Cooking is hard. There’s nothing worse than making a meal that turns out to be a disaster, like when you forgot to add salt. Here are some kitchen hacks and tricks you can learn to help make cooking easier:
Ziploc bag whisk trick.
If you’ve ever whisked eggs in a zip-loc bag, you are familiar with this handy kitchen hacks and tricks.
To do it, crack your eggs into a Ziploc bag and zip it closed. Then shake vigorously until the mixture is smooth and even throughout. This works especially well when making scrambled eggs or cake batter (you can use it for pancake batter too).
Shredding chicken with a hand mixer.
Do you know that feeling when you’re hungry and ready to eat, but your chicken is frozen? You don’t want to wait for it to thaw, so you try microwaving it–only to discover that microwaves are terrible at defrosting meat.
This hack takes about five minutes, but it’ll save you hours of frustration in the future: shred your chicken with a hand mixer! Place the frozen chunk of meat into an airtight container. And use your paddle attachment on low speed until all the chunks are shredded into fine pieces.
Dual pour pitcher.
Try a dual pour pitcher if you’re tired of using one pitcher for everything and want something more versatile. It has two spouts: one for pouring and one for mixing. You can use the first spout to add water or another liquid (like juice) to whatever ingredients are already in the pitcher, then use the second spout to stir them together without making a mess on your countertop or spilling it down your front.
This is especially handy if you’re making salad dressing or marinades–you can pour everything into one container instead of having multiple glasses lying around with different dressings in them!
Nonstick cookie sheet.
When cooking cookies, it’s important to use a nonstick cookie sheet. If you don’t have one, parchment paper will work in a pinch.
- Ensure your oven temperature is low enough so the cookie sheet doesn’t get too hot while baking; otherwise, it could always warp and ruin your pans! Use nonstick spray or vegetable oil on the pan before adding batter if you don’t want any sticking issues.
- Don’t use metal utensils on the pan–they can scratch it! You can also avoid this by using silicone baking mats instead of parchment paper (though they might not give your cookies quite as crisp an edge).
Easy way to tell if an egg is fresh.
If you’re unsure if an egg is fresh, crack it open on a flat surface. If the yolk is centered in its shell, then it’s still good to use–but if it’s off-center, don’t bother buying that egg because it won’t cook up quite as well.
Conclusion
The kitchen is the heart of your home, and it’s important to make it as easy to use as possible. Even if you only have one trick up your sleeve, it could save you time and money cooking at home! These kitchen hacks and tricks will help you take care of common kitchen problems without spending money on expensive tools or equipment.
