27 Kitchen Hacks I Use Daily That Will Instantly Become Yours

Chopping herbs to freeze. A damp paper towel under my cutting board.

A marshmallow in the jar of brown sugar. Here’s why these and a couple of other irrational happiness-inducing kitchen tricks are worth adopting.

Between a teenage son who can inhale four pounds of chicken in one sitting and my need to enjoy cooking as much as possible, meal prep can get crazy. Lucky for me, a handful of simple tricks have eased the burden.

1. FREEZE HERBS IN OLIVE OIL

I love cooking with herbs but they’re pricey and often last no more than three days after I bring them home. Instead of watching them turn to mush, I chop them up and freeze them in an ice tray with olive oil.

When sauteing veggies I throw a couple of herb-filled olive oil squares into the pot. Problem solved.

And bonus: It saves money.

2. USE A DAMP PAPER TOWEL UNDER YOUR CUTTING BOARD

Slippery cutting boards make for sketchy knife work. Slip a dampened paper towel under your cutting board for a stable and much more safe chopping experience.

3. MICROWAVE CITRUS BEFORE JUICING

Get more juice with less effort by zapping citrus in the microwave for a few seconds before squeezing.

4. PEEL GARLIC WITH A JAR SHAKE

Take cloves of garlic and shake ’em up in a closed jar until your arms give out. When you open that baby, those skins will be as good as peeled.

It’s a lot of fun, it’s therapeutic and my kids like to volunteer to shake dinner into existence.

5. STORE BROWN SUGAR WITH A MARSHMALLOW

Any baker knows the struggle: You head to the pantry for a cup of brown sugar only to find a brick. Leave a marshmallow in your brown sugar for extended fluffiness.

Trust me. This trick has stood the test of time in my own kitchen.

Meal prepping with a side of moral support from our goldendoodle, Gigi.

6. USE A SPOON TO PEEL GINGER

Trust me. You’ll be so much happier and there’s less waste.

7. KEEP SALAD GREENS FRESH WITH PAPER TOWELS

No one likes to open a container of greens to find a soggy mess. Simply place some paper towels at the bottom of the container to keep them fresher for longer.

It’s that easy to save money and food! Feels like responsible adulting.

8. GRATE COLD BUTTER FOR BAKING

Who wants to wait around for softened butter when you can just pull it from the fridge and grate it away?

9. CRACK EGGS ON A FLAT SURFACE

By tapping eggs on a flat surface, not the rim of a bowl, you’ll avoid shards of egg shell falling into your bowl.

10. USE KITCHEN SHEARS FOR EVERYTHING

These little gems save dishes and are so much easier to use than a knife in many applications. From snipping herbs, cutting pizza, portioning cooked meats and more.

11. FREEZE LEFTOVER WINE FOR COOKING

Rather than decanting that half-empty bottle of wine and saving it in the fridge, pour it into an ice cube tray, freeze, and transfer to a storage bag in the freezer. Next time you’re making a recipe that calls for half a cup of white wine, you’ve got it in the freezer!

12. KEEP A “SCRAP BAG” FOR VEGGIES

Whenever I’m prepping veggies in the kitchen, I save the ends and scraps in a bag in the freezer. Once it’s full, I simmer them in a pot to make veggie stock.

Save yourself a trip to the store and a few dollars and make your own.

13. USE ICE WATER FOR CRISP VEGGIES

The next time you reach for that slightly less-than-crispy broccoli from the crisper, plunge them into ice water to bring them back to life. It’ll surprise you how effective this tip is!

14. TOAST SPICES BEFORE USING

Give yourself an aromatherapy moment in your kitchen by dry-toasting your spices before adding them to recipes. You can do this with cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, coriander, or pretty much any ground spice.

Warm them over medium-low heat for a few minutes, stirring frequently. It’ll bring out flavor and make your entire house smell incredible.

15. USE A MUFFIN TIN FOR PORTIONING

For taco night, use a muffin tin for toppings. Use muffin tins to organize ingredients before cooking, portion desserts, make mini frittatas or egg bites, or portion out taco toppings.

It will bring order to your crazy taco night.

16. STORE ONIONS IN PANTYHOSE

It looks ridiculous, but it works.

17. USE DENTAL FLOSS TO CUT SOFT FOODS

When you’re trying to slice soft foods like cheese and cake, they can get a little squished. Cut them beautifully and without compressing them using dental floss.

Just make sure it’s unflavored. Mint-flavored floss + food = ick.

18. KEEP A GARBAGE BOWL WHILE COOKING

Have a bowl of scraps right next to you as you cook. Trust me, it’ll make the whole process easier, quicker, and require less exertion.

19. FREEZE COFFEE FOR ICED DRINKS

I love iced coffee, but it always ends up getting watered down with ice. So now I freeze coffee in an ice cube tray when I have extra.

Genius!

20. USE A POTATO TO FIX SALTY SOUP

If you made a batch of soup and realized that you added WAY too much salt, toss in a peeled potato to help balance out the dish.

21. ROLL CITRUS TO GET MORE JUICE

Give a lemon a good roll on the counter, firmly pressing down with your palm, before juicing to loosen up the fruit. It makes it sooo much easier to juice and will yield more.

22. USE BINDER CLIPS TO SEAL BAGS

Binder clips seal bags like a champ and can totally replace any bag clips in your kitchen, saving you from having to buy more.

23. LABEL LEFTOVERS WITH DATES

Yes, it’s tedious, but it will save you so much trouble down the line. ‘How long has this been in here?’ will never cross your lips again. Just grab a piece of tape and a pen and you’re good to go.

24. USE A SLOW COOKER LINER

I resisted getting slow cooker liners for the longest. But now I use them all of the time.

It makes cleaning up SO MUCH easier. Dishes are a whole other issue to begin with (“someone else lives here too.”) and I hate to add to that problem more than necessary.

Two extremely boring tips that I’m sure have been said before, but still very true nonetheless.

25. FREEZE DOUGH FOR LATER

This is a great option when you want to preserve your hard work. Having a bag of dough in the freezer is great for nights where I’m feeling a certain way.

It saves me from having to do any of the hard work.

26. USE A FORK TO JUICE CITRUS

Who knew?! Once you’ve stabbed your fork into a piece of citrus, twist, then squeeze and you’ll be shocked at the amount of juice you receive.

It’s easier and saves me from investing in a juice gadget.

27. CLEAN AS YOU GO

This one is self-explanatory but trust me. It’s easier to wipe off the counters and wash a couple of dishes as opposed to facing an onslaught of dirty dishes and sticky counters.

It makes the whole process less daunting and cooking becomes a lot more enjoyable. It would be nice if I could say my family helps with the cleanup.