7 Cool Food Tricks And Kitchen Tips
No matter what your schedule tends to look like, cooking always seems to take up more time than you have to spare. Wouldn't it be nice to make things a little easier? These simple food tips & kitchen tricks will help speed up the process in the kitchen, saving you some of that precious time! We've got tips & tricks for elevating your breakfast routine, making your own kitchen appliances on the fly, and streamlining the cooking process. It looks like cooking just got a lot more fun!
WARNING: Exercise caution when cutting soda cans. The edges can be dangerous when not handled carefully!
1. No-Fuss Oven-Baked Bacon
You'll Need:
- oven rack
- baking tray
- parchment paper
Here's How:
If you haven't made bacon in the oven yet, it's time to change that! Preheat the oven to 350°F and hang the slices of bacon over the bars of your oven rack. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and slide it into the lowest track in the oven in order to catch any grease that might drip off of the bacon. Transfer the oven rack to the oven and cook the bacon at 350°F for 10–15 minutes. Making breakfast for the family just got way easier!
2. Mini Fried Eggs
You'll Need:
- knife
- nonstick frying pan
Here's How:
When you're frying an egg, you don't necessarily have to eat the whole thing yourself. Why not turn your egg into several mini eggs? Start by freezing a raw egg, then peel and slice it. Fry the slices in a nonstick frying pan and you'll have picture-perfect mini fried eggs in no time!
3. Quickly Cool Coffee
You'll Need:
- 2 teaspoons
Here's How:
Nothing ruins a morning quite like a burnt mouth, but sometimes that cup of Joe is hard to resist! To avoid a grumpy start to the day, keep a few teaspoons in your freezer and use 2 of them to stir your steaming hot coffee before taking your first sip. Now you can enjoy it immediately, without the risk of burning your tongue!
4. Boil Bags Of Rice The Easy Way
You'll Need:
- wooden spoon
Here's How:
Getting tired of fishing your bag of rice out of boiling hot water? There's an easier way! Slide the loop of the bags of rice through the handle of a wooden spoon and balance the spoon on the edge of a pot of boiling water. Now you can easily lift the rice out of the pot without burning yourself!
5. Streamlined Vegetable Slicing
You'll Need:
- toothpick
- transparent tape
Here's How:
It can get pretty annoying when you're chopping vegetables and the slices get stuck to the side of the knife. Use transparent tape to stick a toothpick to the blade of the knife to create a small ridge. Chopping veggies will be much easier now that nothing will stick to the blade!
6. Upcycled Veggie Shredder
You'll Need:
- empty soda can
- utility knife
Here's How:
If you don't have the right tools for preparing your vegetables, there's a simple way to make the tools yourself. For a vegetable grater, use a utility knife to carefully cut the lid off of the empty soda can and poke several holes into the side. Turn the can upside down and you're ready to grate those veggies! For spiralized vegetables, cut the lid off of the can and carve a slit into the bottom. All you have to do now is twist your vegetable of choice in the slit. Veggie spirals will magically come out of the bottom of the soda can!
7. DIY Cookie Cutters
You'll Need:
- empty soda can
- utility knife
Here's How:
If you can't make it over to the store to find some cookie cutters, you could always make your own! Cut an empty soda can horizontally into rings. Bend the rings into whatever shapes you need, like hearts, circles, or stars, and use them to cut out the cookie dough.
You can never have too many tips & tricks for cooking and food prep. Some can really come in handy if you don't have all of the tools you need! Why bother buying a new food processor when you can just use your recycling, anyway?
Get the instructions for the Convenient Cooking Hacks, Clever Food Tips, and Kitchen Hacks featured in the bonus video.