Top 10 kitchen hacks for home chefs
If you’re reading this, you’re most likely a home chef who loves to cook, but chances are you haven’t been to culinary school and you might not have as much technical know-how as you would like. This list of kitchen hacks will teach you all sorts of tips and tricks to help you become a total kitchen whizz and take your home cooking up to a professional level.
1. Eggs
From breakfasts to baking, eggs are almost always in the kitchen. No one likes to crack open a stinky egg that has gone off, so to check if your eggs are fresh use this simple trick. Place your uncooked eggs in a bowl of cold water. If the egg sinks to the bottom, it’s fresh but if it floats, it has seen better days. Over time, the liquid inside the eggs evaporates through the porous shell, leaving a gas bubble inside, this means that the more the egg floats, the older (and more rotten) it is. When it comes to cooking, recipes will often tell you to separate the yolk from the white of the egg. Egg yolks have lots of fat, which prevents your egg whites from getting nice and fluffy. Separate eggs easily by gently squeezing an empty plastic water bottle over a cracked egg. When the bottle re-inflates, it will suck the yolk right up. With a little practice you’ll be an egg separating pro in no time.
2. Onions and garlic
Onions and garlic are the basis for many a fine dish, but cutting and prepping them can be a pain. To make peeling garlic easier you just some kitchen hacks! Remove all cloves from the bulb, then whack each clove at the top with the handle of a knife. The skin will fall right off. Super easy. Onions are the other culprit when it comes to tricky prep – we’ve all cried those onion-induced tears. To prevent crying while cutting onions, try freezing the onion before chopping. Be sure to use the onions for cooking immediately though or they will become soggy when they thaw out. One of my own pet peeves with onions and garlic is the smell they leave on your hands and this trick has come in handy many a time! To neutralise garlic or onion odours, clean your hands with lemon juice, baking soda or rub them on stainless steel.
3. Fruits
Mmmmm yum, fresh fruit is one of nature’s best treats. Avoid mashed and mutilated plums and peaches with these handy kitchen hacks. Cut stone fruits (such as plums) into two perfects halves by slicing them down the centre and then gently twisting the halves in opposite directions. Use your thumb to pop out the pip or use a butter knife to pry it out. When juicing citrus fruits, maximise how much juice you will get by refrigerating then microwaving the lemon or lime for 15 to 20 seconds. Roll citrus fruits before squeezing and then wrap them in a clean light kitchen cloth for seed-free juice.
4. Butter
Butter is another cornerstone of cooking. We tend to keep butter in the fridge where it keeps hard, so it can be frustrating when you need to leave butter out for hours to soften when all you want to do is cook. Speed up the process by simply grating the butter with a cheese grater or flattening it with a rolling pin in a plastic bag. Sometimes you end up with the opposite problem, especially in countries like South Africa when the days are hot. To easily revive over-softened or melted butter, give it an ice bath. Place the butter in a small bowl, and place the small bowl in a larger one filled with a few handfuls of ice and some cold water.
5. Coffee
Coffee is the home chefs best friend! Try out these kitchen hacks to get the best out of your brew. Fresh coffee is the best coffee so keep your coffee fresh as a daisy by storing opened coffee beans in an airtight container. Glass canning jars or ceramic pots with rubber seals are also good choices. Water that is too hot will extract compounds in coffee that are bitter rather than pleasant. The proper brewing temperature is about 95°C, or about 45 seconds off a full boil. You also don’t need the latest espresso machine with attached milk steamer to froth your own milk at home. All you need is a small jar with a lid. Fill the jar with a little milk and shake vigorously until the milk has doubled in size. Pop off the lid and microwave the milk for about 30 seconds – easy peasy.
6. Cake
Who doesn’t love cake?! Most of us don’t eat a whole cake in one sitting though, so keep your cake nice and moist with these simple kitchen hacks. Secure a slice of bread to the exposed portions of the cake with some toothpicks. The bread will act as a buffer and hold in the cake’s moisture. When it comes to baking, you can get perfectly smooth sponges and cheesecakes by knocking your pan of batter on the counter a few times before putting it in the oven. The force of the pan hitting the counter pushes air bubbles up to the surface, so they don’t get trapped in the batter.
7. Fish
Cooking fish seems simple but can end up being rather tricky. Fish tends to stick and even break up when placed on the grill. Avoid this kind of kitchen disaster by heating your pan before cooking. When cooking fish or any protein that has a skin, make sure to heat the sauté pan to a high temperature and cook the skin side first. The high temperature will instantly sear the skin to the perfect crisp and keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Be sure to only flip the fish once to avoid any of the delicate flesh from breaking up.
8. Herbs
As a cook you’re probably the type of person who likes to add fresh herbs to meals. Save yourself time and energy chopping herbs for every meal by prepping them in advance. You can stock up by popping your already chopped herbs into some ice cube trays, covering them in olive oil and freezing them. Next time the dish you are cooking calls for fresh herbs you can just drop a cube in and voila! For a more permanent storage solution, you can buy a selection of fresh herbs, make your own unique blend, and then dry them out in the microwave. Put them in for 20 second intervals, and keep turning them over until they are completely dry. When they’re done you can store them for when you need them.
9. Salt
Salt is one of the most handy things to have in the kitchen. Not only can it add flavour to your food but can also help you clean up. Save yourself some elbow grease by soaking stained dishes in salt water or applying salt directly to the item and giving it a gentle rub. We’ve all done it before – added a pinch too much salt. If you need a quick fix for soup or stew that’s too salty, simply peel a whole potato and toss it in. It’ll soak up the extra salt and, if you need it, add starch for a thicker texture.
10. Sugar
Sugar and spice and everything nice! Sugar is used extensively in baking and even stove-top cooking from time to time. To bake the very best cookies, rest the cookie dough first. Letting the wet ingredients rest for 10 minutes before adding the dry ingredients gives the sugar time to fully dissolve into the batter. This creates cookies with chewy centres, crisper edges and better flavour. Want to keep your brown sugar dry? Bread to the rescue again. Throw a piece of bread into the container and it will absorb moisture and keep the sugar from clumping.
I hope this list helps you to take your cooking to the next level. What are your favourite kitchen hacks? Please share it with us all in the comments.