Professional chef or not, I guarantee you that anybody who spends any time in the kitchen 
has a few tasks they wish they never had to deal with. For me, it’s anything related to dishes. I don’t want to clear them, wash them or dry them. I don’t want to load or empty the dishwasher. I don’t want to set the table or organize the silverware. I can’t explain why, but I’d rather do anything other than deal with dishes. Unfortunately for me, there’s no such thing as a self-loading/self-emptying dishwasher so for the time being, I’m stuck (unless I let them sit there long enough for hubby to step in … but no, I hate looking at them piled up too – what a life!).
Anyway, I may be stuck with my most-hated kitchen task, but that doesn’t mean you have to be. I found five unique kitchen hacks on the Internet today while successfully procrastinating doing work at the office. Ready?
Cool, let’s get started.
- Stale Cookie Saver
You know when you bake an amazing batch of chocolate chip cookies (or when you pick up a few from M&D) and they’re soft and chewy and amazing that first day, but then start to lose their charm after even just ONE day in a Tupperware container? You can actually keep cookies soft really simply. Add a single slice of bread into the container in which you’re storing them. Sounds weird, I know, but the moisture from the bread will actually transfer to your cookies so if you have the will power to keep your cookies untouched for a few days, they’ll stay soft.
- Hard Boil Eggs … in the Oven
To some of you, the concept of hard boiling an egg is rudimentary. But to others, it can be a challenge to get it just right. There is a fool-proof way to go about this though. All you have to do is bake the eggs, shell and all, at 325 for 30 minutes. That’s right. Place your eggs on a baking sheet and bake them at 325 for 30 minutes. Once you take them out, place them immediately into a bowl of ice water so that they stop cooking. This one is especially helpful for people who do a lot of meal prepping because it opens up a burner on the stove for something else.
- No More Crushed Bread
It’s a Sunday morning. You just picked up a fresh baguette from McKinney & Doyle and you’re excited to eat it with your family dinner. But shoot, your brother’s kitchen isn’t super well stocked and the knife you have to use to slice the bread is kinda dull … this is a recipe for crushed bread and crumbs all over the place. Not really a big deal because it’s still going to be delicious but every crumb lost is a crunch lost so, let’s avoid it, shall we? The top crust is always harder, so if you aren’t using a well sharpened bread knife, you’re going to run into this issue because of the extra pressure you’ll need to slice. If you flip it over and slice from the bottom, you won’t need as much force and you can EAT every bit of that crunchy crust rather than wipe it off the counter.
- Duct Tape Grip
I might need to see this one to believe it but it was on the Internet so it must be true (you guys … I’m KIDDING)! But for real, I’m really curious about this one so if you give it a shot before I do, would you leave a comment and let me know if it worked? Apparently, if a jar lid is screwed on too tight, all you need to do is put a piece of duct tape over half the lid and pull. The lid should come off with the tape.
- All Inclusive Pots & Pans
I don’t know about you but when I first saw a “spoon rest” for sale at Home Goods, I thought it was the most unnecessary kitchen tool on the planet. Like, what’s the big deal? Just wipe the counter clean when you’re done or use a paper towel. That all changed when Matt & I bought our first home. My mother is going to laugh, or roll her eyes, when she reads this but I’ve definitely become a neater person since owning my own space. It’s a lot easier to be a slob when you live with your parents (sorry guys). Anyway, I got a spoon rest because I died a little inside every time my white granite countertops had a spot of red sauce on them. However, technically, you don’t NEED a spoon rest because your pots and pans come with one built in.
All you need to do is wrap some aluminum foil around the spoon and secure it using the hole in the pot handle. All of the extra sauce will fall back into the pot (again, it’s all about EATING your food and not cleaning it up) and the spoon is right where you need it at all times.
That being said, the spoon will get hot so don’t use a metal one.
Do you have any food/kitchen hacks up your sleeve? Share with me in the comments below! I’m officially building a library.
Rebecca McKinney
I wanted to create this blog for a few reasons. First and foremost, to share tips, tricks, and knowledge about the food and beverage industry in general but also to help people see a different side of the restaurant world. Every restaurant has a totally unique culture and world within it. I want to help open people’s eyes to more than how fast the service is or how easy or hard it is to secure a reservation.
So, thanks for stopping by! I welcome your ideas, input, and feedback and hope you enjoy!
Eat well & travel often,
Becky McKinney
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