I love cooking and baking, but I’m not willing to spend hours and hours in my kitchen each day. So I’m always looking for shortcuts, quick tips, and anything else that will help me to simplify my kitchen chores.
Here are a few of my favorites “Kitchen Quick Tips”.
Photo by: La Pomme de Portland
Keeping Lettuce Fresh:
I often buy large tubs of organic salad greens to save money. However, if I don’t properly store the greens, they go bad before we can it all. So to keep my lettuce fresh longer, I dump the lettuce into a large, tightly sealed container with a few sheets of paper towels inside. The paper towel prevents the lettuce from getting soggy and the lettuce stays fresh for much longer.
DIY Non-Slip Bowls:
I received one set of expensive mixing bowls with rubber bottoms for a wedding gift…and I LOVE them. But since I’m too cheap to buy more, I just set my other “regular” bowls on top of a damp cloth to prevent them from sliding around while I’m mixing something.
Photo by: Rex Roof
Freezing Cookie Dough:
I love fresh-from-the-oven cookies, but hate making a mess in my kitchen. So instead, I make large batches of cookie dough and freeze it in individual balls. Once the balls are frozen, I put them in a plastic bag and store in my freezer until I’m ready for more cookies. It’s so easy to simply grab out a few cookie dough balls — and my kitchen stays perfectly clean.
Baking Soda Freshness Test:
If you think your box of baking soda might be past its prime, simply “test it” by filling a small cup half full with vinegar and then dropping a teaspoon of baking soda in it. If it fizzes, the baking soda is still fresh.
Storing Natural/Organic Peanut Butter:
Natural peanut butter tends to separates after it sits for a while. To prevent this gooey mess, simply store the unopened jars upside-down. The oil will naturally rise to the top when you open it, passing through the solid part and basically stirring itself!
Photo by: jhenryrose
Fluffy Mashed Potatoes:
I LOVE mashed potatoes…but only if they are really fluffy and “whipped” not just “mashed”. To do this, I simply add a pinch of baking powder to my potatoes and then use an electric mixer to really “whip” air into them. I also add a good amount of warm milk to help the whipping process along.
Grease Pans with a Pastry Brush:
Use soft butter and a pastry brush to grease cake pans, bundt pans and muffin tins. The brush makes it much easier to get into all the grooves and my hands stay grease-free!
Photo by: Simple Organized Living
Double Batch Baking:
Whenever I make a double batch of something, I always make it in two separate bowls. This way, I can still follow the recipe exactly and don’t have to worry about adding or multiplying ingredients. I simply measure everything once for each bowl.
Protect Recipe Cards or Your Computer:
Whether you cook with paper recipes or from your computer screen; you can prevent food from spilling over by covering the recipe card or your computer with plastic wrap. Your recipes will still be readable, but won’t get all sticky and gross.
These are just a few of the “quick tips” I use to save time in the kitchen — and make extra time for more fun activities!
What are your favorite quick tips?
