We've put together some useful tricks for preparing food, cleaning and organizing your cooking space. Some of which you may have never suspected.
Cooking tricks
1. How to quickly remove seeds from vegetables
To quickly remove seeds from pumpkins or squash, use an ice cream scoop. Its sharp tip easily removes seeds from vegetables. You can also use it to thinly slice a salad.
2. How to remove excess fat from cooked foods.
If a dish you cooked turns out to be unexpectedly high in fat, you can easily remove the excess fat using some ice cubes and a paper towel. Wrap the ice in the towel and wipe the top off the food. The ice will act as a magnet, drawing the grease to it so that it freezes and sticks to the paper towel.
3. Use gelatin wrap like a professional chef
Is your gelatin wrap stretching unevenly and tearing? Store it in the fridge, just like professional chefs do. The cold gelatin wrap becomes more manageable, sticks and tears less, reducing that familiar feeling of irritation that accompanies its use.
4. Peel citrus fruits easily
Is peeling oranges, lemons or tangerines too unpleasant? Don't want to ruin your manicure by removing that tough cuticle? Pop them in the microwave for 20 seconds and peeling becomes easier than ever.
5. Make peeling hard-boiled eggs easy
Add baking soda or vinegar to the water in which you boil the eggs. These substances enter the shells and facilitate their removal.
6. How to get more juice out of your citrus fruits
To squeeze the last drops from a lemon, first chill the fruit in the refrigerator, then heat it in the microwave for 15-20 seconds.
7. How to grate soft cheese with less mess
Leave it in the freezer for half an hour before grating. The cheese hardens and does not stick to the grater. Also sprinkling becomes easier this way.
8. How to cut onions without tears
The freezer will help you here as well. Soak the onions for 30 minutes before slicing. Note that this is only worth doing if you plan to cook the onions. Do not put them through this process if you want to make a salad with them or they will lose their hardness.
9. The smart way to cook pasta
If you don't want the pot to boil while you're not watching, place a wooden spoon or stirrer over the top. The wood will prevent the foam from going over the top of the pot.
10. How to roast a whole chicken
When roasting a whole chicken (or other poultry), lay it on its breast. This is because the breast contains most of the meat. The closer it is to the heat source, the faster it will cook.
11. Greaseproof paper for cupcakes
If you don't have special cupcake liners, use parchment paper. This method has the added benefit of producing non-standard cupcakes, which look much more interesting.
12. The right way to heat baked foods
When heating pizza or other baked foods in the microwave, put a cup of water next to them. The moisture will prevent the dough from drying out too much and keep the crust crisp.
13. Perfectly Baked Eggs
Crack the eggs into a pan to fry them, but instead of vegetable oil add a little water and then put the pan in the eye. As a result, you will get perfect eggs with a liquid yolk.
Storage tricks
1. How to preserve cooked herbs
Freezing herbs in an ice cube tray preserves their vitamin content. Try freezing them in water or olive oil.
2. The right way to store nuts
Freeze nuts in shell to preserve their nutritional properties, flavor and aroma. Pack them in sealed containers before placing them in the freezer. Do not roast the seeds first or they will not be tasty. Nuts should be raw and raw. Nuts preserved in this way will not acquire the bitter aftertaste of nuts that have been hanging for a while at room temperature.
Cleaning Tricks
The right way to clean cast iron pans
To prevent cast iron from rusting, which can develop over time, avoid washing it using regular dishwashing liquid. Use table salt.
This method will also rid the pan of persistent odors from spices used during cooking.
2. How to get rid of unpleasant odors on your hands
To remove the persistent smell of garlic or onions from your hands, use table salt or lemon. Just rub it on your hands and rinse with water.
3. How to keep cookware shiny
To restore the shine to stainless cookware, wash it with a mixture of vinegar and water. If there are no metal parts, a better result can be obtained by soaking overnight in the same mixture.
4. Cleaning the wooden spoons
Over time, wooden spoons and spatulas lose their luster and acquire an unpleasant smell. It seems all we have to do is throw them away. However, if you don't want to part with your favorite kitchen helper, there is another way out. Boil the wooden spoons in clean water and let them dry in the sun. This will remove unpleasant odors and give them a liveliness.
5. The right way to clean cut wood
To remove odors and food residue from chopping boards, rub them with coarse salt and leave for 10-15 minutes. Then rub them with half-cut lemon and dry them. This process is guaranteed to get rid of unpleasant odors.
6. How to keep your recipe books clean
When we cook, we often use a recipe book or our own notes. It can be a little difficult to open the book on the kitchen counter to the right page without getting it wet and stained. To protect cookbooks from these unpleasant effects, use a pants hanger to hold the book open to the page you need and hang it above the kitchen counter where it will be quite secure
via: Enimerotiko