Genius kitchen hacks you wish someone had told you before

Working in the kitchen can sometimes be a hassle where certain tasks are just too frustrating for one to complete. In that case, there are a few hacks that make even the most redundant or difficult of tasks look easy. They will definitely save a lot of time and efforts on your side.

Storage

1. Store tomatoes in a way that their stem end is down to avoid them from rotting. Storing them at room temperature rather than the fridge will also help them last longer.

2. To keep bananas fresh for long, separate each banana and wrap the end with a plastic sheet. It will help the fruit ripen fast too.

3. To know if or not the eggs have gone bad, gently place them in cold water. If it sinks to the bottom, it is good to know. If it is floating, chances are that it is not edible.

4. A bay leaf stored in a container of flour, pasta or rice will repel bugs. 

5. In order to make cottage cheese or sour cream last longer, place it upside down in the fridge. 

6. To ripen fruits quickly, place them overnight in a paper bag.

7. When reheating baked goods and pizzas, place a cup of water in the microwave with it to add moisture to the air and keeping the food from drying out.

Peeling, cutting, removing

1. When you drop bits of eggshells in the batter of cracked eggs, remove it with the other half of the eggshell instead of using a spoon for wasting as little egg batter as possible.

2. You can separate the yolk from the egg white in a batter with the help of a plastic bottle. Gently squeeze the bottle as you place the mouth above the batter. As it reinflates with air, it will scoop the yolk right up.

3. To peel citrus fruits like sweet limes and oranges without the mess and frustration, roll the fruits or microwave them for a minute for easy peeling. Rolling the fruit also helps in efficient juicing as more of the liquid comes out.

4. Instead of cutting the lemon in half if you want to use it only a few drops of lemon juice, puncture the fruit with a metal skewer and squeeze out exactly what you require. 

5. Peeling ginger with a spoon is easier. 

Food Preparation

1. To prevent onions from making you cry, freeze them before chopping. Try this only if you're planning to cook them later though, otherwise, they might become soggy. Or put a slice of bread in your mouth such that it partially sticks out and absorbs the irritant gas before it reaches your eyes.

2. To open a stuck jar, wrap a rubber band around the lid and give it another try. If that still doesn't work, cover the lid with a towel and try again.

3. If you're running short of time and want to soften butter quickly, grate it with a cheese grater or flatten it with a rolling pin, but put it in a plastic bag first. If you still want more tips, slice the butter into smaller slabs so that it will get softened easily.

4. When radishes, celery or carrots lose their crunch, simply add them to a bowl of iced water along with a slice of raw potato and watch them liven up.

5. If you burnt milk while heating it on the stove, add a pinch of salt to temper the scorched smell and taste.

6. Spray your measuring spoon with oil while to avoid getting the stuff stuck on the utensil.

Cooking

1. If you burn gravy while cooking and don't have enough time to start from scratch, stir in a teaspoon of smooth peanut butter for each cup of gravy which should eliminate any burnt taste. 

2. Simply placing a wooden spoon across a pot of boiling water, soup or gravy would prevent it from turning over. The wood will soak up the steam.

Cleaning

1. When wooden spoons don't look or smell like how they used to, boil them in a pot of water and leave them out in the sun to dry to almost renew them.

2. To save a scorched pan, sprinkle the burned bottom with baking soda, add four to five tablespoons of salt, enough water to cover and let it stand overnight. Scrape out charred remains with a rubber spatula. 

3. To keep copper polished, apply a thin coat of ketchup and rub it off with a clean rag.

4. After working with garlic, rub your hands vigorously on stainless steel for about 30 seconds to get rid of the smell.

5. When storing knives, place them upside down so that the blade is facing upwards to keep them from dulling. Avoid drawing the blade over the cutting board while transferring content from the tray to the bowl. The sharper the knife, the safer it is.