7 Cooking Hacks & Simple Tricks
Mar 15, 2021 04:54 AM
Cooking hacks and simple solutions are amazing because they make our lives easier, save time, and minimize effort. Regardless of skill level—whether you’re a novice, naturally gifted in the kitchen, or simply blessed with many years of experience—these quick and clever kitchen hacks are sure to change how you cook for the better. I hope, these simple ideas and tips will make your time in the kitchen a little bit more pleasant!
Pitting olives the fun(nel) way
The most common way to remove pits from olives without an olive pitter is to smash them on a cutting board. For a more elegant—and equally effective—alternative, place a funnel upside down on the counter, stand one end of the olive on the spout, and press down, allowing the pit to fall through the funnel.
Smarter olive retrieval
Here’s an easy way to extract capers and olives from their narrow jars. Use the small scoop of a melon baller to retrieve capers and the larger scoop for olives. As a bonus, the excess brine drains through the scoop’s perforations.
Easy olive slicing
If you’re making nachos or another dish that requires lots of sliced olives, individually cutting each olive can be tedious. An egg slicer speeds up the process.
1. Depending on the size of the olives, set two or three in the egg slicer and push down to slice.
2. If a coarse chop is desired, turn the olives 90 degrees and slice again.
1. Depending on the size of the olives, set two or three in the egg slicer and push down to slice.
2. If a coarse chop is desired, turn the olives 90 degrees and slice again.
Instant olive paste
Next time you need a few spoonfuls of very finely minced olives, capers, or sun-dried tomatoes, pull out a garlic press. Place two or three pitted olives, a teaspoonful of capers, or two oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes in the hopper of a garlic press and squeeze. The pastes can be used to flavor salad dressings, dips, and sauces or be used as a pasta topping or sandwich spread.
Salted water reminder
If you have trouble remembering whether you’ve salted the water you’re bringing to a boil for pasta or vegetables, try this trick: Every time you add the salt, also put one whole black peppercorn in the water as a reminder.
Getting a grip on onion slicing
Try this tip to make dicing or slicing onions even easier. After trimming the top of the onion and halving it pole to pole, follow the steps below.
1. Carefully peel the outer layers from each half down to—but not all the way off—the root end.
2. When you have diced or sliced most of the onion, hold on to the outer layers to stabilize the root end as you finish cutting.
1. Carefully peel the outer layers from each half down to—but not all the way off—the root end.
2. When you have diced or sliced most of the onion, hold on to the outer layers to stabilize the root end as you finish cutting.
Sweeter onions
Many people enjoy onions in their salads but find their flavor harsh when raw. Temper them with the following method: place the onion slices on a microwave-safe plate, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on high power for 15 to 30 seconds. Once they’re cool, toss the mellowed onions into your salad.
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