We’re not all blessed in the culinary department. If you’re feeling the furthest from Julia Child or Jeremy Charles when it comes to mealtime, you’re not alone. With these worries in mind, Downhome polled our staff, readers, and combed some of our favourite websites for some handy, need-to-know tips to make life easier in the kitchen. Whether a useful time saver, inventive way to avoid mess, or path to maximize your recipe’s potential, here are a dozen tips to make you a kitchen wizard!
Need an extra hand? Professional chefs will tell you that a damp dish towel under your mixing bowl will keep it from slipping and sliding on your counter as you mix. (This tip works well with a cutting board, too!)
– Reader’s Digest Canada
Always toast your nuts before using them in recipes.
– Liz Spurrell, Downhome Facebook
Keep your knives sharp.
– Janice Clark, Downhome Facebook
Ever need juice of half a lemon or lime for a fresh recipe, but don’t have any on hand or want to avoid the hassle? Use an ice cube tray to freeze the juice, transfer to a bag, then simply grab a cube or two when needed. The same can be done with fresh herbs. Chop finely, add a little water or canola oil and freeze in ice cube trays for a shot of fresh flavour when cooking.
– Canadian Food Focus
Use parchment paper (for dry foods) or aluminum (for wet foods, ie, roast, chicken, turkey) on every pan. Saves on clean up and prevents stuck-on food.
– Jennifer Kane, Downhome Staff
Save your pickle or olive brine and use it to add a touch of acid to any recipe. Pickle juice can aid in preventing and alleviating muscle cramps, too.
– Village Life
The best way to store fresh mushrooms is in a paper bag! It allows airflow and absorbs extra moisture!
– Ashley O’Keefe, Downhome Staff
Keep a paper towel in the bread bag to keep bread from getting stale or dry.
– Josephine Leyte, Downhome Staff
Nipping a bottle in between the door and frame when the lid is too hard to get off. Or run it under water and tap it with the tip of a knife, works too.
– Rhonda v. Rogers, Downhome Facebook
While cooking a pot of pea soup, place a wire hanger between the stove burner and the pot to prevent the soup from burning to the bottom of the pot!
– Samantha Tanith, Downhome Facebook
Want to pit cherries without a pitter? Here’s a kitchen hack you probably haven’t heard about. Put a cherry on top of an empty beer bottle, then use a chopstick or reusable straw to push the pit right in the bottle. Super handy and effective.
– Taste of Home
When I cook ground beef (or any ground meat) in a skillet, I use a potato masher to break it up in the skillet. It cooks perfectly and evenly in about 10 seconds.
– Buzzfeed
