From stopping pans form overboiling to removing
stubborn jar lids, here are 8 kitchen hacks that will change your life.
8.
Keep a pot of pasta from boiling over There's nothing more annoying than putting
the pasta on to boil, leaving the kitchen for a few minutes and suddenly hearing the
hissing sound of water boiling over.
The reason why this happens so often has to do with the composition of pasta.
Pasta is made from flour, water, and sometimes eggs, which means it's basically just dried
starch and protein.
Once the starch molecules are heated in a moist environment like a pot of water, the
starch absorbs more and more water until it finally bursts, which sends starch molecules
into the water, resulting in white foam.
And it's the foam layer that causes the problems with overboiling.
Since the starch makes the bubbles that were already there more stretchy and pliable, it
takes longer for them to burst.
A bunch of bubbles on the surface doesn't allow for proper ventilation of steam, so
the pot of boiling water becomes superheated if you don't stir it or skim the layer of
foam off the top in time.
The trapped steam causes the foam bubbles to expand and pop up, resulting in boiling-hot
water spilling all over your stove.
So how can you keep a pot of pasta from boiling over?
You might have heard about adding salt to make the water boil faster and prevent it
from overboiling.
Some people even claim that adding a little oil to the water works even better.
However, salt will do little more than make your pasta dish more flavorful, while adding
oil to the water has the negative effect of making all of your sauce slide off the pasta
when it's ready.
Here's what actually works: first of all, never leave a lid on the pasta pot, because
this makes the starch molecules heat up very quickly.
If you leave the top off, the steam and heat can escape more easily.
You should also use a bigger pot since the foam won't be able to bubble over the edges
if the walls of the pot are high enough.
Finally, use this easy trick to keep the water from boiling over and making a mess: take
a wooden spoon and leave it lying across the pot.
When the foam rises to the top, it will eventually meet the spoon.
Since foam is thermodynamically unstable, the bubbles will burst once they reach the
spoon, breaking the layer of foam and sending all of the bubbles down again.
7.
Peel garlic in seconds Not technically an herb or a spice, garlic
comes from the same family as leeks and onions.
This tasty and pungent plant is known for its numerous health benefits.
The garlic bulbs contain vitamins C, B6, dietary minerals manganese and phosphorus, and other
antioxidants.
Some evidence has suggested that garlic may be effective against cholesterol, common colds,
and high blood pressure, while several population studies show an association between increased
intake of garlic and reduced risk of certain cancers, including cancers of the stomach,
colon, esophagus, pancreas, and breast.
However, as delicious and healthy as garlic is, it's just as frustrating to peel.
Removing the paper thin skin can be both time-consuming and tricky.
Luckily, there's a foolproof way to peel garlic that doesn't involve tedious scraping
or the unpleasant smelling fingers.
And the best thing about this method is that it takes just seconds to get the job done!
All you need is a sturdy mason jar and a whole garlic bulb.
Just pop the bulb in the jar, screw the lid on tight and shake vigorously for about 30
seconds.
What happens is that the garlic skin shifts during the energetic process and at the end
of all that shaking, individual cloves are separated from their skin.
When you're done with the shaking, open the jar and pour out the remnants which will
reveal the individual garlic cloves fully removed from their skin.
There you go!
You can now pluck the cloves, throw away the skin, and continue preparing your meal.
6.
Make perfectly shaped pancakes Pancakes aren't rocket science and you don't
need to be a master chef to make this delicious breakfast food.
However, if you've ever tried making pancakes from scratch you know the batter can drip
all over, and even if you have steady hands, your pancakes can turn out lopsided.
Don't worry, the solution is probably in your kitchen already: a turkey baster.
Simply mix your pancake batter as you normally would, but make sure you don't put anything
too large in the batter that would block the tip of the baster, like chocolate chips, banana
slices, or berries.
You can always add those extras into the pancakes after laying them in the pan.
Fill the baster with two thirds of the way with batter.
Gently squeeze the batter out onto your griddle so that it comes out in a line.
You can either make traditional pancakes by moving the baster in a circle, starting in
the middle, or you can make pancakes in fun shapes.
Once you master this simple technique, you can make even fancier breakfasts for your
loved one, like stuffed pancakes, where you lay down one layer of batter, add your filler,
then add a second layer on top.
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5.
Use frozen fruit instead of ice cubes Once you try this easy and delicious way of
cooling your drink, you'll never again want to go back to using ice-cubes!
Nobody likes watered down drinks, so forget ice!
There's an awesome way to keep your drinks cool in the summer sun without diluting them
like ice usually would.
The answer is frozen fruit!
Just pick your favorite fruit – it can be anything from grapes and blueberries to strawberries
and raspberries - and pop them onto a tray or board covered in greaseproof paper.
Freeze for about an hour or so and you've got sweet, frozen fruits that you can put
into your drinks to keep them chilled without watering them down.
Plus, these frozen fruits make for a refreshing and healthy snack when you need a little sweet
fix but are trying to avoid ice cream and chocolate.
Your kids will love it, plus it is way healthier than store-bought desserts!
You could even make your own sauce by mashing up or blending frozen fruit in a blender.
Or you can use them in place of an olive in your Martini or lemon wedge in your Diet Coke:
the options are endless!
Simply freeze plenty in one go and you'll have a stash of fruit-flavored ice all summer
long.
This is a great way to preserve fruits too, especially if they're approaching their
use-by date.
4.
Make scrambled eggs in a microwave Did you know you don't need a pan and a
stove to make scrambled eggs?
If you don't have the time or just don't feel like scrubbing the pan after you're
done cooking, you can easily make scrambled eggs in a microwave.
Microwaved scrambled eggs are great for single servings since you can eat them straight out
of the bowl you cook them in and avoid doing any extra dishes.
Plus, they only take about a minute to make!
Simply pick your favorite microwave-proof bowl that you also like to eat out of, and
grease it with a bit of nonstick cooking spray.
If you've run out of cooking spray, you can also rub it down with some butter or olive
oil to prevent the eggs from sticking.
For a single serving, crack 2 eggs into your greased bowl and mix them up with a fork.
For every 2 eggs, you want to add 1 tablespoon of either water or milk to your bowl.
Don't skip this part because the liquid is essential to keep your scrambled eggs soft
and airy.
Beat the water or milk in with a fork along with a pinch of salt and any other spice you
want to season your eggs with.
Then pop the bowl into your microwave, set it on high, and leave it in for 30 seconds.
After 30 seconds, carefully pull the bowl out, give it a gentle stir with a fork, and
pop it back in for another 30 seconds.
Repeat this process 2 or 3 times, until your eggs have reached your desired level of firmness.
If you want to add some cheese to your eggs, add once the eggs are starting to set but
before your last round of zapping so the cheese has a chance to melt a bit into the eggs.
Voila!
You can now enjoy perfectly scrambled eggs without worrying about dirty dishes piling
up in the sink.
3.
Get more juice out of a lemon Do you feel like you could have gotten more
juice out each time you squeeze a lemon or another citrus?
Well, next time simply put the fruit in the microwave to make it easier to squeeze and
get the most juice out.
This method can produce up to 30 to 40% more juice.
The excited water molecules make the flesh softer and weaker, which makes the lemon easier
to squeeze and the membranes holding the juice easier to burst.
You can either leave the fruit whole or cut it in half to expose more of the flesh, but
leaving it whole prevents any moisture from getting absorbed by the microwave.
Simply pop your lemon, lime, orange, or grapefruit in the microwave for 10 to 30 seconds and
once it's done, remove it and allow it to cool for about a minute or so.
Then, slice the fruit in half and use a manual juicer or your just your hands to press out
every last drop.
2.
Measure sticky ingredients easily Cooking is fun, but it can also be a big mess,
especially if you're working with sticky ingredients like tahini, peanut butter, honey,
or molasses.
You can never be sure if I've actually added the correct amount of these sticky ingredients
because a good portion refuses to leave the sides of your measuring cup.
Sure, you could use your finger or a spoon to scrape everything out, but that just seems
to spread the mess all over your countertop.
Thankfully, you can now make cooking a little easier by using this simple kitchen hack to
measure sticky ingredients with no mess.
All you have to do is spray the inside of your measuring cup or spoon with a little
cooking spray.
That sticky ingredient will slide right out without leaving a sticky mess behind!
Sticky substances like honey will easily slide out into your bowl and the measuring spoon
won't be sticky.
Since everything slides out of the cup, the accurate amount ends up in your recipe.
No mess, no waste of ingredients, and you don't have to waste time trying to scrape
everything out of the cup.
Amazing!
1.
Check the doneness of a steak There are two basic methods to test for how
done your meat is – you can either use a meat thermometer or press on the meat with
your fingertips.
The problem with the meat thermometer method is that when you poke a hole into the meat
with a thermometer, it can let precious juices escape, which is why most experienced cooks
rely on the finger test, especially on steaks.
Here's how you too can use this method when cooking steak at home:
Open the palm of your hand, take the index finger of your other hand and push on the
fleshy area between the thumb and the base of the palm.
Make sure your hand is relaxed.
This is what raw meat feels like.
Now gently press the tip of your pinky and your thumb together and feel the fleshy area
below the thumb.
It should feel quite firm.
This is what well done meat feels like when you press on it.
Then, try to press the tip of your ring finger and your thumb together.
The flesh beneath the thumb should give a little more.
This is what meat cooked to a medium doneness feels like.
If you gently press the tip of your middle finger to the tip of your thumb, this is medium
rare, and finally if you press the tip of your index finger to the tip of your thumb,
the fleshy area below the thumb should give quite a bit.
This is what meat cooked to rare feels like.
Easy, right?
Do you know any other foolproof hacks for the kitchen?
Share your tips and tricks in the comment section below and make sure you subscribe
to our channel so you don't miss out on any of our upcoming videos!
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