and then remove the flesh and use it for covering the bottom part. Make a hole on top so that the flame is not covered.
Make it as fancy as you want. The orange candle looks luminous and beautiful and will impress anyone who eats dinner with you. This is one of the useful 5-minute life hacks that do not require too many things.
How to avoid potatoes from rotting- The idea of restricting food waste is nowadays useful and trending. If you want to avoid potatoes from wastage, then it is one of the useful kitchen life hacks that you should follow. And items like potatoes need special attention to avoid sprouting. Store them with an apple and make sure you do not have onions nearby. It is better to store potatoes in a cool, dark place.
Save your grater from deep cleaning- One of the most useful kitchen life hacks is cleaning a grater. If you are tired of cleaning a grater, using a piece of regular plastic or polyethylene can help you out. Cover your cooking tool with it and start rubbing the products that you want to grate. After that, you can just throw the plastic and no need to wash your grater.
Remove the skin of a kiwi using a spoon- This trick is useful if your kiwi is ripened. It is one of the useful kitchen life hacks especially for those who eat kiwi. First, slice the ends of the fruit. Slide a spoon below the skin and run it around the fruit, keeping it as close to its skin as possible without breaking the skin.
Use an egg slicer for cutting fresh fruits and vegetables evenly- This small kitchen tool is not just meant for cutting hard-boiled eggs, but you can use it for slicing kiwis, strawberries, and mushrooms too. With this kitchen tool, slicing becomes a two-minute job. It is one of the simplest and useful kitchen life hacks for busy people.
Freeze leftover wine and broth in an ice cube tray- Do not throw the rest of the wine or allow it to oxidize in the fridge for several weeks. Pour the leftover wise inside an ice cube tray, cover it with a plastic wrap to keep away the ice crystals, and freeze. Tomorrow, you will have one-ounce sections that you can pop out and add to soups, sauces, and risottos for a nearly instant depth of taste.
Prepare a cake in a mug- Have you ever tried baking a cake in a mug? Yes, you can. Coat a ramekin or mug with a nonstick spray, then break an egg inside. If you are a cake lover, then it is one of the most useful kitchen life hacks that you must follow. Mix it until you get an even consistency, then combine in ¼ cup of Nutella or nut butter. Microwave this for 60 seconds and your healthy, tasty dessert is ready!
Use a muffin tin to store mise en place- Slicing and then dicing the ingredients before you start to cook is a tried-and-tested chef strategy so that you can stick to the recipe timeline and avoid over or undercooking any of the ingredients. Read the recipe and prepare the ingredients as per the instructions.
As each ingredient is recipe-ready, keep it inside a muffin tin cavity. When your mise en place gets complete, carry the tin from the cutting board to your cooking area and you are all set for a quick-fire challenge.
Serving hot food items on a warm plate- You must wash your dishes just before having dinner. Run the plates under piping hot water and then wipe them using a clean dish towel, then instantly top it with your hot dish. Alternatively, you can keep a stack of plates or even bowls in the microwave and heat it for about 30 seconds.
Roll, tuck, and then chill the pastry- If you are looking for a list of useful kitchen life hacks, then the list will be incomplete without mentioning this hack. Chill your dough before you start baking as this will allow the gluten to relax and the fat to get firm after you have worked with that.
Do not work hard with rolling out the rock-hard dough. Instead, combine the dough, roll it out and then keep it in your pie pan before you keep it inside the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Fill, bake, and then enjoy your less fat dessert.
Divide Ground Meat Before you freeze it- This is one of the useful life hacks that can be helpful to most of us who like non-vegetarian food. Try this with ground turkey, beef, and chicken, and ground pork and you can break off as much as you need without defrosting the entire package.