1. If you cut the crusts of your kid’s bread like I do for my daughter, don’t throw them away. Place them in the freezer so you can use them for bread crumbs later.
2. If a recipe calls for the juice of a lemon/lime/orange, don’t discard the rinds. Store them in the freezer in case you have a recipe that calls for the zest.
3. Squeeze lemon or pineapple juice on potatoes, avocados and apples to prevent browning.
4. When you wash produce, line the containers with paper towels. It will help absorb moisture and they will keep longer.
5. Store your oils inside a closed cabinet. When they are exposed to light they go rancid quicker.
6. Don’t store apples and bananas next to each other. The apples give off a gas that makes the bananas brown faster.
7. To keep cauliflower white during cooking, add a small amount of milk to the water.
8. If you don’t want onions to sting your eyes during slicing, peel the skin off and then place in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
9. When juicing a lemon or lime, roll it on the counter using your palm and some pressure. This will help to release some more juice.
10. Store all whole grain flours in the fridge. They will go rancid faster in the cabinet.
11. When a recipe calls for minced garlic, don’t bother with your knife. Slide it along a microplane. So much faster and more efficient.
12. To get the smell off your hands after handling garlic, rub your hands along stainless steel for a few seconds.
13. When I make a batch of cookies or muffins, I take a few that I want out and freeze the rest. That way I never feel like I have to eat them all. Baked goods freeze very well.
14. When making any kind of sauce, do a big batch and then freeze the extra in ice trays so you will have them for later. This also works for broths.
15. If you are making muffins, pancakes, waffles…etc, double the batch and freeze one. Then you will have quick breakfast options.
16. Save your veggie scraps. I keep mine in a bag in the freezer. You can use them to make your own broth.
17. Try to set aside a couple hours on the weekend for cooking. Freeze most of what you make. You can have all your meals planned for the week so you don’t need to worry about cooking much during the work week.
18. Love your crock pot. This is my go to appliance for easy cooking. You can turn it on in the morning and it will be done by dinnertime.
19. To cut down on prep time, have your food processor do the work. That way, you are not spending forever mincing or dicing vegetables.
20. If you have a rice cooker, you can also do just about any other grain in there as well. I have used mine for lentils, quinoa and bulgur. We have also used it as a steamer.
21. Save your celery, onion, garlic, lettuce and asparagus ends. Did you know they can re-grow themselves? You will never have to buy them again!
22 thoughts to “Cooking Tips That Helped Me”