The things we consider the hardest are most likely to be done in a simpler way and actually work. Some of us view the kitchen as a room for the experts only and shy away. The very complex things you see being done in the cooking channels are as easy as a walk in the park if you try some of these simple kitchen hacks. They are suitable for saving time and money. You can call them shortcuts that really go a long way.
1. Keep Your Tomatoes Fresh
The most nagging problem in the kitchen is finding your tomatoes rotten after some time. We buy enough tomatoes to last us through the week but before it ends, you start seeing rotten sports on them. Keeping them in the fridge is not the solution because eventually, they will still go bad after some days. What you should do is, when buying tomatoes, be sure to mix both raw and ripe tomatoes. Buy some lemons as well and put them together in one basket. Be sure to place a lemon in the middle of four tomatoes. The lemon slows down the ripening process making the tomatoes stay fresh for longer.
2. How to Store Your Coriander
Putting coriander stem in water won’t keep them fresh. They wither after some time and turn yellow. The best way to ensure that they stay fresh for up to 10 days is very simple. Buy your coriander and cut off the roots. Do not cut up to the stem. Wash them thoroughly and put them in a container. Seal the container tightly to make sure no air goes inside. Store them in the fridge and only open it when you need to take some out and use it. Close the container and return to the fridge for use on another day. Your coriander will stay fresh up to two weeks or more. Remember, store in the fridge and not the freezer.
3. Slice Your Onions Without Tearing Up
Every time you slice an onion, you always find yourself ‘crying’. The smell of the onions irritates our eyes which causes us to tear up. A helmet could work yes, but having to go to the store and buy a helmet yet you don’t own a bike could seem awkward to yourself. It is also expensive to incur unnecessary costs. To avoid all this, peel your onions and soak them in salty water twenty minutes before you cook and that will do the trick.
4. Need to Store Peeled Potatoes?
For instance, you go to prepare dinner, you have already peeled your potatoes ready to be cooked then, a friend pops in with the takeaway food. That situation is tempting and you suddenly feel like you don’t want to cook anymore. What will happen to your potatoes? If you leave them like that, they will turn black by morning and you don’t want to boil them. Just wash them well and put in a bowl with water then place small slices of bread on the water. Bread floats on water while the potatoes are underneath the water. By the next day morning, the potatoes will still be very fresh, as the bread will have sacked up the gas that causes them to darken.
5. Do Not Throw Out Your Jars
Most if not all stores, sell empty jars for us to buy and store spices, sugar, salt and other things in them. To avoid these costs, just improvise on what you already have. The empty Nutella and honey jars can come in handy. Simply remove their labels and put nametags of what you want to keep in them. This is a good form of cost-saving.
6. Peel Tomatoes With Less Hustle
Sorting tomatoes peels on the side of your plate as you are having dinner is a lot of work. You could even lose appetite while at it. You don’t have to keep doing that. If you don’t prefer blending your tomatoes, you could opt for this very simple hack. Soak your tomatoes in hot water for thirty minutes. This will soften their skin making it easy to peel with your hands. Peeling with a knife is not a good idea as you might deeply cut out some part of the tomato, leaving you with a very small tomato.
7. Replace Plastic Bags With Containers
Storing food leftovers in plastic bags and placing them on the shelves look a bit messy. The entire kitchen tends to look clustered just because of that shelve. The best way to avoid this is to get rid of plastic bags and opt for containers. Foodstuff like beans and peas can be put in cereal containers instead. If you need to have plastic bags around, get a drawer for them.
8. Do Not Throw Out Leftover Bread
For the lovers of bread, you do not have to throw the one remaining piece every day. Dry the bread and put it in a jar in form of crumbs. After a few times of drying your leftover bread, your jar will be full and you can use the crumbs to fry chicken or make meatballs. You will have saved the cash that you could have used to buy breadcrumbs from the store.
9. Preserving Your Tomato Paste
Whether in the fridge or not, tomato paste seems to go bad soon as you have unsealed the can. You end up throwing away a merely used can of paste. To prevent this, simply pour some little olive oil on the paste. The oil prevents bacteria from forming on the paste keeping it fresh for longer. You could use cooking oil too in case you are out of olive oil.
The Bottom Line
These simple hacks are a lifesaver for almost every situation. Some of the hacks are basic science that we learned in our early school days. Do not attempt any hack that you are not sure of to prevent loss or damage to your stuff.
Everyone wants an easier time in the kitchen especially if you are lazy at cooking and have little patience. Time is a crucial factor for a hungry person. You want the food there and then. A few people would part with money especially when it comes to the kitchen little do they know it would save them time and money. Here are a few kitchen gadgets that will make the kitchen your favorite place if you invest in them.
1. The Egg Slicer
This can not only be used on eggs alone but on mushrooms and strawberries. It slices the hard-boiled eggs evenly within a short time. It’s made of a plastic holder with wires with the same spacing.
2. Egg White Separator
Egg separation is a stage in cooking. This is when the egg white is separated from the Yolk. The egg white separator should be one of those must-have kitchen gadgets if you practice egg separation frequently. Those who don’t want to buy this gadget could also crack open the egg manually and separate it with a spoon. In this case, this was made easier by inventing the egg white separator. It can come in rubber, plastic or metal design. It is affordable and every household can own one.
3. Funnel
This is a tube-like item that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom used to guide liquid or powder into a container with small openings. It is very effective and saves you a lot of time. It also minimizes spillage and wastage.
4. Lemon Squeezer
A lemon squeezer has silicone handles to ensure it has a firm grip. It is made out of stainless steel because it is durable. It has a large space to fit the fruit in it easily. Cut the fruit. Place it in the hopper facing down. Press the lemon and see how much juice will come out it because the squeezer inverts the fruit turning it inside out and no seeds will go in. It’s super easy to hand wash and doesn’t take too much space when storing.
5. Fruit and Vegetable Keeper
Fruits and vegetables go bad easily and we try to keep them stay longer so that we can enjoy them. This gadget lets you enjoy the small part you would want to eat first then keep the rest for later without it not getting spoilt. You can also let your kid carry a small part of the fruit to school with this.
6. Mini Waffle Maker
When the waffle maker is plugged in, takes about ninety seconds to warm up. Clean up is easy. Generally, it takes 2-4 minutes to cook depending on how brown you want them. It’s fast and the kids really like it. Whenever you need to make an easier breakfast that is cheaper, waffles can always be the best option. Just dribble honey on them with a slice of your favorite fruit.
7. Pressure Cooker
This is very effective for foods that take longer to cook at the best temperature. For example cereals, tough meat and some vegetables that take too long as well. A pressure cooker can come in different sizes depending on the purpose used like 2 liters, 5 liters and 10 liters. This saves you money because it takes a shorter time to cook compared to when you used ordinary cooking pots. It will last you up to 20 years and you can hand it down to your children.
8. Blender
From smoothies to ice cream, soup, cake mixes, it can do all this and save you so much time. It comes in different sizes. It has different modes depending on the consistency you want. So far there is no competition for this.It polarizes the small seed to the biggest ones. It is fast, efficient and easy to use. It also has a manual in cases where the user is not familiar with its usage. It is readily available in supermarkets or utensils shop. The spare parts are now readily available if need be.
9. Grater
A grater was first invented to grate cheese in the 1540s. It is used to grate food to fine pieces. You can find in different colors and sizes. Its prices are very affordable. A grater is safer than a knife. It also makes you get different sizes of whatever food you are grating. It is made of metal with sharp perforations.
10. Sandwich Maker(dual)
It takes about three minutes to heat up after plugging it in. First put the bottom half of the sandwich then the meat, then the cheese. Then you can crack your egg in the top, season with salt and pepper, then put the top part of the sandwich. It has a timer, which blinks when the food is ready. Clean after use and store out of reach of children. Its mobile you can take it camping with you. You can carry the sandwiches to work or let your kids carry them to school and it will save you a lot of money
11. Sharp Knife
A blunt knife is more likely and injures you. A sharp knife saves you a lot of time and reduces stress. It is one of those kitchen gadgets that you will find a lot of use for.
12. Kitchen Scissors
A kitchen scissor is different from normal scissors because it is more versatile. It could be made from aluminum or steel. When purchasing it make the blades open wide for easy gripping on the chicken joints or any other thing that would need cutting. It can also be used to slice pizza without making the toppings fall off. It is also used for gripping that is why the handles are made out of rough plastic for easy grip.
13. Silicone Garlic Peeler
Peeling garlic looks like it take an eternity in the kitchen. Kitchen gadgets have been created to make the exercise easier. All you need to do is cut the ends of the cloves and put them in the silicone rubber peeler one after the other. Roll the silicone rubber applying pressure and if you are keen you can hear the covers coming off. It is fast and easy to use.
14. Express Whisk
The express whisk makes you mix everything effortlessly. You only need to pump the handles to make it a spin. The rods can be adjusted depending on the type of foods. It uses a non-slip base that prevents it from scratching. It is very sturdy and easy to wash.
Your cooking shouldn’t take you a lot of time. All the above kitchen gadgets and more of them should make your work easier. Do things the modern way during these times of great innovations and technology advancement. Make your home life easier while adopting more kitchen secrets with gadgets as inspiration.
Living in a tiny space can be challenging. Though don’t get it wrong, it has its charm and intimacy when well organized. Additionally, they are easier to heat up and achieve a homely ambiance. As you embrace your home, it is also critical to understand that space is precious. You don’t want your house looking cluttered and you can definitely achieve your dream home irrespective of the space you are working with.
But, of course, keep in mind that an organized and clean home is easy to work with and will always look bigger, to begin with. Therefore it is wise to clean and declutter your place first, then incorporate the following tiny house hacks to make your small home look stylish-:
1. Make Use of Floating Shelves
Floating shelves are not only sleek but also very neat and functional. They can double up as storage and classic wall decoration. Most people have grossly underrated the use of these shelves in their homes. The amazing feature about them is that they can fit in an oddly shaped nook and still look amazing. You can incorporate corner floating shelves in many ways. They are a creative use of wall space that could otherwise be neglected. They also give height to a room, especially those that sit on top of a door. A tip: install lights beneath the shelf to brighten up a dull corner.
2. Conservative Furniture
Living in a small house doesn’t mean you don’t want to live big. Sometimes it becomes inevitable not to keep up with the trend, and the trend could mean bulky furniture. You would want to furnish your house according to that, which is rational, yet, it is important to understand your space. This doesn’t mean you throw your sense of style out the window, there is a wide selection of furniture that will save space and still be trendy. Invest in furniture that has extra storage like an ottoman or bed with drawers. Between overly bulky fancy sofas and sleek and slim ones is they will both serve the same purpose but the later will give you a more organized look and less cramped look.
3. Sliding Walls
Installing sliding walls in your tiny home is an innovative idea that can easily create a multifunctional space. You will find the sliding walls in different finishes, colors, and materials to blend with your current home décor. They are God sent because they essentially create several rooms in one space and you still maintain a room that looks spacious. The sliding wall can move in different directions automatically to save on space.
Furthermore, the walls hide places you don’t want other people to see thus creating a sense of mystery. It may also create a way of retreating from people whenever you want to. You will also be able to use storage places for a variety of things without cluttering the look of the place. Sliding walls add character to your space. Additionally, it doesn’t have to be a full wall. You can also install a sliding door in your bathroom instead of a swinging one because it instantly makes it look much bigger and better. Besides, sliding walls are so trendy, modern and stylish!
4. Under The Stairs Storage
The space beneath the staircase is often neglected yet it can be a creative storage unit. The fun part is that you are not limited to what you can convert it to. Depending on your décor and space beneath, there are a variety of things you can do with that space. For instance, you can have a bookcase built-in, a minibar, kitchen pantry (to store canned food, baking supplies or any other kitchen supply), built-in entertainment center, or a pet house. Don’t be afraid to own your home, just look for what needs storage and create that trendy look for it beneath the stairs.
5. “Magic” Mirrors
The use of mirrors to make a room bigger can’t miss on this list because they are the simplest and oldest trick in the book. Mirrors will reflect the light in the room making it brighter, which in turn makes it look bigger. A spacious look is an effect that your tiny home needs. A great hack that won’t let you down is using a full-length mirror as a sliding door to a room of your choice. It makes your room feel double the size it actually is. You ought to try it.
6. Consider Using Vibrant Colors
Bright colors will definitely work for tiny homes. Muted and dark colors usually soften the space making it look smaller. To add height to your space, paint your ceiling one shade lighter than your walls. But if a vibrant color is not your style, you can go neutral or white then break it with a bold color via your doors or the floor. You can also use a monochromatic color scheme with darker colors and still make your home look bigger. Additionally, you can use horizontal or vertical stripes to create an illusion of height or depth.
7. Light Up Rooms
Any room will look larger when lit up because it makes it brighter irrespective of the source being artificial or natural. Install bulbs beneath the staircase, shelves or any space that tends to be hidden. During the day, you should get rid of heavy draperies and if possible don’t have them at all. Using see-through furniture like a glass coffee table or a glass cabinet can go a long way to making your room look larger by allowing light through them.
8. Keep It Simple
When decorating, painting or buying furniture, keeping it simple is the way to go with a tiny house. Complicated designs that look too busy will give your home that tasteless look. Keep the textures smooth, have fewer patterns and stick to solid and brighter colors for the best effect.
The above tiny house hacks should get you started on the journey of converting your small space into this dream home. By following these tips, you will have a small cozy space that meets all your needs without looking cluttered. The goal should always be to have your space looking personal and appealing to you and any guest who comes visiting.
