22 Genius Kitchen Hacks You'll Wish You Knew Sooner

Cooking is about multi-tasking. Though you have all you need on hand, it still requires strategies and creativity to cook more efficiently. Here are 22 simple but incredible hacks that will make your time in the kitchen much more fulfilling.

1. Fill A Frosting Bag With A Tool

Pastry lovers can get frustrated when a pastry bag is too flexible to fill the icing quickly. A tall cup can help you out. Put the bag into and over it, and you will do the job quickly and neatly.

2. Use A Towel Rail As A Pot Rack

One more towel rail on the wall can increase the storage space in your kitchen. With several S-hooks, you can put your pots and tools in order, and they're convenient to pick and use. It's also an excellent way to prevent wooden utensils from rotting.

3. Wax Paper To Clean Faucets

The secret behind a flawless faucet is simply a piece of wax paper. Rub it on the chrome-made device, and the wax left on its surface will make it stain-resistant.

4. Heat Leftovers Thoroughly

Have you ever heated leftovers in the microwave yet found part of it was still cold? To avoid repetitive reheating, you can shape the food into a ring with a hole in the center. That will definitely speed up the process.

5. Freeze Herbs In Olive Oil

Always rushing when you add a lot of ingredients into a frying pan in minutes? You can get some of them ready beforehand. Freeze fresh herbs with olive oil in an ice cube tray, and pop one or two into your pan when you need them. You can also preserve excess wine or stock this way.

6. Wash Potatoes In The Dishwasher

Many people love potatoes yet hate scrubbing them. Well, here is an easy way. Put the potatoes on the top rack of an empty dishwasher and set it to the rinse-only cycle. Let the machine clean them with just water, and you can spend the washing time doing other things.

7. Fix A Shower Caddy Into Your Pantry

A shower caddy can help make good of the space in a narrow cabinet. You can either hang it on the door or the inside of your pantry with a hook. Then you can place anything you like on it.

8. Put Orange Peels Or Marshmallows In Your Brown Sugar

Brown sugar can dry out fast. Luckily, a slice of orange peel or a marshmallow can keep it moist without adding a strange flavor.

9. Keep Water From Boiling Over With A Wooden Spoon

Sometimes you have to leave your soup on the burner for a few minutes yet are not sure whether it will overflow. A wooden spoon on the top of a pot can prevent the water from boiling because it bursts the bubbles.

10. Use Salt And A Potato To Clean Cast Iron

You may have long been puzzled as to how to clean a cast-iron pan. You can't use soap because it will ruin the seasoning. However, coarse salt and cut potato, two pretty common things in a kitchen, can safely clean the left food on a cast-iron appliance.

11. Self-Made Bag Dispenser

If you like to collect plastic bags for use later on, you probably find that they can become a mess. A DIY bag dispenser can arrange them nicely and save space. Simply fold the old bags in half lengthways and then line them one after another. Make sure the latter bag's handles always overlap the former one's bottom. Roll all the bags tightly, and put them in a proper container.

12. Turn Natural Peanut Butter Upside Down

Natural peanut butter can have all its oil floating on the top after being stored for some time. Therefore you should put it upside down to let the oil travel through the peanut butter and do it again next time.

13. Freeze Soft Cheese Before Grating It

If you want to grate soft cheeses, the important thing is to freeze them. When it becomes solid, it is a lot easier to hold it firmly and grate it.

14. Use A Tension Rod Under The Sink

If you're concerned about sorting out your detergent bottles, consider the hidden space under your sink. You can hang them there with a tension rod.

15. Clean Strawberries With Vinegar

Sometimes we can't eat all the strawberries and wish to leave them for the next day. So how to keep them fresh concerns us. A simple way is to wash them with water and vinegar to get rid of the germs and dirt before storing them in the fridge.

16. Use Lazy Susans In Deep Pantry Cabinets

Though deep shelves can accommodate extra pantry items, things put in the back corners are hard to reach and will likely be forgotten. Lazy susans can deal with the problem perfectly. Its spinning mechanism can make everything stored on it accessible.

17. Put Bread On Edges Of A Cut Cake To Keep It Fresh

A cake's exposed end can soon dry out. However, a simple slice of bread can make a difference. You can cover the cut end of the cake with it and use toothpicks to fix it on the cake. Then your cake can maintain its freshness and moisture.

18. Grate Your Butter For Easier Baking

It is a lot easier to mix butter with other ingredients after it is grated. Apart from that, grated butter also takes less time to melt and soften.

19. Use Cream of Tartar On A Toaster

Next time your toaster gets grimy, try a cream of tartar to clean it easily. The citric acid can dissolve gunk and make your toaster shiny again. It can also be applied to pots and pans, dish scratches, and coffee pots.

20. Use Paper And File Organizers As A Rack

File organizers can also perform well in the kitchen. Store some paper bags in the organizer, and you will have a DIY rack for cutting boards and baking sheets. Just put them in the slots between two bags.

21. Check How Fresh Eggs Are In Water

Don't remember when you bought these eggs? Put them in water, and you will know. The eggs that sink are fresher, but the ones that float can be older because the air pocket in it has grown larger.

22. Crimp Pie Crust With Common Items

You may not expect that so many tools at home can help crimp your pie crust creatively. Why not try sauce whiskers, tongs, measuring spoons, or forks to create a uniquely shaped pie crust?