Ten Kitchen Hacks

The following tips are some of my favorites. I apply these in my kitchen to make life a little easier.

1. Utilize the tidbits of butter left on butter wrappers for a simple/mess free way of greasing baking dishes. I primarily use this hack to grease pans when I make dessert bars or breads.

2. Use old glass jars or empty candles to collect and discard grease. If you have neither, use paper bowls lined with foil, and toss once the grease has hardened.

3. Peel potatoes overtop an open grocery bag. This hack saves me from the stress of accidentally dropping potatoes into the trashcan as I peel them. It also keeps my countertops from getting messy, and clean-up is as easy as tying up a bag and throwing it away.

4. Use rubber bands to tightly close bags that have been poorly opened or bags that don't have properly working ziplocks. There is nothing more frustrating than crappy resealable bags, especially the ones that advertise being "easy" to re-zip!

5. Save open canned goods in the refrigerator by covering with plastic wrap or a sandwich bag with a rubber band around it instead of dirtying up a storage container. I find it worth the time it saves me on washing dishes.

6. Cover EVERYTHING you put into the microwave with a paper towel to avoid splattered food mess. Even if you do not think something will make a mess, cover it. You are better safe than sorry. I rarely clean my microwave, because it rarely gets messy.

7. Use clothespins for an aesthetically pleasing and cheap chip clip.

8. Freeze leftover meat scraps and bones and wait until collection day to put into the outdoor trash bin. This keeps the horrible smell at bay. Plus, flies and rodents will be less attracted to your trash. Another tip is to save ziplock food bags (like ones from shredded cheese bags) to use for housing and freezing meat scraps and bones.

9. Move honey from plastic to glass containers while it is still soft. This hack saves you from the absolute pain of scraping hardened honey out of the bottom of jars. You can then place honey in a pot of hot water or nuke it in the microwave to soften, making it so much easier to use. This task requires a bit of an initial time investment, but the amount of time you will save down the road makes it worthwhile.

10. Freeze things you have no solid plans to consume before spoiling. A lot of foods can be utilized at a later time at your pleasure. For example, small and awkward portions of meat leftovers like chicken, turkey, ham, and sausage can easily be frozen. These are perfect for making casseroles, soups, breakfast bakes, or even using as pizza toppings. Bread ends are easy to freeze and I like to use them up when I go to make meatloaf. Bananas can easily be put in the freezer. Peel before freezing to add to smoothies, or mash them up and thaw out at a later time to make banana bread or muffins. You really can get creative with what you freeze. I've popped cookies into my freezer and pulled them out weeks later to enjoy. (Cookie dough that you are feeling too lazy to bake up is also a perfect candidate for freezing.) The possibilities are endless.

Hopefully, you found these useful. Now, I would like to hear your favorite kitchen tips. Comment below!