Life Hacks: For the Kitchen

I love learning new little tips and tricks that make life easier. Here are 6 hacks for the kitchen that are favorites of mine.

I’m sure I’m not alone on this one. I purchase a special herb for a recipe, then end up throwing out what’s left-over because the herbs sat in the fridge and spoiled. I especially hate it with the cost of food these days! Don’t let left-over herbs dry out or go bad. You can preserve them by cutting them up and placing them in an ice cube tray. Then cover with olive oil or water. Freeze. You can store the cubes in a container or plastic bag in the freezer and take out a cube when you’re ready to cook with them again.

If you’re slicing up some fruit to share at a meal, squeeze some lemon juice on your cut fruit to keep it fresh and prevent it from browning. You can also mix one part honey with two parts of water. This method will slow down the oxidation process.

Bacteria can build up if you don’t properly clean wooden cutting boards. I personally don’t like using commercial soaps on mine. In the past, I’ve used Baking Soda vs soap. But here’s an easy solution I like even better. Cut a lemon in half and dip the cut side with coarse salt, then use it to scrub your cutting board clean. Or you can use the lemon to scrub with the baking soda. Just rinse and dry. It’s clean and smells fresh too!

If you want your tomatoes to last longer, place them stem down when you store them. The air and moisture won’t be able to enter the stem scar this way. Storing them at room temperature also makes them last longer.

Just like the herbs, I hate throwing out left-over tomato juice or fruit juice (or even vegetable broth). I simply pour the excess juice into an ice cube tray and freeze. I then pop out the frozen cubes into a plastic bag and store in the freezer until needed. They really come in handy when making soups or mixed drinks. On especially busy days when I only have time to heat up some canned soup, I especially love to add a cube of tomato juice or vegetable broth (and some herbs) to make them taste more homemade. It really works!

Don’t want to wait for that peach or banana to ripen on its own? Put your fruit in a paper bag. The concentrated ethylene gas will help it to ripen quicker.