Our Top 10 Food Matters Kitchen Hacks
THE FOOD MATTERS TEAM
The kitchen is the heart of the home, but it doesn’t have to be a source of stress. With a few clever tricks up your sleeve, you can simplify your cooking routine, reduce waste, and even elevate the flavors of your dishes. Here are 10 kitchen hacks that may surprise you.
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Save Wilted Herbs by Freezing Them in Oil
Don’t toss wilted herbs just yet! Chop them up and freeze them in olive oil using an ice cube tray. This preserves their flavor and creates perfect portions to add to sauces, sautés, or soups. These cubes are perfect to use in our Creamy Cilantro Pasta Sauce!
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Deseed Pomegranates in Water
Cut a pomegranate in half and place it in a bowl of water. Use your hands to gently push the seeds out underwater. The seeds will sink while the pith floats, making it easy to separate and enjoy this antioxidant-rich fruit without the mess. You can then use your pomegranate seeds in this Polyphenol and Pomegranate Walnut Salad.
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Soak Onions in Cold Water
Avoid tears while chopping onions by soaking them in cold water for 10 minutes before slicing. It also mellows the sharp taste for milder dishes.
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Use Salt to Clean Cast Iron Pans
Scrub your cast iron pans with coarse salt instead of soap. The salt acts as an abrasive, helping to remove stuck-on food without damaging the seasoning.
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Ripen Avocados with a Paper Bag and Banana
Place an unripe avocado in a paper bag with a ripe banana. The ethylene gas from the banana speeds up the ripening process, giving you a ready-to-eat avocado in 1-2 days.
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Peel Hard-Boiled Eggs with Baking Soda
Add a teaspoon of baking soda to the water when boiling eggs. It raises the pH level, making the shells easier to peel off cleanly.
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Prevent Boiling Over with a Wooden Spoon
Place a wooden spoon across the top of your pot while boiling water or cooking pasta. The wooden spoon breaks the surface tension of the bubbles, preventing them from spilling over the sides of the pot. Plus, wood doesn’t conduct heat, so the spoon stays cool and safe to handle!
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Keep Lettuce Crisp with Paper Towels
Place a paper towel in your container of salad greens to absorb excess moisture. This keeps your lettuce fresh and crisp for longer. Check out our Blueberry Lettuce Wraps as a delicious way to use your crisp lettuce!
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Stop Potatoes from Sprouting with Apples
Place an apple in your bag of potatoes to prevent them from sprouting. The ethylene gas released by the apple slows down the sprouting process.
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Peel Ginger with a Spoon
Forget struggling with a knife! Gently scrape a spoon along the ginger’s skin to peel it effortlessly without wasting the flesh.
We love these hacks to make our time in the kitchen easier and more efficient. But we want to hear from YOU. What are your favorite kitchen hacks? Let us know in the comments below.
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The Food Matters Team is made up of foodies that love getting in the kitchen and experimenting! When we aren't spreading our message with the world, that's where you will find us and just like you, we don't always succeed with our recipes, but that's part of the fun, right?