Arts &Crafts, How-To's, Upcycling & Repurposing

Hello everyone! I’m sure most people like to make things easier on themselves while cooking in the kitchen. I know I do 🖐️.

Here’s one tip – No one likes rock hard ice cream that bends your spoon when you try to scoop it. Did you know before you put your ice cream container back in the freezer, put the container inside a big ziplock bag. Make sure all the air is out, seal it shut and put it back in the freezer. The next time you have ice cream you won’t have a hard time scooping! The ziplock bag keeps the cold air from making the ice cream hard.

Tonight I’ve come up with 15 different tips in the kitchen for you –

~ To keep mushrooms from going bad, put them together in a paper towel and put that in a ziplock bag. It will help keep the mushrooms fresh.

~ keep your spices and seasonings in a cool dark cabinet. By keeping them above the stove, the heat & lights causes the spices and seasonings to lose their flavor.

~ To keep your cheese from drying out, wrap it in plastic wrap. It’ll help the cheese stay fresh longer.

~ To keep your herbs fresh and ready to go, grab an ice cube tray – cut up the herb of choice and put it in the ice cube slots, top it off with olive oil. The next time you cook and need one just pop it right out. You can put the whole tray in a baggie in the freezer so it doesn’t get freezer burn.

~ A fan of ice coffee? Pour coffee in each ice cube slot in the tray and freeze. Next time you want cold coffee add these to your coffee. It also won’t water your coffee down like regular ice cubes do. Just like the herbs ☝️, you can put the tray in a baggie and put in the freezer to keep from getting freezer burn.

~ Boiling water? Place a wooden spoon across the top of your pot and it’ll keep it from boiling over.

~ To help make a lemon “juicier”, place the lemon in the microwave for 10 seconds. Allow to cool and the lemon will be juicier!

~ Veggies going bad?

• If you store celery in a jar submerged with water, the celery will last up to 2 weeks.
• Store carrots in a jar submerged in water and they will stay good up to a month.

~ Instead of throwing your banana peels in the garbage, place them in a jar of water for about 2 days. After 2 days you can use that water to water your plants. Bananas are loaded with potassium!

~ Want tomatoes to last longer? Store tomatoes upside down. It’ll help stop the air from entering the tomato where the stalk has been. It will stay fresh longer.

~ We all have a hard time with plastic wrap. It gets clingy, staticky when you try to pull it out. Becomes stuck to itself not to mention frustrating you…. Put your plastic wrap in the fridge an hour or so before using it. Problem solved!

~ Have leftover broth/bouillon you don’t want to go to waste? Pour it into ice cube trays and freeze. If you are worried about freezer burn you can place the tray inside a ziplock bag and label it. Next time you need some it’s there. Not only are you reducing waste, it’s time saving and freezing broth can actually enhance its flavor. The freezing process allows the flavors to meld develop stronger.

~ In a hurry and you don’t have time to peel garlic? Place a garlic clove or two in the microwave for 10-15 seconds and the skin will loosen making peeling it easier.

Hope these little tips make things easier for you guys!

~ Melodie