11 Reddit Reader Kitchen Hacks Readers Can’t Live Without
Some kitchen hacks are musts. Things that make life so much easier in the kitchen. Things that help you get dinner on the table with less stress, fuss, or muss. Things you want to be sure you’re never without, even if you don’t cook all that much. These Reddit reader hacks will help you transform your time in your kitchen.
1. Get A Great Pair Of Kitchen Shears
A great pair of kitchen shears will save you a ton of work in the kitchen. Shears will trip vegetables, cut meat into chunks, or simply trim fat with little to no effort.
2. Revive Wilted Veggies
Revive wilted lettuce, carrots, and celery by cutting their edges and soaking them in warm (not hot) water until they are crisp again, then refrigerate.
3. Let Cookie Dough Sit
Once your cookie dough is made, cover it and set it in the fridge for three days. Yes, this takes a lot of self-control. But it gives the flavors a chance to meld, which will make your cookies taste even better.
4. Scooping Seeds
Scooping seeds out of squash is a messy business, with seeds flying everywhere. So put down the spoon, and use an ice cream scoop instead. Works like a charm.
5. Destemming Herbs
We’ve all seen those tools for sale that will destem your herbs and even some larger greens like kale. But you don’t need that when it comes to herbs. Just use your fork!
6. Caramelize Onions In A Slow Cooker
Most folks don’t have time to babysit a pot of onions for hours to get them perfectly caramelized. So instead, add the onions and some butter to your slow cooker and let them cook on low for 12 hours or until they reach the doneness you like best.
7. Never Sauté Garlic And Onions Together
At the same time, that is. Always sauté the onions first. Add the garlic to the onions in the last minute of cooking. Garlic only takes about 1 minute to cook properly. After that, it imparts a bitter flavor.
8. Pre-Roast Your Spices
If you are cooking with dried spices, dry roast them in a hot skillet until you can smell them. This brings out their flavors in ways that simply adding them to cooking food can’t. this is particularly wonderful with Indian spices and Mexican spices.
9. Brown Butter For Cookies
Are you making chocolate chip cookies? Don’t add the butter until you’ve browned it. It takes your cookies to a whole new level of flavor.
10. Add Cocoa Powder To Chili
Even some soups will benefit from the addition of a tablespoon or so of unsweetened cocoa powder. It deepens the flavor without making it taste like chocolate.
11. Revive Dried Out Veggies
You know that celery at the back of your fridge that looks dried out? You can still salvage it. Clip the ends and place them into a jar of lukewarm water. This will rehydrate many different veggies, such as greens, carrots, and more.
12. Add Soy Sauce To Soups
If you are missing that really good umami flavor in your soup, try adding a splash of soy sauce. It deepens the flavor and adds umami.
These hacks were shared from this thread on Reddit.
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This originally appeared on The Gracious Pantry.