9 Food And Kitchen Hacks You Have To Try

When it comes to the kitchen, there is one principle that reigns supreme: things shouldn't be complicated. We all know that that's easier said than done, which is why it's high time to start introducing some useful hacks to the proceedings. These 9 food and kitchen hacks will lend a helping hand to just about any nuisance you could come across in your home kitchen. From washing dishes to cutting cake, show your kitchen who's boss with these amazing hacks!

1. Cutting Cake

It's a painful, universal truth that cutting a cake into equal pieces can be quite the challenge, but once you start using this kitchen hack, you'll never have to apologize for uneven slices again. And you don't even need fancy equipment to make it happen – literally all you need is a pair of tongs and you're ready to plate that perfect slice. Now you can have your cake and eat it, too!

2. Flipping An Omelet

Omelets are among some of the simplest, yet most delicious egg-based dishes in the world. But let's be honest: How many times have you tried to make the perfect omelet only to fail miserably when it came to flipping the thing? Today's your lucky day, because we're going to let you in on a secret: If you slide the side that's already fried into the lid of the pan and then transfer it back in a quick flipping motion, the days of imperfect omelets will be long behind you. 

3. Shelling Hazelnuts

Shelling hazelnuts can be a long, arduous process. And who has time for that these days? Exactly. But we have an easy way to shell a bunch of hazelnuts all at once! Put the nuts in a Mason jar, poke a hole in the lid, put the lid back on the jar, and start shaking the jar until the shells are completely removed from the hazelnuts. Now all you need to do is put the nozzle of your vacuum cleaner to the hole in the lid and suck those pesky shells into oblivion.

4. Portioning Ground Beef

It's great when you get a fantastic deal on items like ground beef in bulk, but how are you realistically going to use all that meat before it expires? The best thing to do in situations like this is to freeze the ground beef in pre-portioned sections so you can grab one whenever you need it. Simply fill a freezer bag with the ground beef, roll it flat with a rolling pin, and use a wooden spoon to divide it into smaller portions. Then freeze the ground beef and use only as much of it as you need each time. As an added bonus, you'll end up saving a ton of space in your freezer!

5. Keeping Your Grater Clean

A grater is one of the most useful things you can have in your kitchen, but cleaning it can be one of the most anxiety-inducing endeavors imaginable – all those sharp nooks and crannies can be pretty intimidating! To keep your digits safe in the future, simply put the grater in a freezer bag and use it as normal. The bag will keep the grater clean, meaning you'll never have to wash a grater again.

6. Cleaning A Pan

Trying to remove stubborn grime from pots and pans is often a fool's errand – it just won't work, no matter how hard you scrub. But there's a hack for that! Just add eggshells to your dirty dishes, add a little dish soap, and voila – your pots and pans will be like new!

7. Washing Fruits & Vegetables

When it comes to fruits and veggies, the skin has the most nutrients, so if you want to get your money's worth, you have to clean them properly. And we're not talking about a quick rinse here. To really make sure that the produce you're eating is completely clean, try this out! Put on a kitchen glove, place your hand on the underside of a massage mat, trace an outline around your hand, cut it out with a box cutter, and glue the outline to the kitchen glove. Now you can scrub your produce as you go!

8. Measuring Hack

We probably all fall victim to this: it's early in the morning and that cup of joe needs a little sugar. So what do we do? We take a teaspoon and accidentally put in wayyyyyy too much of the sweet stuff. And then the whole day's ruined. To prevent situations like this from stressing you out, try this measuring hack! Just put a rubber band around the container so you easily level off your measuring utensils.

9. Cleaning Dishes

Did your messy roommate forgot to clean those dirty plates from last night? Bad news: that grime has had plenty of time to get comfortable. But don't worry, you don't have to soak them in the sink overnight – just cut off the top of a small plastic bottle, glue it to a kitchen sponge, fill the bottle piece with dishwasher powder, moisten the sponge and starting washing up. The detergent will lather up right inside the sponge so you can easily get rid of all that stubborn dirt. 

Anyone who was intimidated by the kitchen before will happily settle right in thanks to these handy hacks. And even the seasoned kitchen pros out there just added some great new tricks to their arsenal!