7 Kitchen Hacks & Simple Solutions

Whether you're a novice or a professional chef when it comes to cooking, you'll benefit from these time-saving kitchen hacks. Discover these 7 handy kitchen tips and tricks for anyone who wants to simplify their time in the kitchen while cooking. These quick and effective kitchen hacks are hopefully going to make your time in the kitchen just a little bit happier!

1. Quick bread sling

For extra assurance that your breads will release intact from their pans, try not only spraying the pan with vegetable oil spray, but also borrowing this classic technique for working with french pastry dough.

1. Make a sling for the loaf by laying long, wide strips of parchment paper across the length and width of the pan so that the paper overlaps the edges.

2. Use the overlap as a handy grip when it’s time to remove the loaf from the pan.

2. Overnight bread cooling

If you often bake bread in the evening, you may find that your loaves don’t cool sufficiently before bedtime. Instead of wrapping a slightly warm loaf in plastic wrap (a method that yields a soggy crust) or leaving it out on a rack (an approach that can attract kitchen critters), take the following approach. Place the loaf on a wire rack and turn a large colander upside down over the loaf, allowing it to cool safely while preserving the crisp crust.

3. Easier bread slicing

Slicing a loaf of rustic bread freshly heated in the oven can be a hot and messy proposition: it’s hard to get a hold on the bread, and the crumbs tend to spray everywhere. Here’s a practical way to solve the problem.

1. Cut slices of bread about ¾ of the way down to the bottom crust before crisping the loaf in the oven.

2. Because the loaf is still intact, it is easy to transfer to a serving basket, and the slices can be torn apart at the table with minimal mess.

4. Evenly sliced bread

Slicing a boule of bread straight across like a sandwich loaf delivers smaller slices at the ends and bigger slices toward the middle. To create more even-size pieces, try cutting circular loaves in this unique pattern.

1. Slice away one end of the bread.

2. Rotate the bread one-quarter turn to the right and cut a slice.

3. Rotate the bread one-quarter turn to the left and slice again. Continue to rotate the bread after each cut.

5. Built-in bread slicing guide

Try this tip for a shortcut to cutting evenly thick slices of homemade sandwich bread: let the loaf cool on its side on an oven rack. The rack’s bars leave subtle vertical indentations that act as a template for evenly spaced slices.

6. The simplest way to keep bread fresh

Without preservatives to keep them tasting fresh, artisanal loaves can quickly taste stale. We’ve found that storing the bread cut side down on a cutting board works better than wrapping the loaf in paper or plastic. The crust will stay dry, while contact with the board will keep moisture inside the crumb.

7. Well-balanced cake batter

To ensure that you end up with equal amounts of batter in each pan when making layer cakes, use a kitchen scale to measure the weight of the filled pans.