When you spend time in the kitchen, you don’t realize how fast time flies, especially when you have guests coming over for lunch or dinner and you have to finish cooking within a set time! Whether you’re running late for work or have lots of dishes to cook, these kitchen hacks will definitely come in handy for you. 

1. Use a pizza cutter to chop herbs quickly and easily.

Take a pizza cutter to chop up your herbs into small shreds quickly and easily. Simply run your pizza cutter over the herbs in any direction for 4 to 5 times and your fresh, chopped herbs are ready for garnish or recipes. 

2. Use a pastry brush to apply a thin layer of oil on your momo steamer or baking dishes. 

A pastry brush is usually made to brush melted butter over your pastry or bread before and during baking but you can also use it to oil the trays of your momo steamer or baking dishes without having to waste too much oil. 

3. Use a vegetable peeler to shave thin slices of cheese for salads or sandwiches.

This is a hack that I’ve been using for ages! Who doesn’t love a grilled cheese sandwich or adding cheese to their salads. It can be a hassle to try and make thin slices of cheese with a knife, so instead, take a vegetable peeler to “peel” thin slices of cheese. You’ll be surprised how efficient this is! 

4. Make instant grilled cheese by placing your toaster horizontally

If you want to make a quick breakfast sandwich, place your toaster vertically, then on one toast, add your cheese slices and other toppings but make sure that it can fit into the toaster slot. Then place the topped toast in the bottom slot of the toaster and another slice in the top toaster. Turn your toaster on then place a plate right beside the toaster so that you can catch the instant sandwich when it pops out of the toaster. 

5. Keep your cutting board or roti board from slipping by placing a damp towel or paper towel underneath.

Don’t you just hate it when you’re running out of time and then suddenly your roti board or your cutting board starts to slip here and there on the countertop? Avoid this by placing a damp towel underneath. This will prevent the board from slipping in slippery surfaces and will help to avoid making a mess or worse, hurting yourself. 

6. Use a spoon to remove the skin from ginger easily.

This is a hack that grandmas probably taught us. If you don’t have a peeler, take a spoon to remove the skin from ginger. It also works for potatoes. This is a great hack when you can’t find the peeler or are cooking outside and forget to bring one. 

7. Keep your kitchen scissors sharp by cutting through aluminium foil a few times.

Scissors can get dull when you use them for too long. And dull scissors can make it hard to cut things, and can even be dangerous. Keep your scissors sharp by tearing a piece of aluminium foil and cutting through it a few times. Instant sharp scissors! 

8. Use a straw to easily remove the stem from strawberries.

If you have a bunch of strawberries that you want to remove the stem from, simply take a plastic straw and use it to pierce through the bottom of the strawberries and then push it out the opposite end which will remove the strawberry stem. 

9. Freeze leftover coffee in ice cube trays and use them to make iced coffee without watering it down.

If you love to drink iced coffee but don’t like the taste of it when the ice has melted, freeze coffee in ice cube trays that you can add to your cup of iced coffee. This way, even if the ice melts, your coffee will not get watered down and you can enjoy your coffee as you like. 

10. Use a spoon to peel boiled eggs by cracking the shell and sliding the spoon between the egg and the shell.

Let’s say, you have to peel a number of hard boiled eggs. That’s easier than it sounds! Anyone who has had to peel a dozen hard boiled eggs knows how tedious and time consuming this task is! If you are short on time and don’t want to spend it peeling hard boiled eggs, crack open the shell on one side then press the spoon in between the egg and the shell, then turn the egg around and remove the shell as you go. 

11. Cut cherry tomatoes quickly by placing them between two plates and running a knife through the gap.

This is my favorite kitchen hack as it really comes in handy when you are short on time. It works best with cherry tomatoes but you can use them for bigger sized tomatoes as well. Take your tomatoes and align them on a plate then take another plate and place it right side up over the tomato. Gently press the plate so that the tomatoes don’t move, then take your knife and slice through the tomates in one go. 

12. Soften butter quickly by cutting it into cubes. 

You need butter for your cake recipe but you forgot to take it out to bring it to room temperature? You can soften butter quickly by cutting it into small cubes and letting it warm up. Small cubes of butter are easier to warm up than one big lump. 

13. Get more lemon from juice by rolling it and heating in the microwave

Before squeezing the lemon, place it in the oven for 10 seconds then roll it in the palm of your hands. Then you can cut the lemon and squeeze it to get more lemon juice.