If you think your cooking skills are solid, wait until you see what Grandma's been doing all along. With years of experience and a talent for clever kitchen shortcuts, grandmothers everywhere have mastered the art of cooking with love and a few genius tricks. The following tips might seem simple, but they've been passed down for a reason. Whether it's using dental floss to slice cake or warming citrus fruits for max juice, you'll wonder how you ever cooked without them.
Keep a kitchen journal
Many of us rely on recipes, but not every recipe will work, even if we follow it to the T, even if we create our own.
However, keeping a kitchen journal solves almost every problem that occurs while cooking. We can keep track of alterations and modifications that work, and we can even note down temperatures and pans to ensure the recipes work like a charm the next time we make them.
Dental floss for cake
A knife isn't always the best option when it comes to cutting a cake. If you’ve been baking for a while, you probably know dental floss can neatly cut the cake without the slice being jagged. We can also control the length of dental floss, so it’s much easier to cut an entire cake in half with floss than working our way through with a knife.
Repurpose squeeze bottles
Throwing out old ketchup bottles seems like the thing to do because why else would we keep old plastic bottles?
However, squeeze bottles can be used in a variety of ways. We can repurpose squeeze bottles by using them to pour waffle and pancake batters. This especially works when making pancake cereals. Squeeze bottles can also be used to ice cakes when we’re dealing with a messier topping.
Heating juicy fruits
This might sound a little odd, but those of us who have been making fresh juice every day know this tip pays off.
Warming or heating citrus fruits for a few seconds in the microwave before we juice them softens them up. The softening helps the fruit release most of its juice and even pushes out any fruit pulp that general juicers can’t get out. It’s just a neat trick to get the most out of an orange.
Buy a cast iron skillet
We have to admit there is no way to become a great chef without using a cast iron skillet. This unique cookware is the key to most successful dishes.
A cast iron skillet has several unique features that make it better than other cookware. Cast iron skillets retain heat better than other pans and distributes it evenly, so foods cooked in it have a better sear and remain hot. Cast iron skillets are also more durable and can be used on almost every cooking surface.
Separate cutting boards
For most people, having separate boards sounds like an unnecessary step. However, there are several benefits to doing so.
The first and obvious reason is that the separation of boards prevents cross-contamination. This is an important step for those who cook for people with allergies. But separating boards also prevents odor transfer, which can happen if we're dealing with stinky foods like garlicand onions.
A scoop of meatballs
It’s annoying to spend a few hours making meatballs from scratch only to lose energy in the end and make uneven balls. It happens to the best of us.
However, using an ice cream scoop is a brilliant way to tackle this problem. Ice cream scoops control the size of the meatballs, so we can make perfectly sized meatballs every time. It’s a neat trick to get some praise at the next office potluck.
Strawberry hulling
Every strawberry lover will relate to the painstaking task of hulling out those weird white cores. It’s very difficult because of their size.
But there’s a simple way of hulling strawberries quickly and efficiently. All you need is a straw. Simply poke the straw in the strawberry, give it a little twist and the hukll will be removed! In just a few minutes, we’ll have a basket of hulled strawberries, a clean kitchen counter, and hands that aren’t tired.
Cheese grater for cookies
Even the most experienced bakers won’t get it right every time, so it isn’t rare to pull out a tray of burnt cookies.
But here’s a secret most bakers wouldn’t tell: a cheese grater can turn those burnt cookies into perfect homemade cookies. All you have to do is flip them over, grate off the burnt part, and eat them. This neat tip also works for burnt cake, scones, and pizza. Practically everything.
Cleanest egg peels
Remember when social media went crazy because there were all sorts of unique ways to peel an egg?
Seasoned cooks know we don’t have to waste our time trying out these hacks when the easiest way is to use a spoon. The curved shape of the spoons pairs perfectly with the egg shape, so it's easier to carve out the shell without damaging the egg. Just crack the egg, poke the spoon inside, and let it make its way out.
Learn To Can
If you learn how to can and preserve food, you can stock your pantry with delicious homemade items that will last for years and years. Older generations know all about canning and preserving and, from what they tell us, it really isn't hard at all. Start with a few jams and then work your way up to entire meals that fit perfectly inside jars.
Make a Cookbook
Rather than constantly searching for your favorite recipe in a cookbook or online, just start making your own cookbook. Write down the recipes that you love and save them all in one convenient place. Then, anytime you want to make that specialty dish, you can just reach for your own handwritten recipe.
In no time, you will have an entire cookbook of your own favorite foods.
Freeze The Dough
If you love freshly baked cookies, then you need to start learning how to freeze cookie dough. Next time you make a batch of homemade cookies, be sure to scoop some of the cookie dough into pre-portioned balls and freeze it for up to three months. Then just bake the dough balls from frozen anytime you need a fresh cookie.
This is Grandma's secret to always having homemade cookies on hand!
Corn Cutter
It can be hard to cut the corn off the cob neatly and easily. The hot cobs are hard to hold and often slip out of your hands as you try to cut. Take grandmas advice and use a bundt pan to help you hold the corn. Place the end of the corn cob in the center hole of the bundt pan and hold on to the top. Cut the corn off the cob and, as you cut, the pieces will neatly fall into the bundt pan.
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