Clever Tips to Keep Your Kitchen Running Smoothly

August 4, 2016 by Big Chill

There is no doubt that most people have some pretty crazy and hectic daily schedules. Even though some tasks may seem simple, they can definitely turn into a hassle and become very time-consuming when we are already so busy.

Or, maybe you are just interested in learning some fun and quirky new things. If any of these things are the case, then you have wandered into just the right place.

The kitchen does not only house your pretty purple, one-touch Keurig or your state-of-the-art, hassle-free rice cooker, it is also the home to a plethora of life-hacks for your not so convenient kitchen procedures. There are so many awesome food tips and tricks to be learned that will make working in the kitchen a real treat.

Big Chill Classic Refrigerator and 48″ Classic Stove with Classic Hood

Keep Your Bananas from Browning

If you love bananas, but can never eat them all before they go bad, then this is the hack for you. Bananas actually ripen faster when they are in contact with each other. Therefore, keeping them together in a bunch will significantly reduce their shelf-life.

A great alternative to this is to store them in a left over cardboard six-pack bottle carrier. Jus slip one banana into each slot and you have a perfect, compact banana storage unit, without all of the browning.

Rehydrate Your Brown Sugar

Nothing is more frustrating than going to bake something and realizing that you forgot to put the lid back on your tub of brown sugar and now it is completely dried out. Most people will just opt to toss it, but this is practically throwing away money.

Instead, just throw your tub of brown sugar into the microwave alongside a glad of water. This will help rehydrate it and bring it back to life. Another tip, add an apple slice or an orange peel in with your brown sugar to help maintain its moisture when storing.

Grate Cheese with Ease

Cheese can be quite the trick to work with when it comes to grating. If it is not a hard cheese, like parmesan, then it is going to be a hassle to work with. Just place your cheese in the freezer for about 30 minutes before you plan on using it.

Freezing gives your cheese the perfect consistency to be compatible with your cheese grater. It will stick to your grater less and you will be able to grate more cheese in less time.

Open Jars without Hurting Your Hands

Opening jars is one task that is not easy for anyone. However, there is a way around this. Next time, try wrapping a rubber band around the jar’s lid. This helps you get more traction as you attempt to twist the lid, thus reducing the amount of effort needed.

If you are still struggling after trying this, try using a towel in addition to the rubber band. This will add even more traction and you should definitely be able to get the lid off.

Quickly Soften Butter

We don’t know about you, but we almost never remember to set butter out ahead of time so that it can soften. This is a real pain because it takes roughly an hour for butter to properly soften.

However, the more surface area you have the faster this process can take place. Two tricks to achieving more surface area is to either grate your butter or you can place it in a plastic bag and flatten it with a rolling pin.

Preserve your Herbs

Fresh herbs are absolutely delicious. However, using them all before they go bad can be fairly tricky. You can eliminate this issue in a very simple way by freezing them in either water or olive oil. They will stay fresher longer and they will still remain easy to access.

Revive your Wooden Utensils

Wooden utensils are absolutely fantastic. However, they do have a tendency to get pretty stained. A great cleaning method to use is to boil your utensils in just some plain old water. Then, set them outside and let them sun dry. We wish all cleaning was this easy.

Scour a Cast Iron Pan

Cast iron can be pretty tricky to clean because you have to be careful not to remove your pan’s seasoning. Using a scouring pad or steel wool will strip this coating any time it is used.

This can create quite the dilemma whenever dealing with baked-on food. However, using salt to scrub away scum is a great alternative and it won’t strip away any of the seasoning. So, now you can start using your cast iron skillet again without dreading the clean-up.