Kitchen Tricks and Tips That Will Change Your Life

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Is your kitchen a joy to be in? Do you find meal times a breeze? Most people reading this post will probably be
thinking “of course not!” The kitchen can certainly be one of the most stressful places in the house, especially
when you are cooking for a big number of people. However, there are some useful kitchen hacks that can
make your life much easier. Read on to discover more about them…

-        If you use an egg boiler, you can clean this with ease by boiling it for a short amount of time with a bit of
vinegar in. the vinegar will lift all of the residue and dissolve everything.

-        An air fryer is a must-have appliance for all kitchens, yet so many people don’t have one or have never
heard of one. Your air fryer will replace seven different appliances. Yes, that’s right: seven! You will free up
so much room in the kitchen, and you can cook with much greater ease and speed. What’s not to love?

-        Give your chicken breasts a whack with a rolling pin or anything else sturdy beforehand. This will tenderise
the meat, and it will taste much better.

-        Keep your bananas from going off quickly by separating them from one and other, and by keeping them
away from other fruit.

-        Does your brown sugar keep forming clumps? You can use marshmallows to stop this from happening.

-        Stop peeling your potatoes before you cook them. The best thing to do is cook your potatoes, soak them in
cold water, and then the skins will come right off.

-        If you have added too much salt to your stew or soup, add a peeled potato to the mix, and this will absorb
all of the salt for you. It takes about ten minutes for the magic to happen.

-        If you are dicing up avocados for guacamole or a salad, you can save yourself heaps of time in the kitchen
by using a potato masher.

-        While we are on the subject of avocado, you can sprinkle lemon juice on top of sliced avocado to stop it
from turning brown.

-        Freeze your wine! If you have a bit of leftover wine, you should freeze it in an ice cube tray. Whenever you
cook something like Bolognese, you can pop a red wine ice cube into the mix.

-        Chocolate, cheese, tomato, and citrus fruits all taste better at room temperature. Give it a try!

-        If you are sick of your wine getting too warm in the summer yet you don’t want to dilute it with ice cubes,
add frozen grapes to it instead. Perfect!

-        If you do a lot of baking, you should keep some butter in the freezer. You can then grate it whenever you
are making pastries, cakes, and so on. This is beneficial because it melts quicker and it mixes into the flour
better.

-        Cut through the likes of cakes and cheeses with unscented floss.

-        One of the best ways to peel ginger is by using a spoon. This will ensure you do not lose all of that extra
ginger.

-        Are you worried that your eggs in the fridge have gone off? Place one in a glass of water. If it is off, it will
float. If it sinks, it is good to eat.

-        You don’t need to peel garlic. You can simply cut the root end off, and then use the flat side of the blade
on the knife the squish it. Crushed garlic imparts much more flavour into a dish than minced garlic anyway.

-        If you are going to prepare Carpaccio, you should put your meat in the freezer for a small amount of time.
This will make it much easier for you to cut those super thin slices you need.

So there you have it: some of the best kitchen hacks to make your life easier! Try the suggestions that have
been provided above and see how much of a difference this makes when you next prepare a meal. Life in the
kitchen does not need to be as difficult as it seems.

Mistakes You're Probably Making In The Kitchen

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It is easy to develop bad habits in the kitchen, especially if you have been cooking while you are in a rush. 
So, let’s take a look at some of the common mistakes most people make in the kitchen…

Substituting dried herbs for fresh – If a recipe calls for fresh herbs, use fresh herbs. Dried tarragon cannot substitute 
the fresh version. In fact, the fresh version of tarragon adds a light flavour, while the dried version is much more powerful.
 For other herbs, the opposite can be said, for example, with basil and parsley, the dried versions have much less flavour.

Purchasing cheap pots and pans – A pot and pan set may not seem like the sort of purchase you should splurge on, but
 quality really is important. While you do not need to spend a fortune, you should avoid going for the cheapest pans 
available for sale. Poor quality pots and pans will cause the food to burn and stick to the surface.

Overcrowding the pan – This is an easy error to make. After all, you are in a rush, and you have many mouths to feed. 
However, overcrowding the pan can ruin the food, especially when cooking meat.

Grilling meat straight from the fridge – You can ruin a steak the moment you place it in the pan if you have not allowed it
 to get to room temperature before cooking it. This is because the steak will not cook evenly. The best thing to do is take 
your steak out of the fridge 20 minutes before you intend to cook it.

Cooking meat without a thermometer – Estimating when a piece of meat is cooked can be a nightmare. You will 
almost always end up overcooking it because you are worried about eating raw meat. This is where a thermometer 
shows its worth.

You don’t taste as you go – You may assume there is no point in tasting as you go because you have followed the recipe 
to perfection anyone. However, everyone has different palates, and tasting as you go gives you the chance to season the 
dish to your liking.

Turning your food too often while cooking – While it can be tempting to turn your food to ensure a consistent bake on 
both sides, this can be detrimental for foods such as pan-fried chicken and steak, as you won’t develop the delicious crisp
 crust you are aiming for.

You start cooking before you have read the entire recipe – This is a mistake that a lot of people make. There is nothing
 worse than finding out that what you thought was a simple Ragu is going to take two and a half hours to cook because
 it involves gradually adding ingredients while the mixture simmers.

So there you have it: some of the most common kitchen mistakes people make. Are you guilty of committing any of the 
cooking sins mentioned above? If so, use the advice that has been provided to right these wrongs!