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Eating healthy doesn’t have to be time-consuming. From prepping meals in bulk to whipping up tasty, homemade snacks, here are 23 easy cooking hacks to streamline your kitchen routine.
1: Quickly ripen an avocado by wrapping it in a paper bag and leaving it on your countertop (an especially great trick if you want guacamole that same day).
2: The next time you forget what to pack for lunch or dinner at work, stash some frozen spinach cubes in an ice cube tray so you can quickly toss them into soup or simmer them with sauce at a moment’s notice.
3: Put a damp paper towel under your cutting board while you chop vegetables.
It will keep things from sliding around while also helping to keep cut surfaces clean, which means fewer germs getting onto your food.
4: If you hate peeling hardboiled eggs because of their stubborn shells, try adding baking soda to boiling water before dropping them in—the reaction between baking soda and vinegar helps soften hard shells without affecting taste or nutrition.
5: Chop ingredients over a bowl or plate to collect any excess liquid—this makes stir-fries and stews go much faster!
6: When making creamy pasta like macaroni and cheese, stop stirring once noodles are tender but still firm.
Overmixing pasta causes it to become gummy.
7: Tossing cooked rice with olive oil keeps it fluffier longer.
8: Wrap celery stalks individually in plastic wrap; they stay crisp well beyond when they would normally start to wilt.
9: Keep tortillas soft and pliable while storing them by tucking each one inside another larger tortilla so they don’t dry out from exposure to air.
10: To make chopping onions less painful, make sure to pinch your nostrils shut as soon as you slice through their first layer.
This cuts down on tear production significantly.
11: Use leftover chopped veggies from previous meals in soups and casseroles instead of buying prepared vegetable mixes that tend to cost more and contain preservatives.
12: Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in a lidded container. Add nuts or fruit, then shake to coat.
14: Make zucchini chips in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a 250°F oven. No need to flip—just bake until golden.
15: Freeze sliced bananas in an airtight zip-top bag and use them to replace butter or oil in baked goods.
Their sweetness contributes to a moist texture, while their bland flavor works well with spices and other flavors in your recipe.
16: Instead of buying expensive jarred nut butters, make your own by blending equal parts almonds, cashews, and peanuts in a high-speed blender or food processor for 3–5 minutes until smooth.
17: Roast fresh pumpkin seeds in a 400°F oven for 10–15 minutes. Drizzle with oil, salt, and pepper, then sprinkle with dried herbs or spices of your choice.
18: Rinse quinoa well before cooking to remove its soapy-tasting coating. Rinsing also removes bitterness and prevents quinoa from clumping during cooking.
19: Store dill, mint, and parsley in a glass of water in your fridge. Adding these aromatic ingredients to dishes is as easy as plucking leaves from their stems.
20: Freeze extra spaghetti sauce in an ice cube tray—they’re great for portion control. Drop frozen cubes into soups and stews or reheat them with ground beef for a weeknight spaghetti dinner.
21: Reheat pizza in a toaster oven.
22: Soak toothpicks in water for about an hour before using them—they’ll be easier to pick up and won’t fall apart as easily.
23: Leftover potato skins are perfect for scooping up dips and crudités at parties. If you want to keep them looking fresh, toss individual pieces with a little oil before heating them in a skillet or oven.
